Mold Shrinkage
Mold shrinkage is widely misunderstood. In fact most modern jewelry molding materials DO NOT SHRINK - 0% . Unfortunately, no matter what kind of mold you use, WAX SHRINKS 2.5% . In addition, the metal CASTING SHRINKS 1.0% compared to the wax. In reality, shrinkage happens everywhere except the mold.
| Molding 0 - 1% |
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All of our molds shrink 0% , except the Yellow which shrinks 1% compared to the original model. |
| Shooting Wax 2.5% |
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During solidification, wax shrinks about 2.5% , resulting in a wax that is slightly smaller than the mold cavity. |
| Casting 1.0% |
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The finished casting (in all our metals) is about 1% smaller than the original wax. |
Shrinkage is (approximately) additive for each step. If you mold a piece, shoot wax and cast you lose 0% plus 2.5% plus 1% for a total of 3.5% . If you only cast you only lose 1% .