Ramblin' Dan's Workshop

My granddaughter has a penchant for the letter "T" which of course is the initial of her first name. She is thrilled with anything shaped like a "T" or that has the letter on it as a monogram. So what could be better than a fancy Letter "T" pendant in silver.

This pendant is a test for me as it is very thin and I am wondering if I can cast it using the vacuum process. I would feel a bit more secure if I was using a centrifugal caster. I won't know until I try. I am using four sprues to get the silver to flow in fast.

At this writing I haven't made the pour but I will add the results (good or bad) when I do.

This is a 15th century "illuminated" T I found on the internet	I used Vectric Aspire to design the 3-dimensional carving and this is what I produced on the Taig CNC mill.
My concern is how to get the silver to flow in the tiny design before it solidifies.	I figure I have to hit four places at the same time, meaning I shouldn't sprue from one end. The design is facing this way to release surface bubbles when investing.
In the can, ready for the investment	Yes! It did cast. The two "triple dog" pendants came out just fine too.
I built a heavy duty tree to make sure I would get a quick fill	The "Tessa" T all polished.
Here is a new wax carving. The back side is much thicker	I took two pictures and couldn't decide which to publish!

The T pendant is too thin to be a good pendant for a child. Sterling silver shrinks a bit when it cools and this one is very thin. The pointy ends are sharp too. I will re-run the design but with a much heavier base (back) layer. It will look exactly the same but will be able to withstand a lot more wearer abuse.