Clone your Jewelry Designs [Lost Wax Casting and Molds]
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- Custom jewelry takes time. If you want to make the exact same piece without ALL that WORK, what can we do? @JustinKPrim and I go through the whole process of getting a hand-carved wax ring cast and getting a mold of the ring made so that we can make as many as we want in the future. Join us to learn about how to efficiently make your own line of custom jewelry.
The original custom wax was carved by the fantastic Sophie of Atelier Tsubaa @ateliertsubaa
This is the second video in a 2 part adventure. Check out the first on @JustinKPrim 's channel and learn how gem cutters can use their own stones and match them with pre-made wax designs found in wax libraries.
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@obscurventure
@justinkprim
I love how after such an energetic opening Justin gives a monotone "Hello". Love both of your channels.
XD Thanks for the support Shawn~!
Again, well done guys. As an amateur silver/goldsmith and faceter I find my biggest problem is always cutting of the mold - it requires a lot of practice. Hopefully your teaming up videos will continue and encourage your viewers to expand their horizons.
Thanks for your support Don. On mold cutting, i can agree that everything ive been seeing leads me to agree with you. A necessarily tenacious gripping hand and an assertive blade seem to be required. Everyone ive watched seems to use a beat up old file, and they bend the tang into a hook, attach it to their bench and use that as a third hand when cutting molds. Do you do something similar?
@@GemologyforSchmucks Yes I have done that and also used an old hinge and rods trying to copy a commercial piece of equipment specifically for mold cutting but it was not too successful. One of the best youtube videos was an oriental lady showing how to cut- all in Chinese? It was a short video. Apparently Casteldo has a product that does not need to be cut and is coated with a cream in the middle part that looks really good and does not need an apprentice period to learn how to do it well.
You guys are awesomee!! I've been looking for something like this for my wedding ring!!! Thanks! Edit: Let me go design my ring first XD
Excellent~ happy to help.
Excellent video!
Thank you Dana~
where did you get the casting done?
which place in thailand?
This piece I definitely got done in Thailand. There are several casting houses and many of my colleagues like to use different places for different metals or levels of service.
Thank you for such wonderful videos! I’m new to all this and just now starting to investigate. My question: How do you make a Plastic Master Model which you can then use to make a mold? In other words you can only make a mold from a design for which you already have a master model (whether it’s an actual necklace or ring, plastic or metal) but what if you don’t have a Master Model to use to make a mold, but just a design that’s in your head? How do you make the master model? Does my question make sense?
Hi Jed ~ so there are a bunch of ways that you can do this. The original piece can be made in metal, or carved in a direct-castable wax (a common and several thousand years old technique) or you can make it in a CAD program and 3d print it in a variety of materials. Once you have that object a mold can be made, either in vulcanized rubber or liquid silicone. Theres a whole world to explore here ;) ~ if you have an idea in your head and you like to work with your hands, then wax carving is an interesting place to start. If you prefer computer work, you can investigate jewelry CAD. Cheers
Thanks for sharing the Informatic Videos @GemologyforSchmucks team
@@Adamgemsjewelry my pleasure ~
Can I do this if I don’t have a mold for the correct size stone? Like use the mold making sets on just the stone size part?
It's fairly common for different components to be made and joined after casting. A ring shank for example could be one mold and then several sizes of mountings designed for different calibrated stone sizes could be cast separately, or even joined as wax from two different molds. Definitely possible
how much detail do the molds pickup? if i was to engrave a ring and then make a mold of it would the cloned rings have the engraved detail? cheers
Engraving is typically too fine for molds to replicate it well, and casting traditional engraving cannot preserve the crisp edges of hand cut engraving. The type of wax you fill the mold with and alloy of metal that you cast will also have a pretty substantial impact on the amount of detail that can be maintained. I'm biased towards hand made things myself, but I think it's good that people know these techniques are available.
Where are you from?I like to learn this process
Who is your mold maker? And who is your caster?
There are many local companies here. If you need help with molds or casting services, feel free to email me at thegemshepherd@gmail.com and we can talk about it further.
Great video! What would you do if you want a copy of the same exact design but in a smaller size?
Thanks for the question Courtney. When you mean smaller size, are you asking about smaller ring size (for a smaller finger) or the whole design proportionately scaled down?
@@GemologyforSchmucks yes, smaller ring size! So if I have a design idea I want to make available in multiple ring sizes for selling, how would you go about doing that?
@@CourtsShort If you're dealing with a goldsmith, the best way would be to have finished pieces in the sizes that you like - they can be silver or even brass, and that way you can get the molds remade in the future without much drama. You CAN resize the wax, just like you can resize a ring, but generally you only want to go up or down 1.5 sizes max.
If you're working with a CAD designer, they can scale the ring and print a few copies in different sizes (and have those masters cast in silver or brass).
The danger of trying to do all your sizing in the rubber mold is that the rubber mold isn't going to live forever, so you want to make sure that you have quality master rings (ask Sauron about that) so that you can remake the molds and guarantee your the quality control for your line.
If you need help with this - send me an email at thegemshepherd@gmail.com and we can talk further about what your options might be.
@gemologyforschmucks What would the process be if I have a ring and I want to replicate it in silicone? Would lost wax casting still be the method?
Is this to say that you want the body of the ring to be silicone material?
@Gemology for schmucks what's a good silicone for casting wax?
From what I hear from casting professionals, the liquid silicone that is mixed and poured is superior to vulcanized rubber. As to brands, that is something you'll need to investigate #homework
@@GemologyforSchmucks lol, thanks, teach. I'll have that done soon :)
what about the wax copies, is there any thing how to go about from that process to the raw cast ring? do we ship the wax copies to China or something for investment casting? that was the part Im searching for. I can make dozens of wax copies of my pendant by hand quicker and without the overhead using silicone molds and wax injection
I expect a lot of it has to do with how many items you want made, or how close you are to a manufacturing area. Here in Bangkok, its quite efficient, both in cost and in time, both to get the molds made and to have wax injected. This is because there are MANY companies supplying the wholesale market with services and many of those companies have vacuum wax casting machines. If you want 3 pieces made and you're sending it to an American or European jeweler, but dont have an established relationship, then I can see that it would get expensive fast, but if you're dealing with someone or you yourself come to a wholesale jewelry market...
So the real question becomes: how many do you want made? If you want tons made, my suggestion is to send one of the finished pieces to someone you trust (Bangkok would be smoother than China btw, and I say that as someone who loves China and lived there for many years) have them get a mold made, and then they can make thousands of the same pendant or whatever item and have them cast efficiently in full trees. You'd get a great economy of scale aswell.
Cheers~
@@GemologyforSchmucks What are the names of some of the businesses who make the molds AND do wax injections? Then I would be mailed the silicone molds and the wax molds to take to my caster in the US? I am just starting out...!! Your videos are awesome!
Can you make moulds from 3D resin models?
I've not done much with resin so I'm not sure.
@@GemologyforSchmucks Thanks for your reply.
The short answer is yes. The exact resin used would be the issue. Consider too, there are 3d wax printers as well.
@@Gizmo46953 Thank you.
ฺBIS Tower Thailand
In Bangkok, you're correct.
@@GemologyforSchmucks I live in Bangkok and I often go there to buy gemstones.
@@tawansilver5275
Yes, BIS Building is also known as Warner Building in Bangkok Thailand.
nice Beard men I will grow one like this
Thanks ~ the world has plenty of room for more beards in my opinion. I like change though, so I go through cycles of loving a long beard and others where I prefer it much closer. Such is life.
Got the feeling you guys were a thing. Congrats.
The gemstone community is fairly small, and the gem-related-youtuber-in-Bangkok community is even smaller still XD