Wax Carving For Jewelry Making

[@kassiakarr1171]

Lucky high schoolers to get to take such a cool class! :)

[@fyrnabrwyrda]

I had a jewelry class in highschool 15 years ago. That class holds some of my fondest memories of highschool. Ive decided i want to start casting again so thanks for the help

[@ArtorLifeTorB]

Hi 👋 like 7 👋 beautiful presentation 👏 you are great with wax😀👋super tools 🍀🍀🍀

[@everythingeverett3021]

This teacher is pretty cool. Lucky to have him.

[@annwaters9484]

What is that inside wax ring reamer called? Is there a name for that tool?

[@annwaters9484]

And where can I buy It?

[@natefineart4304]

So sorry I didn’t see this sooner! Please forgive me. Here’s a link: Zerone Wax Ring Sizer, Wax Ring Sizer Finger Stick Ruler Jewelry Size Mandrel Tool a.co/d/awz94uz If this isn’t what you were asking for, give me a time stamp in the video so I can be more accurate.

[@annwaters9484]

@@natefineart4304 that is exactly what I was asking about! Thank you! :)

[@НиколайКравцов-ь5я]

@@natefineart4304 What is the name of the device at 4:55 minutes?

[@natefineart4304]

@@atelierandie Great question! I haven't found much discrepancy between ring mandrels when measuring a 'carved' wax no matter the brand of wax. I have seen a bigger difference with shrinkage when dealing with injected wax through the casting process. Every cast ring I've made or my students always requires a bit of filing and sanding after casting to clean off the fire scale. This minor change in size is welcome so it ends up the correct size when finished. I have carved Matt wax, Farris Wax and Wolfe Wax with no percepable difference and near 100% success rate with all three brands. (Wolfe Wax is my favorite to carve by far and for working on my lathe.) I've got all my mandrels from Rio Grande and they've been very constant in size and accuracy. I haven't found any wax ring blank that doesn't work with the reamer. Sometimes from batch to batch the wax needs to be sanded more than others. Sometimes it fits perfect and others needs to be sanded. I don't recommend sanding with flex shaft attachments because you can take too much off and then the reamer is loose and won't work at all. Hopefully this helps. Feel free to reach out again if you feel I can help or clarify anything. Happy casting!

[@janetvannuys3122]

Hi there, thanks for the training video. Can you use the saw with the wax saw blade to take off the excess instead of rough cut file?

[@natefineart4304]

Yes of course! I have found a combination of the saw with a wax blade to take the bulk of what needs to be removed, then the rough cut file, then more fine files to insure more wax isn’t removed than desired. Another tool we have in our classroom that’s awesome for removing large amounts of wax is a disc sander with 180 grit sand paper. Works wonders. Great question. Happy to help any time if I can.

[@randar9884]

Hello, I have trouble finding a wax sheet gauge to millimeter conversion table. It seems that the gauge for different materials varies in actual sheet thicknesses. I blindly ordered 20gauge wax sheet hoping it would be anywhere between 0.7-0.9mm. I saw you have a sheet gauge table on your ruler and that was what prompted me to ask this question. When I type 20gauge into a gauge to millimeter online converters I usually get negative values which seems odd. Also it is quite difficult to find thinner wax sheets in Europe. Maybe I am just bad at googling. Great instructional video by the way! 😊

[@natefineart4304]

Hey there! Thanks for the great question. This tool is great for making conversions on thicknesses of many things. It measures the gauge of sheet metal very well, and you could use the numbers for conversion purposes. here’s a link to the company I use for all my supplies and tools: www.riogrande.com/product/sheet-and-wire-gauge/116015GP/?code=116015 Also a good set of digital calipers would be helpful. Please let me know if there’s anything else you think I might be able to help you with. Happy creating, Nate

[@randar9884]

This tool seems to have “for non-ferrous metals” written on it. I have calipers but I can’t measure materials which I need to order from abroad so I am confused why are all the sheet gauge charts I can find online specified for all sorts of different metals but not for wax. I want to cast the thinnest silver for which I could later enamel on and I have been recommended not to go thinner than 0,7mm for my work. I ordered 20” and 22” pink soft wax sheets to make small flower details. I hope I ordered the correct gauge sizes now 😅 Locally I found only 2mm pink wax sheet and I am having trouble getting them thinner while maintaining the smoothest face for to later apply enamel on casted silver.

[@natefineart4304]

With the added information that you have provided, I would recommend calling the Rio Grande tech team. 1 [phone] is the listed phone number for international calls. They will be able to help you. I’m confident of this. I have had students cast very thin sheet metal and it has not always been super successful. With the added element of enameling afterward, there may be a few more variables here than my knowledge can help with. Thanks for giving me a shot and good luck to you in the future. As always, please reach out if you feel I can be of any help.