Cast jewellery or silverware components
Overview
This standard covers the skills involved in casting components for jewellery, silversmithing and allied trades using wax castings, casting trees and moulds. You will be expected to complete casting activities such as casting of varying sizes and casting components to include colour combinations of the same alloy (no solder). You will produce a range of castings a varying complexity from different types of moulds using a range of materials, tools and equipment.
In producing castings you will work to instructions and invest and cast using the correct temperatures and techniques appropriate to the type of metal being used.
During, and on completion of, the casting process, you will check the quality of your work and be able to recognise casting defects, determine the action to rectify them and ensure that the finished work meets the required specification.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- complete preparatory work prior to investing and casting in line with industry best practice
- select techniques, procedures, materials and equipment for investing and casting in line with project needs
- produce a range of castings in line with workplace instructions
- assemble multiple components using different techniques in line with industry best practice
- complete investing using a range of techniques and procedures in line with workplace instructions
- programme and operate casting machinery used in different techniques in line with industry best practice
- apply the calculated burnout times in line with industry best practice
- use safe working practice to reduce risk of injury to self and others and damage to components and equipment in line with health and safety practice
- maintain and clean casting machinery used in different techniques in line with industry best practice
- check the work for defects in line with the needs of the project
- take action to rectify any defects detected in line with industry best practice
- complete the work to the given specification in line with workplace instructions
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- safety precautions to be taken when casting
- materials to be used
- quantities and mixing ratios
- working life of materials and mixes
- the significance of re-crystallization, sprue placement and reservoirs
- the importance of using casting trees
- methods used to determine the amount of metal
- how to clean, maintain and use vacuum processing equipment
- how to mix investment proportions by manual and automated methods
- methods and impacts of air bubble removal
- how to carry out investing including calculations and formula required
- the importance of correct duration and temperatures for burnout
- how to clean, maintain and use casting equipment
- methods and techniques for the removal of work from investment
- how to apply cleaning and finishing techniques
- methods of removing wax prior to casting
- burnout properties of different rapid prototype materials
- how to clean, maintain and use casting equipment
- alternative methods of casting including commercial techniques
- methods and techniques for the removal of work from investment
- how to apply cleaning and finishing techniques
- how to check that the casting meets the needs of the specification
- best practice in advanced casting within chosen jewellery industry
- the importance of following the given specification and timescales
- common defects and ways to rectify these
Scope/range
Castings includes:
- casting of varying size, mass and form
- unique casting style of the artisan
- some components to include colour combination of the same alloy (no solder)