Crazy Quilt
1.4.06.2
  Lost Wax Cast Rings
All designs ©2006 and forever.

Today I'm sharing how I made some rings...

 

Home

Contact

Archives

 

 

 

Other Jewelry
Making the Wax Models



You can make a wax model either by the additive method, using soft wax and adding decorative elements,(upper left); or by the subtractive method, using hard wax and removing material to make a design,( upper right). When ready to cast, a sprue is added to the model and it is attached to a base, (far upper right.) Then the model is placed in a sealed container and investment is poured in. This flask is heated in a kiln until all of the wax melts out through the sprue channel and burns off, and only a hollow space remains inside the investment where the wax was.
Casting the Rings


Heating the gold in the crucible with
an acetylene torch until it is molten.


Molten gold above, with warm flask in place in front of crucible.

Right:
Ready to drop the pin to start centrifugal action to force molten gold into the flask to fill the space left after the wax model was burned out in the kiln.
 

At left:
The spin.

 

 

Right:
Empty crucible
  
 

Flux covered gold sprue is visible, hopefully indicating a successful casting.
 

Rings in unfinished state, with investment removed.


Sawing off sprue, cleaning and
filing rings before final finish.

Above: The flask is plunged
into a bucket of water, the investment falls off and and the ring is freed. The photo above shows the investment remaining around the ring and the sprue.
.

 

Finished rings at left.
<<
   >>
Other Jewelry