(Title image)
Over the series of this semester I have been creating Wax sculptures to be made into Bronze by making a Ceramic mould around the Wax, melting it out, solidifying the Ceramic and then pouring molten Bronze into the mould. It is a long and delicate process, as the Wax and the Ceramic can break easily.
To make each I:
1) Melted the Wax in a pan, making sure to mix different types of Wax together so it's not too brittle.
Soaking
Wax poured into mould
3) Allow Wax to cool and harden in mould. Then remove and draw round the shadow shape using an etching needle, then go round the line again to cut it out.You must do this while the Wax is still warm.
Drawing round shadow cut out
Cutting out drawn shape using needle
4) Shape the Wax whilst still warm and malleable.
5) Add texture to the surface of the Wax
6) Build up the texture so the Wax is thick enough (if object is too thin it wont cast in the Bronze).
Freestanding
Base added for stability
You can join two pieces of Wax together by melting both surfaces to each other, I use a hot knife or blade.
This is the basic process that I use to make my Waxes, the time can vary dramatically depending on the textures you want to add to the surface, the complexity of the shape you're cutting out and the stability of the Wax.
Unfortunately I have made many Waxes that have fallen apart, been broken and so on... I have had to re-make many. Below are some general pictures of the Waxes I have made...
First Wax:
This Wax is of multiple overlapping feet. I feel as though the shape didn't come out very well. This work fell apart as the consistency of the Wax wasn't right and it cracked in many places.
Second Wax:
Front view
Side view
Back view
I made this Wax three times before I got the consistency of the Wax right... it took me an entire day to get it to this stage. Unfortunately as I was joining the runners and the risers to this piece in order to then start the next stage of the process (making the ceramic mould around it), I knocked the table it was on, it fell on the floor and smashed into tiny pieces...
Third Wax:
Front view
Side View
Unfortunately with this Wax, it also fell off of the table (at the same time as the second Wax) and broke, I had just finished adding the textures to the surface but hadn't managed to take any photos yet... I did try and mend this one but it was too weak. Additionally I had made a fourth Wax that day as well that also smashed. I had no photographs of this particular work.
Fifth Wax:
After breaking three out of the four Waxes I had made all in one go, I decided to re-make two of them another day. This is the first...
Front view
Close up
Back view
When I made this work I noticed the drawn marks on the back side of the Wax from the first version of this, I liked how it described the process so I chose not to cover it up with the dripped Wax as I did with the first. This took me around 5 hours to make as the base was very fiddly to join together properly.
Sixth Wax:
Front side
Back side
Seventh Wax:
Rear view
Side view
Front view
This particular Wax I decided to decorate more elaborately than the others. I wanted to add texture to the outside using soft moulding Wax, so I began rolling out strands and adding them to the surface, as shown:
To begin with
Continued...
Finished front view
Applying these textures on the first side took me around 2 days. Unfortunately for me, after working for a couple of hours on the textures on the other side, I came back a few days later and someone had knocked this work off of the table, breaking three of the fingers and leaving a hairline fracture along the palm of the hand.... I was very unhappy about this as this Wax had taken so long to make and decorate already.
I decided to come back another day and fix the Wax sculpture, as shown:
Broken fingers and palm
Broken fingers and palm
Cutting back the soft Wax from the broken middle finger
Close up
Mending the fingers from the other side
Close up
Hairline fracture along palm
Squashed sections of soft Wax from impact
Mended hand, first side
Applying textures over mended fingers
Continued...
Close up
Finished textures rear side
Close up
Once the Waxes have been made you need to add the runners/risers and a cup to the Wax. The cup is so there's a clear area to pour the molten metal into and risers are to let any air out of the highest points of the mould (is if there's air trapped inside your shape wont cast fully). Here are the cups and risers added to the Waxes:
To make the runners/risers you soak the grooved Plaster mould in water and then add the melted Wax and leave to cool.
To make the cup you soak the Plaster cup in Water and then fill with liquid Wax, leave the outer layer to solidify, when the walls are thick enough you pour the excess Wax away.
Fifth Wax front view
Fifth Wax side view
Sixth Wax front view
Sixth Wax side view
Sixth Wax back view
Seventh Wax front view
Once all the additions have been joined on, it is time to make the mould. You need to coat the surface of the Wax in a sealant first to allow the Ceramic shell to stick to it. Most people use Shellac, but as I am a Vegan and like to use alternatives wherever possible I use a mixture of IPA and Degreaser at 5:1.
Spray the mixture onto the surface of the Wax to provide one light coat and leave to dry.
Once dry coat the entire Wax (apart from the upper side of the cup) in Ceramic Shell Slurry- well mixed to achieve the right consistency. Then coat it in medium mesh Molochite, as shown:
Leave the first layer to dry for half an hour. Once dry come back and repeat the layer with Slurry and medium mesh Molochite. It is important to remember that with each layer the drying time doubles!
Once the first two layers are dry (after an hour and a half) you need to coat the work in Ceramic shell Slurry and Heavy mesh Molochite, as shown:
You need to repeat this step another two times so that there are 5 layers of Ceramic in total over the Wax, taking each mould a grand total of 15.5 hours to dry. At this stage of the process the cups, runners and risers can be very delicate as they are quite thin/long. In this particular instance I encountered problems with 2 out of the 3 moulds I was making. This is described below...
1)
Fifth Wax's riser broke after applying the first Ceramic layer...
Broken riser side view
Broken riser
Fixed riser my removing Ceramic layer, melting surfaces together and reinforcing with soft Wax.
Joined area
Joined area close up
Joined area close up
Knife and lighter used to melt surfaces together (as it was after hours).
2)
Unfortunately after I had applied the third ceramic coat to the hand Wax, it split into two pieces. This is because there was a hairline fracture in the Wax from when it was knocked off of the table earlier on. I tried to repair it but through all the stresses and strains of being picked up it must have made the fracture much worse. D:
Upper section of the broken hand Wax
Both broken sections together.... MESSY!
I began repairing the Wax using a hot knife and stripping away the decorative Wax.
Joined area
Stripped away area on the front
Close up
New decorative soft Wax on the back side to cover up join
New decorative soft Wax on the front
Close up
Final hand, ready to dry and be moulded...
If you liked this post about making Waxes for Bronze Casting please look for the casting post which shows the preparation of the moulds and the actual pouring. Thank you!