Lost wax casting: Improving your wax chasing

[@bosnwifey7983]

As I prepare for my first attempt at this process for a ceramic shell, I am impressed by how easily you can make changes to your mold before casting the metal. I've only ever cast from sand; the clean-up process can be a lot. This takes longer, but I would instead melt wax than grind to fix a problem. Especially where if I still mess up, it is easy to remember and start again.

[@LunarburnStudio]

Sometimes we just have to work with what we have, but if lost-wax casting is possible it certainly gives us more flexibility and control.

[@marianpainter679]

Excellent value and informative.I have been casting for a number of years and still find I can learn more. I shall be watching your channel for more information. Thank you Chris in NZ

[@catherineschwalbe]

Dude going world wide! Congratulations, Eric!

[@LunarburnStudio]

Hope so!

[@علی-ي3ل3ق]

Lunarburn Studio سلام برنامه خیلی خوبیه ممنون از برنامه خوبتون

[@stanhill3980]

Well done thanks

[@kainaaguiarferreira4351]

Thanks Man, from Brazil!

[@LunarburnStudio]

You're welcome!

[@JB-mw5rg]

Thanks, great video! Looking forward to the next one.

[@LunarburnStudio]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@richardhunt2186]

Looking forward to videos show fine art casting.

[@LunarburnStudio]

I am working on those as well.

[@roycarter8575]

Excellent videos and info on ceramic shell casting. Looking forward to more on your approach with this process.

[@robertpewsey919]

Really good, interesting and informative video. I've been sculpting on and off for 30+ years, but only just had my first foundry bronze cast. It's frighteningly expensive in England. My local foundry offers a "cast only" service, where I supply the wax. Wish I'd seen this video before, as the casting is going to need a lot of work to look good. Thanks for posting your video, I've subscribed and look forward to the next one.

[@LunarburnStudio]

Glad you found the videos helpful. Let me know if you have any questions. Why do you think casting more expensive in England?

[@robertpewsey919]

@@LunarburnStudio Hello again, I'm not sure, there's probably only a dozen or so art foundries in the country. I used a small local one man operation to just cast a 8 inch wax I provided which cost £400. To have him take the mould and do the whole thing, to a finished piece would have been over £1000. The bigger foundries charge much more. I know there's a huge amount of time and work involved, but get the impression that it's much more affordable in the US. Really enjoying your video's, keep them coming.

[@LunarburnStudio]

unfortunately those prices are about right, as for lower prices here in the US it depends on which state you are in. There are more foundries out west so prices are typically more competitive. BUt you can save some some money the more of the process you do your self.

[@robertpewsey919]

@@LunarburnStudio Hi again, I'm trying to do as much as as I can to keep costs down. Sculpting, making the mould, pouring and chasing the wax ect. The foundry just cast and do a basic clean up. It's now down to me to really finish the job. Are you going to produce a video which shows how to do welding, as that's my next challenge. Every day is a school day, as they say. Keep up the good work, as it inspires me to keep trying to improve my sculpting.

[@LunarburnStudio]

I will be doing videos on every aspect of the foundry process , including welding. And eventually I will circle back to mold and pattern making. It’s just a little slower than anticipated making the video in conjunction to my full time studio practice.

[@TheLostFoundry]

Love this

[@LunarburnStudio]

Glad you are finding some useful bits, I have noticed some cool tricks on your vids as well.

[@TheLostFoundry]

@@LunarburnStudio thank you, always learning. You make some great videos.

[@ninevzia185]

Eric - these are SO helpful. In this video you mention repair of a field of tiny bubbles with patch wax. Do you have any tips for reducing these fields? Higher or lower wax temp? Faster or slower wax pouring? Temperature of the mold? Thanks!

[@LunarburnStudio]

Those tiny bubble are a result from surface tension between the wax and mold material. Certainly hotter wax temp, slower pouring and a warmer mold will all help reduce the bubbles. But also, depending on your mold material you might need a release that will allow the wax to adhere more smoothly to the mold surface. What mold material do you typically have problems with?

[@ninevzia185]

@@LunarburnStudio Thanks Eric! I mainly work with silicone rubber molds pulled from plastiline masters. I had not tried mold release in the rubber mold thus far because the wax has been releasing easily. I'll try that.

[@LunarburnStudio]

Ya typically wax releases well from silicons, but if you rare having bubble issues, apply just a thin coat.

[@ninevzia185]

@@LunarburnStudio Thanks! I'il do it.

[@klauserichsen9089]

Hi Eric, very interesting series. Did you ever use dental plaster for mouldmaking? I use here in germany dental plaster type 4. When cured its hard like a stone. Much more stable than plaster of paris.

[@LunarburnStudio]

I have not used Dental plaster specifically but have used other hybrid plasters that have similar characteristics which can work well for wax molds.

[@Dental_jlwax]

Sir I am a wax product factory and I have the wax you need. I hope you can use our products, I can send you samples, we have the best quality and can meet your needs

[@brianaharris6215]

After fixing the seems do you ever alter/modify the shape of your casting so that it works with the overall project? If so, what issues have you encountered?

[@LunarburnStudio]

I’m not sure I understand your question

[@anitalim]

About how much time do you have to carve out the wax skirt before the wax cools down too much to make a smooth cut with the X-acto? Could you just put it back in hot water to try again? Is it possible to accidentally cut off too much of the skirt and ruin the entire cast? Is the wax you use to smoothen the seams a different type of wax than the one was used to make the cast?

[@LunarburnStudio]

1. You need to be ready to make ur cut immediately., You want the wax just soft enough to make the cut. Any more and it could compromise the overall shape. 2. Yes, if it cools down just re-warm in the water. 3. if you cut too much off you can weld it back on. 4. its called patching wax and has a soft consistency like Vaseline.

[@mf_martina]

Hey! The water in which wax has been submerged in, does it need to be disposed of in a special way?

[@LunarburnStudio]

nope, it does not contaminate the water.

[@AnnetteWood-w8g]

Did your skull cast have the recessed eyes or did you carve it out?

[@LunarburnStudio]

There were some creative alterations to the original human skull to make it castable in one piece