A method for forming a mold for casting a titanium-containing article, said method comprising: combining calcium aluminate with a liquid to produce a slurry of calcium aluminate, wherein the percentage of solids in the initial calcium aluminate / liquid mixture is about 70% to about 80% and the viscosity of the slurry is about 50 to about 150 mPa·s, the calcium aluminate cement comprising calcium monoaluminate, calcium dialuminate, and mayenite; adding oxide particles into the slurry such that the solids in the final calcium aluminate / liquid mixture with the large-scale oxide particles is about 75% to about 90%, the calcium aluminate cement is greater than 30% by weight, of the mold composition and the slurry contains from 40% to 68% by weight of the mold composition of aluminum oxide particles, introducing the slurry into a mold cavity that contains a fugitive pattern; and allowing the slurry to cure in the mold cavity to form a mold of a titanium-containing article; wherein: the oxide particles comprise between 10% and 50% calcium oxide; the mold consists of a multi-phase mixture of fine-scale of less than 50 microns calcium aluminate cement particles, fine-scale of less than 50 microns aluminium oxide particles, and larger scale of more than 100 microns aluminium oxide particles, the method results in the mold having an intrinsic facecoat of 10 microns to 250 microns between the bulk of the mold and the mold cavity; the facecoat has less aluminum oxide and more calcium aluminate cement than the bulk of the mold; and the bulk of the mold comprises alumina particles larger than 50 microns and the intrinsic facecoat comprises calcium aluminate particles less than 50 microns in size. combining calcium aluminate with a liquid to produce a slurry of calcium aluminate, wherein the percentage of solids in the initial calcium aluminate / liquid mixture is about 70% to about 80% and the viscosity of the slurry is about 50 to about 150 mPa·s, the calcium aluminate cement comprising calcium monoaluminate, calcium dialuminate, and mayenite; adding oxide particles into the slurry such that the solids in the final calcium aluminate / liquid mixture with the large-scale oxide particles is about 75% to about 90%, the calcium aluminate cement is greater than 30% by weight, of the mold composition and the slurry contains from 40% to 68% by weight of the mold composition of aluminum oxide particles, introducing the slurry into a mold cavity that contains a fugitive pattern; and allowing the slurry to cure in the mold cavity to form a mold of a titanium-containing article; wherein: the oxide particles comprise between 10% and 50% calcium oxide; the mold consists of a multi-phase mixture of fine-scale of less than 50 microns calcium aluminate cement particles, fine-scale of less than 50 microns aluminium oxide particles, and larger scale of more than 100 microns aluminium oxide particles, the method results in the mold having an intrinsic facecoat of 10 microns to 250 microns between the bulk of the mold and the mold cavity; the facecoat has less aluminum oxide and more calcium aluminate cement than the bulk of the mold; and the bulk of the mold comprises alumina particles larger than 50 microns and the intrinsic facecoat comprises calcium aluminate particles less than 50 microns in size. the oxide particles comprise between 10% and 50% calcium oxide; the mold consists of a multi-phase mixture of fine-scale of less than 50 microns calcium aluminate cement particles, fine-scale of less than 50 microns aluminium oxide particles, and larger scale of more than 100 microns aluminium oxide particles, the method results in the mold having an intrinsic facecoat of 10 microns to 250 microns between the bulk of the mold and the mold cavity; the facecoat has less aluminum oxide and more calcium aluminate cement than the bulk of the mold; and the bulk of the mold comprises alumina particles larger than 50 microns and the intrinsic facecoat comprises calcium aluminate particles less than 50 microns in size.