HELP !!! Lost Wax Casting...
steve
Hi
I've got a piece of Boulder Opal I'm trying to make a setting for.
When I get the wax shaped around the freeform stone the way I want it
the wax sticks to the stone and I cant get it off without destroying
it.
It looks a little like a free form bevel setting.
I want to make a gold casting for this when my jewelry class starts up
again.
How do I keep this stuff from sticking to the stone ?
Thanks Steve
john lewis
cover the stone with tin foil
Pax----------john
PKDickman
In article <3544caa1...@NNTP.ix.netcom.com>, steve
<tb...@value.net>
writes:
>Hi
>I've got a piece of Boulder Opal I'm trying to make a setting for.
>When I get the wax shaped around the freeform stone the way I want it
>the wax sticks to the stone and I cant get it off without destroying
>it.
>
>It looks a little like a free form bevel setting.
>I want to make a gold casting for this when my jewelry class starts up
>again.
>How do I keep this stuff from sticking to the stone ?
What we used to do on some free form cloud shaped quartz we had was to
put the
stone in a balloon. We would strech the balloon over the back of the
stone by
pulling and then pinching it at the face. Then we would dip it in the
wax pot
up to abbout the half way mark. It usually took a few dips to build up
the wax
thick enough. Keep the rubber taught til the wax is cooled off then
release it.
Usually this would pop out the stone but if it it didn't it was easy
enough to
separate them. Then we used a wax tool to build up prongs on the
sides.
The thickness of the balloon also made up for most of the casting
shrinkage.
Paul K. Dickman
Will E.
Steve wrote in message <3544caa1...@NNTP.ix.netcom.com>...
>the wax sticks to the stone and I cant get it off without destroying
>it.
>How do I keep this stuff from sticking to the stone ?
>
>Thanks Steve
>
try putting the stone and wax piece in the freezer for one or two
minutes.
This is an old trick to remove Dop wax from a stone after it is
polished. I
don't know if it will work with your wax, but may be worth a try. I
would
use caution with opal however, it is a sensitive stone, especially to
temperature changes. Hot wax or the freezer may crack your stone.
Will E.
LeeCo11
>How do I keep this stuff from sticking to the stone ?
Hi Steve,
Way number 1:
Coat the stone with some fine oil (not too heavy). If you are using
an alchol
lamp melt some wax onto a pick (or spatula if you have) and while
molten gently
flow it around the edge of the stone. Keep applying this way till you
have
circled the stone. Add more to the bottom for the stone to sit on.
Make sure
you have a good thickness where you need it. With a warm xacto knife
or
scalpel trim the top so you can get the stone out. Gently push the
stone from
the bottom to pop it out.
Way number next:
Cut a sheet of carving wax the thickness you will need. Place the
stone on top
and trace (with a sharp scribe) the outline onto the wax. With an
x-acto knife
deepen the traced line then take the knife and cut at about a 45
degree angle,
from the center towards the line cutting parrallel to the first line.
This
will give you a small channel. Use a divider, set for about one or
two
millimeters, and run it around the channel to mark the seat of the
stone. Cut
out the center past the mark. Lower the wax to form the seat. If the
stone is
uneven like a cameo then cut for the deepest part and when finished
replace
the stone and fill in the gaps. If it is uneven on top take a scribe
and
circumnavigate the stone scribing a line onto the wax. Cut away all
wax above
the line. Shape outside of bezel.
Hope this is of help. Its much easier to do than to try and describe.
Lee
Ralph Gibson
Hello Steve,
There are a number of different lubricants that you can apply to the
Opal
to prevent the wax from sticking. You might try a product called "Wax
Lube" or a silicon spray which is generally used in wax model
reproduction
in rubber molds. Whatever you use, be careful how you clean the opal
afterwards.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Ralph
Gibson's Jewelry
http://home.inreach.com/linus
steve <tb...@value.net> wrote in article
<3544caa1...@NNTP.ix.netcom.com>...
> Hi
> I've got a piece of Boulder Opal I'm trying to make a setting for.
> When I get the wax shaped around the freeform stone the way I want it
> the wax sticks to the stone and I cant get it off without destroying
> it.
>
> It looks a little like a free form bevel setting.
> I want to make a gold casting for this when my jewelry class starts up
> again.
> How do I keep this stuff from sticking to the stone ?
>
> Thanks Steve
>
>
>
>
Bill Potter
Even if you can get it to not stick now, you will have another problem
after you cast. The setting will shrink about 10% in casting and the
stone won't fit anymore. You can open up the setting with a bur, but
this is no fun, since it is a lot of frustrating work to get that
perfect fit back.
A suggestion: place the stone inside a balloon (uninflated of course)
then tie the balloon tightly on top of the stone so that the edge of
the stone where the bezel will be has a nice even rubber coating. Now
form your wax over the rubber coated stone. It should not stick to
the balloon and you will also be adding a little bit of extra space to
the setting to compensate for the shrinkage.
Bill Potter
NE333RO
I`ve used Pam cooking spray to good effect
Dream
steve wrote:
>
> Hi
> I've got a piece of Boulder Opal I'm trying to make a setting for.
> When I get the wax shaped around the freeform stone the way I want it
> the wax sticks to the stone and I cant get it off without destroying
> it.
One thing to think about is...will the oils that people have been
suggesting soak INTO the opal and maybe harm it. Opal is very
porous. Also, be careful in putting melted wax onto the stone
as opal is VERY intolerant to heat. I found THAT out the hard
way when dopping a piece.
--
Dream
Joe Zobkiw
In article <3547201...@NNTP.ix.netcom.com>, Dream
<dr...@sonetcom.com> wrote:
>One thing to think about is...will the oils that people have been
>suggesting soak INTO the opal and maybe harm it. Opal is very
>porous. Also, be careful in putting melted wax onto the stone
>as opal is VERY intolerant to heat. I found THAT out the hard
>way when dopping a piece.
I was always lead to believe that gradual heating/cooling of opal is
OK.
The problem is when you have a cold opal and you touch hot wax to
it...it
can cause the opal to crack. This is why you need to warm the opal
slowly
to be the same (or similar) temp as the wax. This also helps the bond
become stronger.
--
Joe Zobkiw mailto:zob...@triplesoft.com
TripleSoft Inc. http://www.triplesoft.com/
Custom Software Development CGI TCP/IP Mac/Windows WWW Publishing