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Thelost-wax method is a method of casting metal that has been in use for sixthousand years. Virtually unchanged since used by the ancients, the method isused today to create such pieces as bronze sculptures, custom silver jewelry,dental work, or even auto parts.
?Cire perdue,? or lost-wax,is a method of casting metal that has been in use for over six thousand years.In essence, it involves the pouring of metal into a mold created from wax,resulting in complex forms otherwise impossible to create. The lost-wax methodis used today to create such pieces as bronze sculptures, a silver pendant, agold dental crown, or even an alloy auto part.
The lost-wax method is thebest way to create intricate designs in metal, it is commonly used for makingelaborate custom jewelry. Technology and tools have advanced of course, but themethod is essentially the same as it was when used in Ancient Egypt.
The artist will first sculpthis masterpiece out of clay, wax, or another malleable material. Then, themodel is encased in plaster or fiber-glass to create a mold. An inner mold willoften be created at this time as well, by pouring liquid rubber around themodel. This preserves the finest of details, important because when the plasteris broken apart, the original model is usually destroyed.
When the two halves areplaced back together, the result is the master mold. Inside is empty space, a ?negative? of theoriginal. Hot wax is then poured into the space to coat the sides. Depending onhow large the piece, a number of coatings may be needed. The hollow wax copy,an almost perfect replica of the original, is then removed (multiple copies canbe created at this time).
The wax copy is then?chased? using heated tools to remove the seams where the mold came together.Each copy is carefully ?dressed? to hide any remaining imperfections.
Next, ?sprues? are attachedto the piece, which are basically small wax rods that will ultimately result intiny tubes for metal to flow in, and air to flow out.
The wax replica is thencoated in ceramic material and fired. At this point, the wax melts out, thusthe term ?lost-wax.? Negative space now remains (as well as the small pathwaysleft by the sprues). Finally, molten hot metal can be poured into the mold intothe exact shape of the original model.
The metal piece is alsochased to remove any marks left by casting, and detailed to perfection. If infact a bronze sculpture, this is when the final act of adding the color occurs.
The lost-wax method can beused with any material that will disappear (melt or burn away) and leave anempty mold. For example, some automakers make engine-block models out of asynthetic foam which will vaporize when heated. This complex process allows forthe most minute detail to be fashioned into the most delicate of metals. Thismakes it ideal for custom jewelry.
When working with smallpieces like jewelry the process slightly differs in that metal cannot just bepoured into a such a tiny mold. Instead, liquid metal is injected into thelimited space by centrifugal casting (a machine that uses centrifugal force) orvacuum casting (uses atmospheric pressure).
Artisans like use the lost-wax method to etch inspiration into their heirloomjewelry. They specialize in hand-crafted silver bells and silver pendants, andwith intricate detail they convey emotion in beautiful custom silver jewelry.Such complex designs would not be possible without this ancient casting method.
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