here we go!
I did a bit of research after my post and so found out that there were no posts on this forum taking a more modern look at what is a very old process. In fact, when we talk laser faceting of the more common gems (they won’t let the computer touch the truly incredible – at least not yet (but that day will come of course)), we are talking partly of the modernization of what was and is very old (7000 year) tool box that doesn’t stop expanding (until we stop).
1) Everyone in the world wants or owns some jewelry of some sort, the number that would do without it, are so few as not to be estimable.
2) All businesses and areas of business as they mature, fracture and gain economies of scale and change the very nature and way we do business and live as well
3) Regardless of anything, the number one way to earn money is to make other people happy for a fee. If you could produce one outstanding and expensive heavily sought for piece of art or work of some sort a month, you would do well and would find the path to that easier and more forgiving. IF you don’t get it, you will grouse, complain about your customers or bosses, and will cut off your own options because you have limited your vision.
Nothing is a promise, even above, but nothing above claims to be.
The jewelry business like all businesses (see number two above) has fractured. 25 years ago, and I am no expert, just passing observation, people were required to know a broader set of skills to be able to create. Much like the famous cake maker in NYC, who combined baking skills AND decorating skills rather than the old one or the other (which used to be more common than any one wants to admit – you either got a great tasting bland looking cake or a great looking not great eating cake – they even make rentable fake cakes to make the wedding look great and save money serving sheet cakes).
Another business area that has done this is in the food industry. You no longer need to find a large property, get electrical and water service, insurance, machines, etc… employ tons of people, etc. to make your grandmothers common yet secret recipe. At least to start. The business has fractured to where the machines, baking, and even packaging is a service, in which they do it cheaper than you can!
Are there drawbacks? Yes. Would you ever want your own machines? If you got a lot larger that you could argue your own economy of scale rather than just participate in a collective economy of scale portions by the service firm to lower the bar to entry or just make small market services possible.
This process has always gone on and now in Jewelry its very mature too often, what I hear, the lament of people who see the outcome but haven’t figured out how to participate and leverage it for themselves.
Anyone disagree? Pipe up.
So rather than continue the other thread, I am re-starting this one with the hopes of more images, more order, more steps and more general information – start to finish, even if I mess up. Ha!
ACDC Big Balls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-fIn2QZgg
Fun aside, here is the lay of the land as I see it today with a tiny bit of history (that if I get wrong, let me know).
Basically, we all know the idea of the lost wax process, and if not, its easy to look it up, its old, works well, the materials involved have been specialized to a wonderful degree, and it enjoys a huge over 1000-year body of work and expertise.
Back when I was younger and I did that cutting for lightning bolt earrings, and small pendants at an amusement park as an extra job, the point to a jeweler was that if they could make their own molds and even do so with slightly varying pieces (which gets people to look over lots of stock for one that they like a bit more and they are all a bit unique over machines, even if I did cookie cut a bunch of them, handling them did that when you put on loops and spews).
They didn’t want to buy these made by larger more factory based jewelers that were (like T-shirts and other things) tapping into stuff like religion and rock and roll as that was a smaller profit for an item that in a rural area, or larger work room in a city, could be made cheaper on your own. This was made more accessible by things like spring loaded spin cast machines, and on and on…
Now, I know that around the time I got out of High School in 1982, Carrera Casting was created in the jewelry district on NYC. If you want to put an arbitrary date on things this is as good as any. Part of our boom going into and facilitated by Reagan was the economy was mature, expansive, and connected enough to have such fractured services – and having such changed how people do things.
Now higher end artists and people wanting to do factory level output need not get all that stuff together any more than bakers had to. And on the other side, people with all this expertise in pouring, molding, etc. could focus on that instead of trying to herd creative cats… let the cats herd themselves and pay as they go (and of course, good cats get credit
(sorry, couldn’t resist – and no, I don’t have credit))Fast forward twenty or thirty years, incorporate computers, better technology, etc. Like being able to inject gold into a mold under pressure, and keep it liquid the whole time under command by using magnetic heating of the liquid in the mold… or having your wax use mold material that now shrinks 1%, instead of 15%... so you only really have to think about it in larger pieces (something to remember. If your piece is 2mm wide, then the shrink will be 2/100ths of a mm. well outside your ability as a human to master, and so, in the tech world has greater fidelic resolution than you. Ie. You won’t carve anything accurate or greater accuracy than 2/100ths of a mm)
[another part of this I may look into is using AutoCAD and the fact that there are good enough programs out there to get you rolling that then could fund your purchase of something like AutoCAD inventor – but this is a whole other level and area of its own. Suffice it to say that this is exactly like wax carving except that instead of sending wax you have created, you send a digital and they take that through he processes to send you the piece post pour, just as if you sent them a wax yourself]
Ok. There are now lots of foundry’s, casting companies, and even plating companies. This is not new, but lets say its mature enough that I can easily write an article that makes it more accessible than I could 20 years ago, as less efficient processes and equipment had not lowered the price till this became lower than doing it yourself in many cases… (and that’s a lot of cases depending on space, time, expertise, etc).
Depending on which one you find, you will find all manner of prices and charges, all manner of services and methods and all manner of levels (ie. One piece or one million pieces. The one million plus piece companies would look at you funny to do a charm for your auntie may)
Many are in the middle. they will cater to someone who wants one item done, up to a thousand items done. Many will also make molds for you that they will store for you to use over and over in the future. Or have in your own place, and send to them. Many will not do any finishing for you after the clipping of the item from the tree in the pour, others will do various finishing for you for tiny fees (do the calculation, often these fees are worth the money due to the time they save and the way they can free you to work more on the final look and finish than the hiding the sprew lump!). Many will credit you gold if you send back the scraps with your order. Most work off of formulas and things that make guestimation easier (and can even in that case, help you understand economics of what you may decide to do without actually having to do it to find out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Step 1 – Decide if wax is for you by reading why it was right for me in this case (which can change of course!)
Jewelry is such a mature industry that for any final idea or final product you want, there is a way to get there given price and desired outcome and expertise. This ranges from a wealthy person who can wander in and say here is a quarter million let’s put something together (a la harry Winston), to a person who can shell out enough to have a custom engagement ring or some other piece from another artisan. Or the artisan themselves!
Every method you choose will have its pluses and limitations! You can work in metal, but like baking vs decorating, this is a whole skill in itself. There are tons of people out there who do nothing but execute others designs using this expertise (along with their own). There are people who practice a range of creating methods.
Wax is pretty darn mature now, and doesn’t have to be expensive, though like anything, it can get that way. If you have a motor tool, like a Dremel and foredom unit, or even some hardware rat tailed files, you can work wax and make tools. Yes, its THAT easy.
The wax comes in (usually) blue, green, and kind of muddy purple… blue is softest, green is hardest, and yes, goldilocks purple is in the middle. They also make red sticky wax that can be used to glue or put pieces together. And they even make little tools like soldering irons to melt it with all kinds of tips, and so on and so forth. Anyone with any experience in jewelry making knows one can starve if they try to look at all the good and junkie stuff made to help or do things easier or look like they do
You can carve wax with scalpels, pins, piercing needles, hot needles in a stick using a heat source (candle, alcohol lamp). You can take flat pieces of metal, carve them into a shape, load them into an exacto type handle knife, and voila, have a tool for cutting a specific width groove…
You can work with sheet wax too.. which will be a future lesson in this series once I get some that is on order and can show how to do things quickly (this is what I learned on and actually cheaper and easier in many ways, and not).
So the question of whether wax is for you is hard. But in my case I don’t want to use a torch in my apt. yes, I know you can, especially if your using a pencil flame with a hydrogen generator type unit. Cigarette lighter flames are larger (but much colder than hydrogen). And the idea of water being flammable when its not on, is how safe it is.
But ultimately, metal work is a whole art in and of itself. Yes it overlaps as a creation method, but like photoshop, you can make a living knowing how to use the tool, and never ever do a creative thing for yourself with it. And it branches and overlaps also with things like engraving… and etching.
But we’re here for wax! At least in this thread.
I like working in metal, for many people it forces slow discipline when your working with it, which is a key element of magnificent work. Taking less off and working longer is a way to favor positives over negatives in the long run of your creation, when going faster, can facilitate the destruction of one piece in one move or a repair that could take longer than starting over.
So wax is easier… and that means its easier to damage, but given its WAX, its easier to fix, start over, etc. – so in that way its more forgiving. Its cheaper to work with. So if your on a budget, its nicer to work in wax, and the finalization of things and skip the middle other than paying a bill that is smaller than it would be if you did it yourself in either metal or wax!
Tools last forever, and if you use a tool not intended for wax, you often find out the wax lubricates it! So you can buy a stone setting burr or a package of them and dispose of them all year long working in metal, or you can have one and use it for decades since its only on wax.. tungsten carbide lasts freaking forever on wax.
Not only that, but you can use a finger drill. You don’t need a foredom or even a moto-tool!!!
You could even spin it in your finger… dental tools are cheap too at the fair. You’re not practicing dentistry and they don’t have to be super strong either…
Once you understand what this is and has always been about and a bit more on the post wax carving part, you may wonder why you never did this earlier!!!
Oh, and wax can make creation more like working in micro fondant for cakes than micro versions of welding or metal work! Even CHILDREN can work with wax… (not choking young, but eating young ok… ie. Wax is non toxic and passes… so the only real hazard is choking)
If I worked at it, being long winded as I am, I could probably find other reasons. Like you can put your whole work room into a moderate sized cigar box, and need nothing special other than a kitchen table or even lap tray. No special clean up… no chemicals… small fire hazard if you use alcohols or candles to heat tools.
So lets move on…
This is going to be about block waxes now. As that is what I am working with to do my first modern finished metal piece in 30 plus years. Wooo hoo.. talk about slow on the uptake? So don’t feel bad if your younger than me and missed it.. what excuse do I have at over a half century?
Anyway, I am starting with a block. If you have a jewelers saw you can even get special blades.. but truth be told, regular blades can work too… I have not had big issues with clogging, so maybe I am lucky with the size of blade I happen to be using… but, one could use a coping saw from home depot to cut slices, with the hard part being to make them “square”
They sell this stuff in all kinds of forms, from blocks, to slices, to flat sheets, to patterned rounds, half rounds etc… pretty much all the thins you can buy for working in gold or silver… and yes, the special stuff can get expensive, but I never bothered… (you can cut a tiny thin strip of wax, use that, then hit it with a hot needle to heat the strip and lo and behold, its rounded in place! So there are tons of techniques one can use, or one can open a wallet… I like technique, it expands what I do not just in wax as this stuff often works for other things in the abstract)
You figure out what you need. If you have tools and want to use them, then people tend to use the green wax as its quite a bit harder than the blue. Ie. Slows the tools down, manual to a kind of crawl, but motorized to a level in which you can get feel back and not cut lots off by barely touching it. Again, goldilocks purple is in the middle.
You will actually see most experts online you can watch on you tube use blue. Why? Cause its much easier to handle a small set of favorite hand tools than it is to hold a flexishaft.. yeah, some people use them so much they adapt to it. But you need a lot less adaptation to push a 1mm wide blade you made with a file, a sliver of metal, and a dowel – to make a perfect 1 mm grove… not to mention when you mess up it’s a lot less than when a tool messes up. (this even applies to what a tool can do to your hand vs what a foredom can do… but this is not a big worry.. in that the stuff for woodworking is actually a lot more dangerous than the small end stuff in jewelry (except flame and casting!).
will candle wax do? Probably. Though I don’t know what a foundry/casting service might think, and if other things added may affect the process. But the same thing that makes a candle dripless is what makes this wax leave nothing behind even better than bees wax)
spend the cash on sheets, not a block, blocks are annoying at best… but you can do things like statues with blocks… sheets are good for anything kind of flat or statues that are thin or short
sheet wax is so you can cut strips and use them exactly the way you would sheet metal. Except you don’t need a torch weld it, just a hot needle and candle as a minimum. (bic lighter and a torn piece of beer can? The wax don’t care and no one asks!!!)
basically you torture the wax to get it to be exactly what you want it to be, and in 99% of cases its small enough you don’t worry about shrinkage much (unless you are an old timer and can do that then you can save a few bucks, but really.. better to carve exactly what you need, and pay than the other way around if you haven’t gotten used to fudging a percentage)
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coming soon, Part II [/color]
- its interesting... one of a kind... 