Copyright © 2009 - 2016 Janet Alexander Ruidoso NM · COPYRIGHT: 2009 - 2016 BY JANET ALEXANDER...

Copyright © 2009 - 2016 Janet Alexander Ruidoso NM

BEGINNING WAX CARVING

- CARVING A RING-

COPYRIGHT: 2009 - 2016 BY JANET ALEXANDER RUIDOSO NM. THIS DOCUMENT OR ANY PART THEREOF, MAY NOT BE

REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC, OR MECHANICAL, INCLUDING PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, STORAGE IN AN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR OTHERWISE, WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION

FROM JANET ALEXANDER.

ABOUT THIS TUTORIAL This tutorial instructs how to carve a wax model ring used for casting into sterling silver, or gold. If you are a beginner, please read all sections in proper order. This gives the basic instruction about using tools discussed in the carving steps.

JEWELRY SUPPLIERS Otto Frei 800-722-3456 www.ottofrei.com

Rio Grande 800-545-6566 www.riogrande.com

Santa Fe Jewelers Supply 1-800-659-3835 www.sfjssantafe.com

FDJ Tools 1-800-3236091 http://www.fdjtool.com/

Indian Jewelers Supply Company 1-800-545-6540 www.ijsinc.com

www.janetalexander.net

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http://www.ottofrei.com/

http://www.riogrande.com/

http://www.sfjssantafe.com/

http://www.fdjtool.com/

http://www.ijsinc.com/


SUPPLY LIST

(See About Tools for more information on wax types)

Miscellaneous Jeweler’s Bur Shapes

And Hand gravers

Ball Burs

Assorted sizes 2mm - 6

Drill Bits

Assorted sizes from 2mm 4

Brass Millimeter Gauge

Must have pointed tips

Otto Frei # 135.150


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Miter Box and Saw

Find in hardware building supply

1 C-Clamps

Not required but nice to have

One for clamping the box to the workbench (if you need it) and the other to clamp a piece of wood

into the miter box as a stop (if you need it).

A Piece of Wood

For clamping into the miter box as a stop

Jeweler Saw Blades # 1

With skip at tooth.

Otto Frei # 142-320D


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Jeweler’s Saw Frame

With a 2 ½” – 3” throat depth.

Otto Frei # 149.703 (3”)

Rio Grande# 110-130 (2 ½”)

Rio Grande # 110-131 (3”)

Small Needle File Set

Cut #0 Coarse

The set should include a triangle, round, flat, pointed, and square files, for wax use only.

They must not have any metal shaving in the file groves.

Large Flat File

Approximately 10” long with a coarse cut (0)

10.3 X 2.0MM 4 Inch Cut 0 Coarse

Otto Fri # 131.065

Rio Grande# 114-783

Keep these files separate and only for wax filing use. If you have used it on metal, then the file may have metal stuck in its groves. This will transport

over to your wax causing havoc!

Large Half-Round File

With a coarse cut (0).


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Wood File Card (File Brush)

For cleaning the wax from files and burs

Any hardware store will have this

Otto Fri#133-981

Smooth Plastic Placemat

Provides a clean work area

Degree Gauge

Rio Grande # 116-195

Or Otto Frei# 135.013

Pointed Dental Tool

File this into the shape shown on the bottom.

Sometimes can find at a hardware store.


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Curved Dental Tool

File this into the shape shown on the bottom.

X-Aacto™ Knife

Talcum Power

In a small container

Material Safety Data Sheet

Tracing Paper

Masking Tape

Pill Bottle

Storage for wax model


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Clean Tooth Brush

Close-up eyeglasses

Optivisor # 5 with a 10” focal length


Otto Frei # 129-472

Lent-Free Towel

Or old T-shirt stored in plastic bag

Wax Polish


Material Safety Data Sheet

TOOL BASICS This section discusses using the basic tools for beginning wax carving.

THE MILLIMETER GAUGE In the carving steps I use a small manual brass millimeter gauge with sharp pointed tips for drawing precision lines on the wax as guidelines for carving. It is a cheap piece of equipment well worth is weight in gold. It may cost $14.00 at the hardware store or jewelry supply store.


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The top of the gauge shows measurements in inches and the bottom of the gauge shows measurements in millimeters.

The line which travels vertically across both inches and meter measurements is the line used for reading the gauge.

Closing the gauge shows the measurement as zero.

In the jewelry trade, most measurements read in millimeters. Measure stones in millimeter measurements.

The millimeter gauge has of two parts which slide apart from each other opening the millimeter’s jaws. The small knob on the side of the millimeter is a thumb rest making it easy for the user to open and close the jaws.

As the gauge slides open the vertical line moves.

This gauge is now open 10 millimeters (mm).

Read the bottom lines for millimeters.


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While measuring a stone for setting, always measure it across the widest part of the stone, the Girdle.

Count the short lines across the bottom of the gauge.

This stone’s measurement is six millimeters.

Tip: If the hardware store only has a gauge with square tips, then file the tips down to points using a hand file. Keep the gauge closed while filing. Do not file inside the measuring area or the gauge will not measure correctly.

Placing tape on the gauge’s moving parts keeps it from loosing its setting while using it to draw lines on the wax.

Use these sharp points to scribe lines into the wax model.

To scribe a line into the wax, place the bottom tip of the gauge on the side of the wax to use as a pivot point then slide the top tip across and into the wax.

Rest the bottom tip on the side of the wax. Slide the gauge along the side lightly digging the top tip into the wax.

Do not allow the bottom tip to cut into the wax or you will have lines you do not want. Complete over and over making the line deeper.

Easily erase a line by filing it away with a flat file.


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Tip: Smear talcum powder into the scribed line to see it more clearly.

FILE BRUSH Clean any wax stuck on the file using a file brush. Drag the brush’s bristles across the file in the same direction of the cuts in the file to clean out the wax. Also, if a bur has wax stuck in it, clean it with this brush.

JEWELRY CARVING WAX There are a few different manufactures of carving waxes; Kerr™, Matt ™, and Wolf Wax™. Jewelry carvers have their own preferences in wax model products, including myself. I prefer Matt™ Wax.

Matt™ Wax comes in three shades: Blue (soft and flexible), Purple (medium hardness), and Green (the hardest). I prefer to carve in the green wax that allows me to carve a crisp clean model and give it a good shine.

Tip: If using another brand of wax, check its finish for tiny holes, bubbles, and deformities as these have a great impact on how well your model finishes. If there are tiny holes in the finish, it is impossible to polish it and your casting shows these fine holes.


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Using the ring tubes gives a head start on carving a ring. Choose a wax that matches the side view of your design. If for example you are carving a ring band, then start with the round tube with the hole in the center. If you are carving a ring that will hold a stone or has a high-top then choose the flattop ring wax.

These two rings were carved from a flattop ring wax.

Tip: Depending on the ring size, choose the ring tube which allows room to carve out the ring size from the center.

The blue section is the ring tube.

If sizing the ring to a large size, for example to the black line then there would not be enough wax for the ring shank.

SPECIAL CARVING AND SHAPING TOOLS Many items can carve wax. Decide what shape needs carving and then find something that matches that shape.


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Use jeweler’s gravers, file edges, burs, Exacto Knife, and anything else that which gives a cut in the shape needed.

I use two modified dental tools. This one draws lines into the wax.

I use this tool for scraping its tip across the wax carving areas or by using its belly to smooth the wax.

USING THE DEGREE GAUGE The degree gauge opens by pulling its side inward towards the center.


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Its jaws open here.

Place the jaws around the ring, one jaw on the inside of the ring and one on the outside. The gauge measures in millimeters and shows a measurement of the ring’s thickness.

The thickness of the ring is 1.9mm according to this gauge.

CARVING A RING Complete the following steps for carving a ring in wax and creating a setting for a six-millimeter round stone. We will be using Matt™ Ring Tube, color green, with the flattop.

Tip: Place a towel in your lap to catch the wax shavings or the wax should you drop it.

The Steps:

1. Measure 10.5 mm from the edge of the ring wax end. Since we are setting a 6mm round stone, we are adding 2mm for each side making sure there is plenty room for the prongs and lead way for mistakes.


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Tip: Smear talcum powder into the scribed line in order to see it more clearly.

2. Cut on the outside edge of the line using a hand miter saw so the wax piece is square.

Watch Out: It is impossible to cut exactly on the lines. Make sure to cut at least 1/8” outside the lines. It is easier to file down to a line than to add wax to fill to the line.

3. Measure the cut ring blank’s width making sure it is a little bit wider than needed.

4. Smooth the wax using the Exacto Knife by tilting the knife and dragging it towards your thumb while you hold the wax with the other hand.


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Make sure you don’t put too much pressure on the wax, or the shank could break.

If the knife causes “chatter marks,” small lines from the knife skipping across the wax, then turn the knife at a 90degree angle to the lines and drag the knife down the chatter lines.

If the chatter lines are too deep, then use a fine-cut flat file and then file them away.

5. Smooth the wax with the dental tool by rubbing the belly of the tool across the wax smoothing out the flat parts.

Smooth the flat areas and file marks with the modified dental tool.

Work around the whole ring slimming down the thickness and shaping it until you finished.

Make sure you don’t put too much pressure on the wax, or the shank could break.

6. Thin the underside of the top of the ring to keep porosity away, use a ball bur to thin it out.


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Measure the thickness all over the model with the Degree Gauge. Try to make the ring the same thickness all over the ring. This helps reduce the weight, and keeps the ring from having porosity.

Make sure to keep enough wax for the stone to set into. If mounting the stone using prongs then make the wax no thinner then 1.5mm). If setting the stone’s girdle into the metal as a flush mounted setting, then it should be at least 2.5mm thick.

Leave a 2mm lip around the outside edge.

Change the bur size to cut into tight corners.

Tip: A note about porosity. Porosity is small holes in the metal cast model. Improper spruing, thick metal areas, not enough metal used in the casting process, or bad reused metal causes porosity. When molten metal solidifies it shrinks. When it shrinks, it either pulls more metal from the sprues, or if it can’t, it will pull in air causing porosity. In an ideal casting, the model should solidify first, and as it shrinks, it pulls the molten metal from the sprues. Then as a sprue solidifies and shrinks, it pulls molten metal from the button. The button solidifies pulling in air as it shrinks. In a perfect casting, all porosity should be in the button.

Note: To keep porosity from occurring, follow these rules:

Carve the wax so it has an even thickness all over by hollowing the backside and undersides of a model.

Always attach the sprue to the thickest part of the wax. This allows the molten metal to pull more metal from the sprue as it solidifies.

The sprue should always be the same thickness as the metal it is attaching to.

Keep the sprue as short as possible, but no shorter than ½”. A long sprue can solidify before filling the mold.


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Never place the sprue so the metal must travel backwards while casting. Check the placement by holding the sprue attached to the wax model upside down; visually look at the model making sure that nothing is pointed upward.

Smooth and taper all sprue joints to the model. Create curves in the sprue joint so that there are no harsh corners for the molten metal to pass through. The metal must have an easy path of least resistance into the mold.

Make the button the same weight as the model. The button performs two functions; it adds extra weight pushing the metal into the mold and solidifies last so the sprue can pull more metal from the button.

If Vacuum casting, hold the torch on the button for a while to keep it molten while the rest of the metal solidifies.

Never allow the flask to drop below 900 degrees.

For fine filigree castings, cast with the flask at a higher temperature.

Always cast at the investment manufacturer’s instructions.

7. Mark the shank for metal content and your initials, logo, or maker’s mark into the inside ring shank.

8. Polish the outside of the ring with wax polish and a lint-free T-shirt.

Pour a small amount of Wax Brite onto a lint-free rag.


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Dab the Wax Brite onto the wax and allow it to soak into the wax for a few minutes.

Using the lint-free rag, rub the wax into a polish. Rub harder where there is a scratch, polishing it out of the wax.

9. Place ring in protective place to keep it safe. A good place to store it is in an empty plastic pill jar until ready to cast.


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About Janet Alexander

Janet is an accomplished metal artist, jeweler, and author. She is a Finalist Winner in the prestigious 2015 Saul Bell Completion. Her work is shown in museums across Texas and published in several books and magazines, Contemporary Metal Clay Rings, Metal Clay in Color, American Craft Magazine, Metal Clay Artist Magazine, Contemporary Metal Clay Rings, Metal Clay 101 for Beaders, and in New Directions: Powder Metallurgy in a Sheet Metal World.

She also is an author of many online tutorials, magazines, and books. Her work is shown on the cover of the October 2014 Metal Clay Artist Magazine.

She has over 40 years experience in jewelry metal arts as a bench jeweler, designer, and instructor. Janet is a National Jewelry Instructor teaching at conventions, and bead shows including Bead & Button, Interweave Bead Fest, Adorn Me, and Metal Clay by the Bay.

While appearing on HGTV Crafters Coast to Coast and That’s Clever demonstrating she demonstrated the process of lost wax casting and wax carving techniques.

Janet has a BFA in Metals from the University of North Texas and has studied metal working with several Master Jewelers. She has GIA certification in diamond grading and stone setting. Additionally, she has certification in Precious Metal Clay with Rio Grande, Crossover Certification with Art Clay, and is a PMC Connection Senior Instructor and Technical Advisor for the PMC Connection.


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Copyright © 2009 - 2016 Janet Alexander Ruidoso NM · COPYRIGHT: 2009 - 2016 BY JANET ALEXANDER...

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Transcript of Copyright © 2009 - 2016 Janet Alexander Ruidoso NM · COPYRIGHT: 2009 - 2016 BY JANET ALEXANDER...