History Of Lost Wax Casting

Lost-wax casting is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often gold silver or bronze) is cast from an original sculpture or design. Very intricate works can be achieved by this method. The oldest known examples of the technique are from the Chalcolithic period (4500–3500 BCE).

The Lost Wax Method

At Yunus & Eliza we cast both our larger studio work and our jewellery using this method

The master design is modelled up in carving wax or clay.

Once a Silicon Rubber mould has been made we can reproduce this master as a wax copy. This copy is ‘treed up’ with runners and risers and placed into a steel flask into which is poured Investment Plaster.

The flask with the set plaster goes in the kiln for 48 hours whilst the wax slowly melts and drains out leaving a negative space exactly the shape of the sculpture. Metal is then heated to over 900 degrees, and either gravity poured or spun centrifugally into the flask.

Once the warm plaster has been knocked out of the flask the sculpture or jewellery is revealed. At this stage it is blasted clean and the fine finishing metal work takes place, along with any stone setting, soldering and polishing.

*First header image by Francisco A. Soeiro at The Crucible Foundry, London.