[Ansteorra] wax sculpture

[Kristina Dombroski]

Thanks for the extra info!  I am hoping to enter it in a competition, so I'm
hoping to keep it as "period" as possible, and the shape is complex enough
that it will either require a single solid mold that is broken to release
the metal or at least 4 pieces put together (which is why I'm not doing
something easy like soapstone carving).  I will check out the references you
suggested.  Thank you very much!
Tangwystl

On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 2:00 PM, <ansteorra-request at lists.ansteorra.org>wrote:

>
> I use "Green Stuff" to sculpt and vulcanized rubber molds. It is the modern
> way to pewter cast, but if you are interested please drop me a line off
> list.
> ?
> Gramercy,
> ?
> Lochlan
>
> --- On Mon, 12/6/10, Hillary Greenslade <hillaryrg at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> From: Hillary Greenslade <hillaryrg at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] wax sculpture
> To: ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org
> Date: Monday, December 6, 2010, 12:10 PM
>
>
> Greetings Tangwystl,
> If not experienced in lost wax metal casting, I might suggest you check to
> see
> if there is a local gem and mineral society in your area.? They probably
> have a
> setup for casting and will have folks with professional experience to
> assist
> you.?? Also, check any local arts and crafts guilds or centers, and perhaps
> the
> local college art departments.? It's a good idea to get someone who has
> done
> casting before to assist you the first time, as it can be a dangerous
> process
> dealing with the hot elements.?
>
>
> There are also a few good books on the subject, I can recommend two:
> Centrifugal or Lost Wax Jewelry Casting Book by Murray Bovin, it's a pretty
> complete technical book
> Practical Casting: A Studio Reference Book by Tim McCreight
>
> I'm not sure if beeswax would have been the wax of choice for historical
> metal
> casting, perhaps an amalgum of beeswax and some other waxes may have been
> possible; but I've not done the historical research, so not sure.?? Else, I
> believe that some molds were made based on a wood or clay carving that had
> a
> clay shaped around it, and when the clay dried, the wood sculpture was
> removed,
> the metal was then poured into the clay mold... there have been some molds
> found
> in period.??
>
>
> If you intend to do lost wax casting, you would carve your wax piece,
> invest it
> in a?plaster of paris type material, with sprue holes setup, then?burn out
> the
> wax carving in a hot kiln, then pour the molten metal into the hollowed out
> plaster usually using a centrifuge,?when cooled,?split apart the two halves
> of
> the plaster and remove the?harden?metal object.???If you create your?wax
> object,
> you can get it commercially cast.?? ??
>
>
> You may want to consider using one of the current metalsmith carving waxes,
> they
> come in three hardness strengths usually; then use an alcohol lamp and some
> wax
> carving tools to carve out your shape.??
>
>
> You may want to check out the SCA (or pre-1600s) metalcasting group on
> Yahoo,
> at:
>
> Post message: Metalcasting at yahoogroups.com
> Subscribe: Metalcasting-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
>
> Good luck, Hillary
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> I'm trying to make something out of wax so I can make a mold around it and
> cast it in pewter.? However, I tried beeswax, having read that it was soft,
> as well as being available in period, and found it awful to work with.? It
> was really hard and flaky, and I melted it, then when it was still warm,
> but
> not solid, tried to sculpt it, using a hairdryer to warm it up when it
> started to get too hard onthe outside.? But it kind of had a consistency
> like mashed potatoes and broke apart really easily, and then I was unable
> to
> get the pieces to melt back together.? So my question is, does anyone have
> any experience with wax sculpture, and if so, could you tell me what kind
> of
> wax I should be using or how I should be working with it?
>
> Tangwystl verch Gruffydd
> --
>