Collecting Textures for Lost Wax Ring Casting
Back to wax!
It feels great to be back at the bench creating work.
The past 2 months have been spent preparing for and then interpreting the data from 3 focus groups. I now have a much clearer idea of what my customers are looking for in the silver rings I create.
So off I go, working in wax on the 2nd and 3rd drafts of designs. As you will see if you look back in older posts, the lost wax casting process begins with fabricating ideas in wax. These are then used to make a mold that molten silver is then poured into.
I began creating a bunch of textured ‘Stackable’ ring designs. I am always on the lookout for interesting textures I can use in my work. Sometimes I use 2-part silicone molding putty to ‘collect a texture’ that I can use later in the studio.
Using a 2-part silicone molding putty I can save this interesting texture for future use.
kneading equal parts of this awesome stuff together for 2-3 minutes gives you 3-4 minutes of working time to make your impression.
Because I make rings, I form the putty into long slug shapes.
After about 5 minutes, I can peel the impression off the parent item (hat).
I take this stuff on vacation with me and go on 'texture safari'. Not only do I have photos from my trips, I have 3-D textures!
Next I warm some wax and make an impression in the silicone mold. Check out this post for more info.
For more info on the steps required to make a cast sterling texture ring, read this post Casting Sterling Texture Rings
