Our Process

Our process for recycling old and unused sterling silver forks, spoons, pitchers and plates into a custom ring is not easy but the end result is worth the effort. The process includes 3D design, resin printing, model cleaning, models tree construction, mold fabrication, model burnout, casting, and finishing. 

3D Design All rings start with an idea or a client order. If available, a 3D model will be loaded into the 3D modeling software and modified to meet the requirements of the ring or a new model will be created to meet client requirements. Once the model is complete, sprues (pathways for the silver to flow to the model) may be added and the model is sized to the appropriate ring size. Finally, one or more models are imported into a 3D slicer where printing supports are added and the models are sliced into .05mm thick slices for printing.
Model Printing The sliced model file is then imported into the printer. We use a 3D resin printer and a specially formulated resin that can be cleanly burned out of the mold. The 3D printing process can take several hours, dependent on how complex the ring model is. Once printed, the supports are removed and rings (now in resin) are cleaned in alcohol and cured under UV lights.
Models Tree Construction Once the models are cured and hardened, they can now be sanded to remove any printing artifacts and smooth all the faces. The sprues are then connected into a thick main sprue to construct the models tree which will be a combination of resin and wax. The final tree will be placed in a steel flask in preparation for the mold construction.
Mold Fabrication A mold is build by mixing a high temperature plaster where any air bubbles are removed in a vacuum chamber. The plaster is poured around the model tree and allowed to dry for 2-3 hours.
Model Tree Burnout Once dry the flask containing the model tree surrounded by plaster is placed in a furnace and slowly heated to dry out the plaster and burnout the resin model tree, leaving voids in the plaster where the silver will be poured. The burnout process can take over 12 hours to ensure the mold is properly cleaned out and ready for casting
Silver Preparation Near the end of the burnout process, recycled sterling silver is placed in another furnace and heated up to over 900 degrees Celsius, cleaned and prepared for pour into the flask.
Ring Casting Once the flask reaches the proper casting temperature of about 450 degrees Celsius and the silver is at about 950 degrees Celsius, we move the flask to the vacuum chamber, pressurize the chamber and pour the liquid silver into the mold. After completing the pour and allowing it to cool down, the flask is submerged in cool water which violently and quickly cools the flask and casting while washing away the plaster from the mold. The result is our model tree in silver.
Final Cleaning and Preparation The rings are then cut off the tree and placed in a tumbler for 1-2 hours for initial cleaning, followed by sanding and polishing to a final product.