An Intricate Metal Cast Bolt With a Threaded Maze

Seth Robinson of Robinson Foundry, who previously cast molten aluminum into a spiral seashell, 3D printed a giant bolt with an intricate thread maze that he cast in molten metal to bring it to shining life.

In this video I will be making a puzzle bolt with complicated maze threads.

Robinson first printed the bolt with a 3D printer. He then covered the whole thing in ceramic in order to create a casting mold for the metal. Once the ceramic hardened and the PLA plastic melted away, the metal was poured. Once it cooled down, Robin removed the ceramic piece by piece to reveal an incredibly sturdy bolt and nut. He filed, buffed, and sandblasted each piece until they shined.

Robinson also showed how he created a double-threaded bolt using lost metal casting.

Using the lost PLA metal casting I will turn 3d prints into metal castings in my DIY backyard foundry. I started by printing the models on my 3d printer. I then coated them with a ceramic material. I then fired the shell in my kiln and then poured metal into the shell.