Mesa Arts Center
Summer 2008
Intermediate to Advanced Glass Casting
Instructor: Joshua Dopp
Thursday Nights 6:30 - 10:30 pm
Lost Wax Casting: Working with Wax
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Working with sculptors wax can be a lot of fun. It can also be messy painful and frustrating. For the purposes of lost wax sculpting I have always used victory brown microcrystalline wax. Since moving to Arizona I have noticed my wax is melting a lot easier. (How shocking) Therefore I am introducing higher melt point waxes to my collection of wax. There are many types of wax Lonnie’s offers a good local selection. For Victory Brown Sculptures wax and just about everything else you will need for model and mold making can be found at Ball Consulting in Tempe.
The basic process I teach entails making a model using wax. An investment mold is then made around the wax. The wax is then melted out of the mold with the use of steam. After careful inspection and cleaning the mold is then placed into the kiln and fired.
In the class I will demonstrate my own techniques and provide tips to help get a successful glass casting.
I recommend using an electric fryer for melting the wax. They are quicker and easier to pour than ceramic crock pots. These fryers can often be found at second hand stores for a few dollars. - If you buy a large brick of victory brown wax you will need to cut it into six pieces to fit into the pot. Use a utility knife to score the wax on both sides and break over the edge of a sturdy worktable.
Caution! When melting wax be careful to not over heat the wax. At very high temperatures the wax become unstable, and can cause severe burns. Also any wax that gets onto your cloths will never come out. Trust me!
Because I do a lot of waxwork I have purchased a soldering iron for welding the wax parts together. I use an iron with a blade tip. One can then assemble parts to create your finial piece.
Wax mold can be very helpful as well. Because wax is a petroleum product it will resist many other materials wax can be cast into clay, metal and glass for example. If you have a specific form however a rubber or plaster mold can be used to cast wax forms. The plaster mold needs to be soaked in water first. The water becomes the resist for the wax. With out soaking the plaster the wax will soak and stick to the plaster. I will demonstrate plaster mold s and rubber molds in class.