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Lost Wax Casting Information and Types of Lost Wax Casting
Category: Technology
Learn about the basics of Lost Wax, types of Lost Wax
Casting, and the process of Lost Wax Casting.
Lost Wax Casting is known as Cire Perdue in French. It is a
process in which an artist’s sculpture is used to cast bronze. The Lost Wax
Casting method is also known as
Investment Casting in the modern industrial world. This is a very
ancient method used for casting small bronze sculptures, but today it is used
to make many different artifacts and the process varies from foundry to
foundry. Today this developed method of Lost Wax Casting is used to make
articles like fine jewelery, show pieces, dental restoration, a few specific
industrial parts and also some machine tools.
Process of Lost
Wax Casting:
Rough Sculptor
making: A creative artist makes an original sculptor or mold or an
artwork by using raw material like wax, plaster of Paris or clay. A mixture of
oil based clay and wax is preferred as these materials retain their softness.
Final Mold Making:
A mold is then made as per the original sculptor. The mold is made up
of two pieces and a key with shim is placed between the two pieces during
construction so the mold can be put accurately back together. Molds are
generally made using plaster or fiberglass or any other material that may be
suitable. An inner mold of latex or vinyl or silicone is put pup preserve the details
of the original art work. Generally, the original art work made of plaster mold
cracks and breaks during the initial phase of deconstruction. Many a times,
numerable molds are required to get the exact replica of the original art work.
Filling up the
mold: Once the latex and plaster mold is complete and finished, molten
wax is poured into the mold till it gets an even coating all around the mold.
The thickness of the wax coating is around 1/8 inch. This process is then
repeated until the desired thickness is achieved.
Removal of wax
replica: The hollow wax replica of the original art work is then
removed from the mold. The original mold can be used for making more wax
replicas, but due to the wear and tear of the original mold the reuse of the
mold is limited.
Softening: Each
wax mold is then chased or softened using heated metal tools. The metal tools
are rubbed around portions that show cracks or the joining line of the mold,
where the pieces have come together. Separately molded wax pieces are then
heated and attached. The finished mold is then dressed in order to hide any
imperfections. The final piece then looks like a bronze sculpture.
Making paths for
molten bronze: It is also known as “spuring?, in short the wax copy is
then branched with treelike wax, so that the molten bronze reaches the right
parts and also it helps the air to escape. The critical and careful spuring
begins from the top of the wax copy. The top of the copy is attached to by wax
cylinders to different points on the wax copy.
Slurry, burnout, testing, pouring, release, metal-chasing ,
and painting are the final steps in the process of Lost Wax Casting.
About the author
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