Losing the wax in "Lost wax" inv. casting - new id

[rskrishnan]

Hello All,
I'm trying to "re-arrange/organize" my workshop/basement in my 2 weeks of do-nothing-get-paid vacation. One of the trickiest things is to de-wax the mould WITHOUT upsetting my gf OR the neighbours (yes I know it's impossible ...).
Anyway, the de-waxer/steamer I use is a coffee can with a homemade funnel thingy on top to direct the steam. The mould sits sprue-side down on top of a stool/stand and the molten wax drips into the boiling water. Almost looks like a layered cake -
stovetop -->pan -->coffee can-->funnel -->mould !!

My problems are - too much of setup/take down time with my arrangement. The wax needs to be "skimmed" from the boiling water else it's dangerous. Lastly I think it consumes far too much electricity - very inefficient way of steaming.

Is there a better way (not a $500 steamer, and not burning the wax in the kiln) ? I've heard of a wall paper steamer ?!!? Any one using that ? Anyone using something totally diff (solvents ?) ??

Thanks,
K.

[John Kurman]

Your setup as you describe it is indeed very inefficient. You are relying on directed steam to do the job when what you want is total immersion. I have, on the fly, setup the following: a hot plate on which rests a cake-baking pan on which rests a cooking rack on which rests the mold. Cover completey with aluminum foil, making sure there is a space around and on top of the mold for the steam to get to. Total immersion in steam heats up the whole mold and the wax comes out much more quickly. I kept a pan of water on the side to add to the pan as the water evaporated (the steam finds ways of getting through the foil). The whole steup looks like a Jiffy-pop pop corn popper. It is good? Well, it's adequate, and it is much faster than trying to steam out with a jet from the mold entrance.

About a year ago, I bought a propane powered turkey fryer. It's a 10 gallon lidded pot resting on a single-flame propane burner (cost me $29 at Home Depot). Spend another $50 on the propane tank. Welded together a rack to seat inside the pot on which to rest the mold. Fill with water ot just below the rack. Fire that baby up and about twenty minutes later the mold is dewaxed to pristine condition (and I do mean pristine - no wax at all even in the smallest nooks and crannies).

I like my turkey fryer a lot. Just be sure to do this (whatever your method) in a well-ventilated area and have a fire extinguisher to hand, for, you know, "unplanned events".

Happy dewaxing.

[watershed]

I've done the turkey thing, but got tired of it, too slow and usually I'm doing it in the dark. The wallpaper steamer works for me. Take a lunch tray, 2 hard bricks, and something to prop the steamer hose. Put the mold upside down on the bricks , put the hoe in the mold, and fire it up. The advantage for me is the neighbors know nothing, and I can see what I'm diong. Also if I forget, the steamer will shut itself off. The turkey fryer will not. Also with thte turkey, if you have too much wax to water, it WILL set itself on fire.

Greg