2008-Jun-21 - Part of Lost Wax Casting Process

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.