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Wax carving and modeling

· 1 min read · Techniques

Illustration: Wax carving and modeling

Almost every cast piece of jewelry begins as a piece of wax. It is carved, cleaned and refined until it is identical to the final jewel.

Steps of the technique: Choose the wax, Draw, Carve, Model, Polish, Weigh and sprue
Summary of the steps

Types of wax #

  • Hard (carving) wax: cut with files, saws and burs.
  • Soft and modeling wax: heated and shaped with spatulas.
  • Tubes and bars: for rings and basic forms.

How it is worked #

The design is marked, the block cut and filed, and wax is added with a heated spatula. The wax is weighed to calculate the metal needed.

Preparing the casting #

Sprues are attached to the model and mounted on a tree that goes into the casting flask.

Alternatives #

Models can also be 3D printed or CNC milled (3D printing).

Step by step #

  1. Choose the wax. Hard to carve, soft to model.
  2. Draw. Mark the shape on the block.
  3. Carve. With saw, files and blades.
  4. Model. Add detail with a hot spatula.
  5. Polish. Smooth with nylon or stockings.
  6. Weigh and sprue. Calculate the metal needed.

Tools and materials #

  • Jewelry waxes (tubes, blocks, sheets)
  • Spatulas and small burs
  • Wax file and saw
  • Scale (scale)

Common mistakes #

  • Very thin walls: the metal will not fill.
  • Model with cracks.
  • Forgetting sprues or placing them badly.
  • Overheating the spatula.

See also #

This entry was drafted with the help of AI and is pending review by the author.