Lost Wax Casting 3 - Stone Setting in Wax
Lost wax casting is used by the jewelry industry to make most of the jewelry with settings you see in stores today. Jewelry artists can use the same techniques to create settings in their designs for production or custom work.
This course is available as an in-person workshop or live online class. Please check this page for times and formats available.
Wax models have advantages for stone setting, and even some settings are easier made in wax than by fabrication. Wax can be formed to fit stones with unique shapes, like pearls, cabochons, raw diamonds, gemstones, etc.
Stones can also be set in wax, then cast in place! That's right. Some stones can withstand the burnout process and having molten metal poured around them. You can also set up waxes for easy setting after casting, using bezels, prongs and other setting techniques. It's also easier and more forgiving to prepare settings, like flush settings, in a wax model and then set them after casting. Students who have taken Stone Setting 1, could set up settings they learned in fabrication in wax instead.
Settings in wax don't have to look like traditional metal settings. Prongs and bezels can be sculptural and subtle, like branches, flowers, tendrils of hair or other motifs.
In addition to how to create settings in wax, more wax techniques will be taught, including using wax burs, and how to turn wax like a lathe to spin perfect rings and round settings like bezels, etc. This class includes demonstrations of how to set stones in wax and how to cast them in place.
Check out a free video preview of what we do in this class, "Setting a Royston Turquoise using Lost Wax Casting". Scroll through the free videos on this page to find this titel.
Casting your pieces made during the workshop is included.
Lost Wax Casting - Stone Settings in Wax teaches the following:
• Adapting stone settings to casting
• Milling wax with burs
• Turning wax with a flex shaft
• Using build up wax to create custom settings for stones
• Adjusting models and setting stones after casting
• Cast-in-place stone settings
• Basic setting skills for bezels and prongs
After Lost Wax Casting 1, the lost wax casting series (2, 3 & 4) can be taken in any order.
A kit of materials and stones is included with this class.
A full color handout is included with the class. Create your own workbook with the beautiful handout that is downloadable for this workshop. Handouts include instructions for techniques and projects, reference charts and lots of information to support your learning.
Tools Required for Online Students
Classes at our school include use of tools, with each student having their own bench to use during class. Online students will need to have their own tools (see the list of tools below). Feel free to contact us with any questions.
A list of tools with links to recommended suppliers for the best prices will be sent to you after registration If you have questions about the tool list, please contact us.
Online students will need the basic tools that were required for the Lost Wax Casting 1 - Basics class.
In addition, the following tools are required:
Wolf pick - #10 Medium 90° or equivalent
Wolf pick - #3 knife or equivalent
Alcohol lamp and alcohol (denatured (best)), or a butane torch or butane lighter
Steel tweezers 6” long
Flexible shaft machine with #30 handpiece (a Dremel may be too awkward to use)
Hanger for the flex shaft
Clear tape (like clear shipping tape)
A computer, phone or tablet to use the free Zoom app for class
Safety glasses
Prerequisites:
Students must have basic wax model making skills, like completion of a lost wax class, including skills in wax work, like wax carving, build up and how to use a wax pen. For example, our Lost Wax Casting 1 basic class, in person or online, will satisfy the prerequisites. This class will specifically use carving waxes and injection waxes to make models.
Instructor:
If a class is online, or is a combination online and in-person session, all students receive a link to a recording of the class demonstrations. In-person only workshops are not recorded. For staff instructor classes, students have access to the recordings for one year. For guest instructors, access is 30 days.
If a kit is included with the class, online students will have them mailed to them. Kits for in-person students are delivered at the beginning of the first class. More information about the kit is included with the supplies list which is emailed after registration.
International students may be charged an additional amount for shipping, because of the increased cost to ship abroad. Also, shipments to other countries may incur a tariff payable by the student. International students are welcome to contact us re: these costs and options for their materials. Please be sure that the address with your payment is the correct one for shipping.
If this class is offered online, it uses the Zoom app/website. Through Zoom, you’ll be able to see demos and follow instructions, ask questions and interact with your instructor. Zoom is easy to use and free for students to use for class, and works on most devices, like phones (iPhone, Android, etc), tablets (iPads, etc), and computers (Mac or PC).
Your instructor is also available during free Zoom office hours for questions and help.
For classes that include work time, online students work at home or in their studio. All of our recommended tools and the kit materials are chosen to be home studio friendly. Links to preferred vendors are provided in the supplies list sent after registration. Some classes, like our short demo only classes, don't require tools or materials to attend.
There are no requirements regarding COVID at this time.
As always, we clean and disinfect shared tools and benches after each class.
If you have tested positive for COVID, have symptoms that could be COVID, or feel ill, please don't come to class. Contact us for more information.
And now the fine print. Payment in full for class fees is due at the time of registration to reserve your place. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. Checks and cash are accepted only if you register at school. If you mail a check, your registration is not processed until it clears and the class may fill during the wait.
If the workshop is canceled by our school for any reason, all class fees will be refunded, or you can transfer to another class, or you can keep a credit on account with us for future classes or purchases,
Students can cancel, receive a credit or refund, or transfer to another class up to 21 days before a workshop, whether it is online or in person. No cancellations are accepted after the 21-day deadline, however, we will do what we can to try and sell your place to a qualified student. If we can sell your place, you can receive a refund less a $50 cancellation fee, keep a credit on account with us, or apply your fees towards a transfer to another class.
If you can’t make it to class, you may send a participant who has the necessary prerequisites in your place. Please call or email us immediately with any changes in the student participant information. If a class includes an online section, your class will be recorded and you can watch later to make up a class you miss.
Students must be at least 15 years old to attend a class, and students under 18 must have a legal guardian sign our liability waiver form. We have had younger students attend classes, on a case by case basis. If you’re interested in enrolling your child, please call or email us.
If you sign up for a class and fail to have the required prerequisites as listed in the class description, you are still subject to the 21-day cancellation policy, listed above.
Lodging and meals are not included for in person classes.
If you don't come to class, there are no refunds, credits or transfers.