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Lost Wax Casting Techniques for Stone Setting
Understanding the lost wax casting process, and knowing how to expertly carve wax models is an invaluable skill for any jeweler to possess. But did you know that it can be especially helpful for a wide array of stone-setting applications?! In this five-day intensive course, students will be introduced to the worlds of casting, mold-making, and stone setting all at the same time!
Jeff will lead participants through the casting process, beginning with wax carving. Learn how to lay your design out perfectly, how to use all sorts of wax-working tools, how to carve for symmetrical and asymmetrical designs, and even how to place heat-resistant stones in your wax model to be cast-in-place! Discover tons of tricks for producing wax models intended for channel setting, gypsy setting, and setting oddly-shaped stones. As a bonus, students will get instruction in rubber mold-making techniques; a process that makes creating multiple, identical wax models possible. Through the ancient technique of lost wax casting, participants will then take their wax models and transform them into their final metal forms. Once the molten metal has cooled, Jeff will demonstrate how to clean pieces up, and finally how to go about setting the stones themselves. The week will be an invaluable investment into the metalsmithing education of any jeweler that wants to create custom settings to incorporate stones into their work.
Meet the instructor
Jeff Georgantes has a MFA in Jewelry/Metals from CSU, Fullerton and a BA in Art and a MA in Sculpture, both from CSU, Humboldt. He taught Art at College of the Redwoods, Eureka, CA, for fifteen years and has taught numerous visiting artist workshops across the USA. He helped develop and coordinate the Jewelry/Metals program at the Mendocino Art Center from the early 1990s until 2005 when he started his position as head of the Jewelry/Metals program at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH. His work can be seen in Alan Revere's book, The Art of Jewelry.
Materials & Tools
There is a $45 materials fee for this course that should be made payable to the instructor. This kit will include wax, stones, setting tools and casting supplies
- Minimum of two ounces sterling silver, clean scrap or casting grain
- A variety of stones – these may include cabochons and faceted stones of any shape
- exacto knife or scalpel knife
- coarse file
- 2 sheets each of 220, 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper
The following are optional tools and materials but are very handy and encouraged by the instructor:
- Wolf Wax Tool Set, Styles #1-#6
- Max Wax Pen, 8-1/2"
- Busch® Tungsten Vanadium Wax Bur, 3.1mm
- Rio High-Speed Steel Cross-Cut Cylinder Bur, 8mm
Metalwerx has many of these items on hand, but if students have any of these items they are welcome to bring their own for personal use:
- OptiVISOR
- needle nose pliers
- round nose pliers
- flat nose pliers
- flush cut or semi-flush cut wire cutters
- 1 each: 2 and 4 cut ½ rd., 6” files with handles
- needle files, (inexpensive imported set okay)
- jeweler’s saw frame (3”-5” most common size, you decide)
- small dividers, 3” good size
- safety glasses
- layout supplies, (paper, pencil, extra fine point permanent marker, ruler, calipers, etc.)
- tooth brush
- two-strap particulate dust mask or particulate respirator