Hi guys. I am looking to mill a couple of molds for wax injection (investment casting) for a couple of personal projects.
How fine of a finish should I shoot for out of the mill, before polishing?
Currently I am using VisualMill which lets me specify a remaining 'scallop' height and finishing with a .125" ball end mill. I've run a few test cuts but I was wondering whats a reasonable amount to polish by hand? Cycle times are really going up as the finish gets finer.
I guess at what point is it faster to finish polish by hand than have an ultra-fine finish out of the machine?