Casting

What is casting?
Casting is the process of pouring a liquid substance into or onto another material which is then allowed to solidify. Humans have been casting for thousands of years, the earliest surviving casting which has currently been found is a copper frog made in 3200 BCE Mesopotamia.

Broom/drop casting
Drop casting silver is helpfully self explanatory in that you drop molten silver onto something without creating a mould or shape to allow  a freeform casting – broomcorn, water, sand etc.  
Broom casting specifically requires you to pour your silver onto bundles of wet broomcorn. 

Cuttlebone casting
Cuttlebone are not actually bones, they are the internal shell of cuttlefish. It mainly consists of calcium carbonate. The life cycle of cuttlefish means that after breeding, the females die and their internal shells are washed up onto the beach. They can be used by the pet industry as calcium substitutes for birds but have also historically been ground up and used by goldsmiths and dentists as polish.

Cuttlebone casting, much like all metalsmithing techniques, is an ancient art form. Silver buckles, where the unique cuttlebone texture is shown on the back, were found in two graves in a German burial complex dated to between the 6th and mid 7th century.

Moulds are carved into two cuttlebone pieces which have been levelled and clamped together. Molten metal is poured in and allowed to set. The internal pattern of the cuttlebone transfers a wavelike texture to the metal. This can be ground off but to me the true beauty of the process is the unique texture that is created.

 
As well as carving my own moulds into the bones, I use the moulds left by nature too. The cuttlebones that I pick up from beaches are not in pristine condition and often have marks of the local wildlife who have eaten away at the bone. I love immortalising those markings with silver.

Sand Casting
Sand casting is most likely the oldest form of metal casting in human history. A mould of an object is made in sand using an ingot mold and then molten metal is poured into it.

Fettling a casting
Fettling a casting is the process of cleaning up a raw casting. Sand, cuttlebone and drop casting all leave their different textures on a casting which can be ground and sanded off to create a smooth finish. I personally do not do this as the texture of these casting processes is one of the main reasons I love these techniques and think it adds a beautiful quality to a piece of jewellery.