Frequently asked questions
With over 40 years of casting under our belt, we've answered many queries and solved many problems.
You can easily get in touch with us through the "Contact Us" or "Get In Touch" buttons on our website. Feel free to send us your waxes, prints or moulds directly. We're here to help bring your jewellery visions to life!
To provide an accurate quote, we need detailed information about your design, including dimensions, weight, type of metal, and any specific finishes. You can send us your sketches, CAD designs, or even physical moulds for a comprehensive estimate.
Our price list is available on this website. The metal price is tailored based on the current metal grain costs. This ensures that you always receive a fair and competitive price for our casting services.
Turnaround times vary based on the complexity of the project and the type of metal used.
Typically, we aim to complete orders within 1 week. Contact us for a more specific timeline based on your project.
We do offer an urgent casting service for certain items (20 castings or less.) This will let you "jump the queue" but will incur an additional fee.
All you need to give us is your name, delivery address, email address and phone number. We also need to know what metal and quantity of castings you need of your work.
You can supply this information on our online order form, by email or in a written form (typed?)
How about buying a duplicate copy book so you can keep a copy of what you ordered and the top copy to us in your packet?
No. We do however work very closely with Precision Wax who provide a perfect printing service. We have worked together for years without glitch. They will send the prints direct to us for casting. Their details are to be found elsewhere on the site.
There are many reasons why we owe you money. For instance an error on invoicing, returned faulty castings and many more. We will send you a Credit notice – that’s the seme as an invoice but in reverse. That means we deduct the value from your account whereas an invoice adds on the value.
When you receive a credit notice do nothing. We will deduct the amount from your monthly Statement.
When you send us an order (in whatever form) all the details are transcribed into our computerised administrative system. Automatically you are sent an Order Confirmation by email. Every time you get one read it carefully. If it’s correct, do nothing. If there is an error let us know immediately. Don’t delay – your order will have started to progress. It is not possible to add or deduct from a confirmed order. But, whatever you do, DON’T PAY IT!!
We have made this as easy for you as we can.
All our Pricing Structure is clear to read in our pricing section on this site.
A price consists of three elements. A. Casting costs, that depends how many castings you need. B. Metal costs. That depends on the volume/weight. C. VAT and P&P
The easiest way to find the cost is to chat to us and send us the master.
First, what do you pay? If you have an account you wait for the end of the month when, by email, you receive the monthly statement. The last figure at the bottom is the one you pay. All debit and credit notes will have been taken into account . That’s what you owe us. So how to pay… Through the web site - l and either pay by Paypall or with a debit card. Or you can pay by direct debit, our details are on the invoices, quite a good thing to set up because once it's installed it's there for keeps. Or you can phone us up and pay by card. Or write a cheque-how quaint!
As a company one of our goals is to get castings to you as fast as possible. If you send us waxes 95% of the time they go in the next casting. And we cast every other day. The main delay to that is if we have a query and we can't get hold of you .All the rest our target time is to have the castings back to you in 7 days. That breaks down for two main reasons. First because we are busy, and that’s something that happens very often. Because we are always busy!! Second reason is because the castings are tricky and we can't get the good results we expect. We keep trying but it does slow us down. If it really is delaying us we would contact you.
About 85% of the castings are dispatched on time. But not at Christmas!!
To save yourself time firstly go to the Pricing section on the web site. Unless you have a difficult pricing problem all the answers will be there. However, sometimes we need to help. If it’s a simple problem, phone us and the office will answer your question. If we still are not there the only way is for you to send the master to us and we will help. This is delaying so leave it to last resort. All finishing work must be sent to us as we need to assess the work involved and we need to be very accurate in the price.
We are lost wax casters, investment casters.
All the stages in the process are covered by us. Elsewhere on the site a full description of the process is available. But from your point of view, if you want castings – we can do it!!!
The purpose of the mould is so we can reproduce your master. Whether you need one copy or a hundred, once you have a mould we can do it.
The basis of the system is to encase the master (the item requiring reproduction) in a rubber-like compound. This is carefully split using a scalpel so the master can be removed. Wax is injected into the mould and we are off.
Much more detail is available elsewhere on the site
Once we have a mould of the master the next stage is to produce a wax replica . Using a pressurised pot of molten wax (known as a vacuum wax injector) the mould is filled with wax. When this is hard, it is carefully removed from the mould - skilled stuff. Ready for the next stage.
Let's not get this out of context. Whatever new design you have it needs a three dimensional model made of it. There are a myriad of ways this can be accomplished and one of these is CAD/CAM. The first stage is to produce a 3D digital model of the design. Very tricky and time consuming. The digital file is then ‘printed’ in a very complex machine. We subcontract this work to Precision Wax who print a wax 3D model that can either be
moulded, or cast direct - if you only need one. But don’t forget all the other ways to create a master. There are a lot of very good books to read if you want to go further.
No. We do however work very closely with Precision Wax who provide a perfect printing service. We have worked together for years without a glitch. They will send the prints directly to us for casting. Their details are to be found elsewhere on the site.
That’s called the part line. When we make the mould the master is removed by cutting a slit all round the rubber block. Done with a scalpel, it's tricky stuff. The joint line does not need to be flat so we cut lugs on either side of the injection hole. That helps to mould to close into a perfect fit. On top of that the side cuts are zig-zag and the back edge is left uncut, like a book. So, in theory, the mould should close together perfectly. But sometimes it doesn’t and that leaves a fine line round the wax . If we spot it the wax is rejected and we try again .To remove the part line completely is almost impossible. But we do try!
Two choices here. First, if you want to ask a tecky question send us a file with your questions and we will help you. Second. If you want a file printed we can help. We don’t print here in the workshop. Instead we use the incredible Precision Wax (contact on the CAD/CAM section). They will print your work and send the prints to us where we will either cast or mould the print. You must instruct either them or us or both. Works really well. We get a packet from them most day.
We work with a variety of precious metals including gold and silver of various grades as well as various copper alloys. Whether you need a classic gold piece or a brass flute key, we have the capability to cast in your preferred metal.
Specifically:u00a0
Sterling Silver (.925),u00a0100% Recycled Sterling Silver (.935), Silnova (Copper-free Sterling Silver) 9ct White, Yellow and Red Gold, 14ct White and Yellow Gold, 18ct White, Yellow and Red Gold, 22ct Yellow Gold, Brass, White, Yellow and Red Bronzes, Nickel Silver (Not suitable for jewellery.)
Gold alloys are Clean, Recycled metal.
If you don't see what you need, ask us.
All of our alloys are Lead and Nickel-free unless stated.
All the metals we purchase come from reputable Bullion Dealers. All are assayed and tested before they arrive with us. We never alloy our own metals and we never add scrap into our melts. If you send us customers metal or your scrap to be added to your castings we will send it back.
Yes we will BUT you have to pay for your own crucible and your own flask and that makes it very expensive. The metals Assay would not be guaranteed.
Just the same as casting any other metal! Tell us exactly what metal you need and leave the rest to us.
We work with a variety of precious metals including gold and silver of various grades as well as various copper alloys. Whether you need a classic gold piece or a brass flute key, we have the capability to cast in your preferred metal.
Specifically:
Sterling Silver (.925), 100% Recycled Sterling Silver (.935), Silnova (Copper-free Sterling Silver) 9ct White, Yellow and Red Gold, 14ct White and Yellow Gold, 18ct White, Yellow and Red Gold, 22ct Yellow Gold, Brass, White, Yellow and Red Bronzes, Nickel Silver (Not suitable for jewellery.)
Gold alloys are Clean, Recycled metal.
If you don't see what you need, ask us.
All of our alloys are Lead and Nickel-free unless stated.
All the metals we purchase come from reputable Bullion Dealers. All are assayed and tested before they arrive with us. We never alloy our own metals and we never add scrap into our melts. If you send us customers metal or your scrap to be added to your castings we will send it back.
Yes we will BUT you have to pay for your own crucible and your own flask and that makes it very expensive. The metals Assay would not be guaranteed.
Just the same as casting any other metal! Tell us exactly what metal you need and leave the rest to us.
Got something for us to cast?
Start your order below or get in touch to discuss your jewellery casting needs.