Quaso Chimkin Pendant: A Peek into the World of 3D Printed Jewelry Making

Hello, and welcome back to my blog! In the first post, I introduced you to my work and shared one of my latest creations with you – the quaso chimkin. Today, we’ll delve deeper into the physical creation of the piece, from 3D printing to polishing.

In this second installment, we’ll explore the main steps involved in this process and share some of the challenges I faced along the way. In future blog posts, I’ll cover some of these topics in greater detail, so stay tuned if you’re interested in learning more about specific aspects of jewelry making.

To start, let’s briefly discuss the 3D printing process. After finalizing the design in Blender, I had to optimize the model for printing. This part of the process can be very time-consuming and requires analyzing the model to determine the best orientation for printing. Using the least amount of supports is usually better, so taking that into consideration since the conceptualization is very helpful. If not, the model may have to be modified to make it printable.

Once the 3D modeling is completed, the next step is to add supports to the printed model on the slicer software. 3D printing is an amazing technology, but it’s not magic, so while it gives us a lot of possibilities, one of the limitations is that it cannot create things floating in midair. Supports ensure that parts of the model that would be floating otherwise have a pre-existing structure to support their creation. However, supports modify the surface of the model, and when removed, they can damage the print. That’s why using them strategically is essential.

The 3D printing process can be both exciting and challenging. After optimizing the model for printing and ensuring the best orientation to use as few supports as possible, I used a high-resolution resin 3D printer to bring the chimkin to life. This printer allows for the creation of intricate details. However, 3D printing with resin is not without its challenges, as the cleaning process can be time-consuming, and handling the delicate prints requires great care.

Pictured are 2 Quaso Chimkins still on the printer plate and still covered on uncured resin, one of them partially failed.
On this print I was trying a new printing profile to lower the layer height and I think that’s the reason for the partial failure.

Print cleaning is my least favorite part of the whole process; it’s very messy and takes a lot of time (specially for some castable resins) . It’s also very delicate work, as removing the supports carefully can take a long time for complex prints. The resin is quite stinky, so I wear a carbon filter respirator. While it is probably not “toxic,” continuous direct exposure to your skin leads to hypersensitivity to something in it, which basically means you become allergic to it. Great care has to be taken to avoid touching the resin. After cleaning, the resin print has to be cured further. This takes a while but is very hands-off, so I usually take this time to clean up the printer area.

After the print is clean and cured, the model is then used to create a “wax tree.” This process involves attaching the model to a central wax sprue via a “feeder,” which serves as a channel for the molten metal to flow into the mold. Sprueing is an art on its own, as a lot of thought has to be put into where to attach them and what thickness to use. The wax tree is then encased in a plaster-like investment material, which will later form the mold for casting.

I didn’t have a good photo of the quaso chimkin on it’s wax tree, but here’s one of a more complex one. the star features a print in place bail, we’ll talk about that in a different post.

Once the investment has hardened, the wax is burned/melted out, leaving a hollow cavity in the shape of the tree. The mold is then heated to a high temperature to prepare it for the casting process. Molten silver is poured into the mold, filling the cavity and taking on the shape of the chimkin employee pendant. here’s a short video I made documenting the process.

After the silver has cooled and solidified, the investment material is removed (usually by quenching it in cold water, which makes the investment explode – it’s quite fun), revealing the cast piece. At this stage, the pendant still has the sprues attached. If they’re thin, they can be cut with some strong cutting pliers, but if there is more than one sprue, cutting them can deform the piece. The other option is using a jeweler’s saw.

Once the pendant is free from the sprues, it’s time to clean up the spots where they were attached. I carefully sand and reshape those areas to make sure the piece looks just like the original design intended. After that, it’s all about the finishing touches. I usually go for polishing, but there are so many other finishes to choose from, like sandblasting, acid etching, brushing, or burnishing. Each one gives the jewelry a unique look and feel.

As you can see, the process of creating a piece of jewelry like the chimkin employee pendant is quite involved and requires patience, skill, and attention to detail. In future blog posts, I’ll dive deeper into some of these steps and share more insights into the world of jewelry making.

Thank you for joining me on this creative journey, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us!

Best regards,

Kotako