Crafting A Wearable Art Necklace
Through these images, we aim to provide insight into carving and creating a figurative art necklace in sterling silver using the lost wax casting method.
The concept for the figurative art necklace was derived from a clay sculpture created by Fred, which was inspired by a live model.
The harmonious arrangement of the legs and arms enhances the ideal design of this Sterling Silver miniature sculpture.
Before carving the figure in hard wax, several sketches are created to develop a visual storyline that reflects a celestial mood.
Pictured are the carving tools, the beginning of carving wax, and a dream fantasy drawing as a guide.
The hard wax model takes shape but still needs finishing touches, especially in the facial area, which is the most challenging part to give life and identity to the sculpture.
After completing the hard wax model, the next step is to create a silicone mold for injecting soft-casting wax. To eliminate air bubbles, a vacuum chamber is used.
The silicone mold sets overnight and is cut for easy wax release with proper venting channels. This ensures that air is effectively displaced during the wax injection process.
Set within a flask base, the soft wax casting model with attached sprues is designed to channel the sterling metal properly throughout the sculpture during the casting process.
Investment, a ceramic material, is used to create a heat-resistant ceramic shell. After melting the encased casting wax, a cavity is filled with molten metal.
The investment is mixed with water and you can see it foaming in the vacuum chamber as air is removed before being poured into the flask containing the soft wax model.
The soft wax model, flask base containing the soft wax model, and casting flask are assembled and wrapped in duct tape, which covers the air escape holes for vacuum casting.
Once the investment is set up, the tape is removed, and the flask is placed into a steam chamber. This effectively eliminates the soft wax model, leaving a void in the ceramic shell that will be filled with molten metal.
The investment is heated to approximately 1350 degrees Fahrenheit, forming a hard ceramic shell that can withstand the molten sterling heat and burn out residual wax.
Molten sterling silver and a pinch of borax were heated in a small circular kiln with a graphite flask to approximately 1760°F to 1800°F and poured into the flask containing the investment shell in the vacuum chamber.
The casting was successful, showing no oxidation, visible porosity, incomplete burnout, or uneven cavity filling by the molten metal.
Completing the art necklace by hand involved removing the sprues, grinding, and polishing. Pearls were set and strung on Beadalon sterling silver wire, which consists of 49 micro-wires and provides flexibility and strength.