Metal Casting Zone Info Blog

Posts Tagged ‘History’

Since the dawn of time, various civilizations have used various adornments to symbolize beauty, fashion, status, possession, culture, belonging, magical powers, mood, and faith – especially in warding off evil. Amazing isn’t it? It’s likely that you may have not given that much thought to the trinket other than as its role as an accessory to your new wardrobe.

Traditional ornaments for the body were made of seeds, twigs, berries, leather, ivory, shells, horn, bone, feathers, and various other findings amongst the landscape. Found objects in the day of primitive man were considered very precious and were worn and showcased on the body as prized possessions, although the jewelry so created was very organic in its construction. Stories were told and memories were cast between all the little findings woven together in full circle – quite a mesmerizing concept.

Over time, as religion started to play a greater role in historical civilizations, jewelry espoused one’s convictions and belief system and began to take on a deeper symbolic role – that still exists today. Think about how many times you’ve seen someone with a religious symbol strewn on a simple chain dangling as a pendant. Precious stones were thought to contain certain protective powers and curative properties (both of which are still believed by many today) and precious metals were connected with worship. Thus, composition of jewelry became a little more sophisticated and pursuant to that its scope of placement on the body broadened. Hence we saw earrings, hair jewelry, rings, etc. Eventually jewelry in the role of functionality blossomed – like the watch or the belt or barrettes for example, and so was born the category of accessories! Stay tuned for more on that one!

Today, jewelry still holds most if not all of its original values. The artists that create it have such a wonderful and monumental task of ensuring it is represented in the most expressive way – a real tribute to it evolution and meaning to man.

Silver jewelry has been around for a long time and has been enjoyed by generation after generation since as far back as 5000 B.C. According to historical investigations and reports Egyptians used silver for jewelry, ceremonial ornamentation, and for bartering and tombs have been discovered containing silver that dated back as far as 2900 B.C.

Although there are many modern technological ways to work silver today this wasn’t the case back when silver first began to be used to make jewelry. At the time the process for working jewelry involved either the use of a hammer to get the desired design and look or casting and pouring silver into the desired shape for a piece of jewelry. A third way that silver was worked into silver jewelry in ancient time was through filigree techniques. This is the process of taking thin silver and twisting it and wrapping it into intricate designs that can be held together by soldering.

All of these ways that were once used to work silver provide for a fairly rough, simple jewelry but it just goes to shoe how long individuals have been enjoying the beauty of silver and wearing it to make a fashion statement or as a sign of wealth. The beauty of the low cost precious metal has not been lost on a generation yet to date. You can find gorgeous pieces from all different points in history and from all different regions of the world.

Many Indian tribes used silver to make jewelry. Often you will see these pieces around still today; many of these pieces also have turquoise in them. Silver and turquoise go beautifully together and make for a lovely piece of jewelry. The contrast between the two colors is brilliant.

Another part of the world that is known for their use of silver is Mexico. Silver pieces made in Mexico have a wide selection of stones in them. These stones range from inexpensive coral, which is a beautiful red color, to a pricier boulder opal, which has a brilliant mixture of colors, to a simple emerald with all of its elegant beauty.

Other parts of the world that silver comes from include Peru, Chile, China, Poland, and Australia. All of these countries have been mining silver for many years with Mexico and Peru being the longest, mining silver dating back as far as 1546. And the silver that these countries mine is not only useful for jewelry but for other things as well, such as cutlery, and heat conductors.

Silver jewelry has been a profitable industry for many, many years and from all indications it appears that the inexpensive precious metal will continue to be popular in future generations too. Silver jewelry will not loose its elegance and simplicity from over years that can be worn anytime we want and for that may be compared with gold jewelry. I have a feeling that many pieces from the past will stick around to be enjoyed for many years to come.

Man’s use of fire can be traced as far back as one million years ago. The fires then were built on the ground. While the ancient people were inside their huts, smoke accidentally escaped through holes in the roof. Approximately half a million years ago, fires were already built on a solid hearth and holes were deliberately made in the roof so smoke could exit.

Fires were traditionally placed in the middle of the room to allow maximum accessibility and heat output. The advancement of the first two-storey buildings led to the fireplace being relegated to the outside wall. The only material available then for building the floor of the second storey was wood. Obviously, it was unwise to build a fire on a wooden floor, so the fireplace was moved into a cut-out in the wall. The flue was placed horizontally so extraction of smoke was poor. Smoke would frequently have blown into the room. In the end, they discovered the principle of the chimney.

The means of using wood to heat homes and offices is almost as old as dirt. It can be traced back to the 1700s when Abraham Darby used procedures of smelting, where it was found out that iron provided a cost-efficient way of producing heat.

It was during the Victorian age when fireplaces began to grow popular. During this time, people discovered that aside from producing heat, fireplaces added a hint of elegance. It somehow gave homes a comfortable and traditional environment. Through the years, housing designs evolved and so did the fireplaces, along with the technology. Fireplaces changed and became more fashionable, offering sand casting systems. This provided a chance for makers to create even more superior designs.

In spite of all the changes and the advancement, the basic fireplace is still made up of two components – the surround and the insert. The surround part of the fireplace is composed of the mantle and sides. It is typically made of wood, granite, marble, and sometimes iron. The insert is the part of the fireplace where the fire is burned. This part is constructed using cast iron and is frequently adorned with stylish tiles of different colors and designs.

Benjamin Franklin had an important part in the discovery of fireplaces. He found out that fireplaces lose a significant amount of heat through the wall. It gave him the idea to make the first freestanding firebox, which came to be recognized as the Franklin stove. He put his first stove in the middle of the room, which solved his problem on how to look for means to heat a room. The outcome of the experiment was that the whole room was heated completely and equally. His other finding was that by using heavy cast iron, the heat continued being produced even when the flames had died out.

Still, with all his excellent discoveries, Franklin’s effort had a defect. The hitch was that air cannot be drawn in. This is because the smoke was vented from the bottom. David Rittenhouse, from Philadelphia, decided to utilize Benjamin’s invention but innovated it by putting in an L-shaped stovepipe as a means of moving the air through the fire and then emitting the smoke out through a chimney. This add-on proved quite successful. It was in the late 1700s that these freestanding stoves were being used all over the country. Although David Rittenhouse made the stove a success, people still identified it by the name Franklin Stove.

We are offering Investment casting production.Investment casting, which is also known as the “lost wax investment casting ” process, traces its roots to the Sang Dynasty in China from 1766 B.C. to 1122 B.C. The method was brought into modern industrial use when American manufacturers applied investment casting to make high quality military parts during World War II. It was found practical for many wartime needs – and during the postwar period it expanded into many non-aircraft applications. Today, investment casting is recognized and used worldwide as a technique for producing close-tolerance metal parts at highly competitive costs.

Ningbo KaiSheng Casting& Machining Manufacturer is a specialized manufacturer and a exporter of various casting parts and machining parts .
Ningbo KaiSheng is located in Ningbo, the famous port city in China. The factory was founded in 1998, over the years , we have grown from 70 workers to 250 ,from only one foundry to three foundries and a machining center ,and we are still growing. We will satisfied the more and more requirements of your mechanical component . The output of aluminum casting is 1000 tons per year, iron casting is 300 tons,and the other material casting is about 1000 tons. We believe that the outputs will be  much more next year.

Our Advantage is the separation of the foundry , different foundry for different material,This process is the best of the parts’quality . Also, we have a machining center . We have a strong commitment on service, quality, and innovation. Our commitment begins with using the best available equipment, materials, people, processes, and technology to manufacture your investment casting,sand casting,die casting and machining components. Our goal is to produce on time, cost effective.
The products refer to the industries of automobile, Marine, valve and pipe fittings, construction, engineering, mining machinery, railway,hardwares, power transmission line as well as non magnetic stainless steel castings in Electronics field. The producta are exported to U.S.A, European countries, North of Africa,southeast of Asian.
Ningbo kaisheng is dedicated to supply you excellent service and quality.

I am in a jewelry I art class and chose Cuttlefish Bone Casting as the topic for my final paper. I know several techniques and how to, but I would like more history of the topic. Info on any artists currently using this technique is good too. Book references, www links, or any other medium for info is fine. Thank you.

I have been sand casting with Pewter for a few years now and I really would like to know the history on it.