Wax Carving for Jewellery

Wax carving is a way of creating jewellery pieces as an alternative to fabricating from metal sheet / wire - it is great for more sculptural 3D pieces that would be difficult to make in other ways.
​Solid wax can be carved or modelled into unique shapes and is then used as a master for casting. Primarily, waxes are used in the lost wax casting process, but also as a master for sand casting, for electroforming, or to create silicone moulds for using to create replicas in resin or polymer clay. 

Waxes can be carved by hand using files and scalpels, using sharp chisel type tools, as well as using heated tools. Wax can also be milled using a computer controlled machine, or on a lathe.

• Download the Wax Carving Basics, and Lost Wax Casting Basics to get to know how these techniques work and the potential they give
• Try carving a simple ring design as a great way to get started
• Experiment with different tools and waxes to get a feel for carving and the different effects you can create

Top tips - 

• There are many different types of wax - Ferris wax is probably the most commonly found wax supplier - who produce waxes in different colours that each have different properties - some are good for hand carving, some are better suited to machine milling / cutting, some for melting and pouring, some to be used soft...
• Not all waxes are good for lost wax casting - some don't burn / melt out as cleanly, leaving a residue that can mean the metal doesn't cast so well, or is contaminated, but they can be used for other purposes
• Wax carving is relatively easy to do at home with minimal tools, so is a great option to get started with for jewellery making - it can make quite a mess with the wax dust from filing, but it is easy to clean up, just with a dust pan or vacuum

Download - Wax Carving Basics

Download - Getting Started with Wax Carving

Download - Wax Carving Supplies

Download - Lost Wax Casting

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