Today I'm going to be talking about the ancient technique of wax carving for jewellery and how you can get started using this technique in the cheapest and most accessible way!
So, what exactly is wax carving?
Wax carving is the process of carving rings, pendants and general designs out of a block of wax. Very minimal tools and physical effort is needed to make jewellery this way when you compare it to the more traditional methods of making jewellery by manipulating and forging metal into jewellery.
Why should you consider wax carving over traditional jewellery making methods?
The main reason I prefer wax carving is for 'health'. It might sound strange but generally, if you're hammering & bending metal all day, your body and especially your wrists are going to feel it. A few years down the line it's not uncommon for jewellers to develop arthritis & repetitive strain injury (RSI).
Besides the above, it's much more accessible - less equipment and knowledge overall is needed. The biggest downside to wax carving is that a 'cast' piece of jewellery (the final process after making your wax jewellery) may not be as strong as a piece of jewellery that has been forged from a piece of metal but that shouldn't be an issue if your casting is done to a professional standard.
Origins of wax carving:
Wax carving dates back to 3000 BC, the egyptians used this method to create trinkets, pendants and ceremonial statues from gold & bronze. If it's good enough for the Egyptians then it's good enough for me!
Choosing your wax:
Firstly, you need to select a wax to work from. I recommend buying the brand 'ferris wax', it's the industry standard. There's many different colours you can choose from:
- Blue wax (Ferris) - flexible but not the best for detailing
- Gold wax (Kate Wolf Wax) - not as flexible as blue but better than blue for detailing
- Green wax (Ferris) - the least flexible but very good for detailing
There's more colours than the above but these 3 are what I'd suggest looking at first. I mostly use gold as I find it's a nice in-between of blue & green. I'd suggest starting with blue for a beginner, it's the most forgiving when it comes to the wax breaking.
Tools:
The cheapest and fastest way to get started is to buy:
- a file (any store bought file will work)
- a craft knife
- a lighter or high grit sandpaper
The first two tools are enough to create basic shapes and details when starting out. It's a cheap way to figure out if wax carving is for you. The lighter and/or sandpaper is used to 'smooth' out the wax once you're happy with the piece as any little lines or imperfections will show up on your cast piece of jewellery.
If you're willing to invest more or you know that wax carving is something you'd like to puruse, it'd suggest investing in Kate Wolf's tools. They'll last you a life time, they cover pretty much all the tools you'll need and you're also supporting a pioneer in wax carving.
The last tool I'd suggest for detailing is a 'soldering iron'. These are used to melt little pieces of wax in which you can add to your details - using the 'wax build up' technique. I wouldn't worry about this too much until you know you're wanting to pursue wax carving.
What do I do after I've finished my wax piece? (lost wax casting vs sandcasting)
Once you're happy with your wax piece, you have two options:
- sandcast at home
- send to a casting house (lost wax casting)
Sandcasting at home is an entirely different skillset, lots of tools are needed and flammable equipment is used. I'd suggest looking at sandcasting later on the down the line.
Sending to a casting house will cost more than sandcasting, but you have the peace of mind that you're piece will be professionally cast. The process they use is called 'lost wax casting' - meaning your wax piece will be melted away and a metal version will be created in its place. You'll only receive the metal version when it's sent back to you. If you want multiple versions of your jewellery, the casting house can create a mould from your wax or metal version and then that enables them to cast unlimited versions in the future.
There's thousands of casting houses around the world, I'd suggest speaking to local jewellers for recommendations or reading reviews online. I use Jewelcast in the UK.
What do I do once I have my cast piece of jewellery?
After a few days / week you'll have your metal design sent back to you. In order to finish your piece you'll need:
- a jeweller's saw (to saw off the sprue)
- file (for smoothing areas)
- various grit sandpapers (polishing / finishing your piece)
- polishing machine/cloth or tumbler (if you're wanting a high shine finish)
The below video that explains the above process a little more in-depth than I'll be able to write:
Hopefully this blog has helped clearing up any questions you may have when it comes to wax carving. Feel free to reach out if you have anything specific you need help with - I'll try my best to get back to you :)