I got to go play..I mean learn more about lost wax casting last Thursday with my friend Horace. I started buying Horace's cast silver a couple of years ago and he has been kind enough to teach me his technique.This first picture is of me heating up the solid silver to a liquid form in the centrifuge. To the right of me is the large kiln Horace has that holds the cylinders that the wax has been burned out of to make way for the sterling silver in the centrifuge.
The second photo is after the cylinder has been put into the centrifuge and the spinning has started, throwing the hot silver into the molds.
Photo three is of me moving the hot, hot cylinder putting it into cool water to wash the material off the silver pieces. It comes off very easily and you left with the silver pieces on a "button" of silver. ( photo 4) They are then cut off, cleaned and pickled. Then they are tumble polished.I am having such a great time and am learning so much from Horace. I am hoping soon to be able to make my own wax molds and cast silver pieces that are my own signature pieces. The next time I go out there, I will have some photos of the beginnings of this intricate process.
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1 comment:
Awesome! Good to see that metalsmithing is still alive and kicking! My family runs a metalsmith-based company called, Green Girl Studios. I love cast silver and shibuichi, I just really don't like casting. It's the same with etchings. I really like the results, but I don't like the process. Oh well... it's a good thing they don't rely on me to do all the casting!
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