Greetings, all. I have a wax working project that I’m working
on-and-off on, but I’m nearing the end of it. I have 4 pieces I want
to hang from a necklace, but now I need to get those pieces to hang
from the necklace. I tried carving out things that i would melt on to
the back that extend above the top of the piece, but they proved far
too fragile, breaking off when i carried them from my house to my
local jewelery shop; since I’m going to need to mail them to RI or
Philly, I’ll need something a bit more robust.
So, what materials can bind wax pieces together, but still allow them
to be cast? Are there any glues? Any ideas?
So, what materials can bind wax pieces together, but still allow
them to be cast? Are there any glues? Any ideas?
Really need more re what it is you’re doing and with
what kind of wax. In the meantime, the hard waxes (green, purple, and
blue) can be glued with any (most?) of the super glues. It does need
good bonding surfaces (not just single point of contact) and while
reasonably solid (in wax terms) it won’t take a lot shear force.
Hmmm… I think you may be using the wrong kinds of waxes for your
project. Or maybe you aren’t using the right tools or methods to
heat your parts that you want to weld together. I think that this
should all be possible to do in just wax.
I sometimes use super glue to fasten wax together, but it can be
brittle, so I think that a good wax weld would be better. Look at
Kate Wolf’s line of waxes. She has a nice sticky wax that holds well
for adding parts made of carving wax.
When you ship a wax, pack it in a small box with foam padding, and
pack that in a larger box with cushioned space as well. HTH,
I've used a bit of superglue here and there to no ill effect. I'd
love to hear from those that actually know how to cast to see if
that's a big no no...
Nope, the cyanoacrylates burn out just fine. Only the tiniest bit is
necessary, too.
superglue here and there to no ill effect. I'd love to
hear from those that actually know how to cast to see if that's a
big no no...
I just steamed a casting so I could look before I wrote this… This
is a pendant that’s 1" or more in diameter, that was sorta like a
Mercedes emblem, but it’s not. It was open/pierced and it’s a stock
wax, and they wanted a plate on the back so it can be inlaid with
lapis. It’s 14ktY. I got some of that softer green sheet wax and
glued the wax down with superglue - no way it was going to be any
good by melting - without porosity, that is. Came out just fine, as
though it was waxed in place. I’ve done it before, but only a couple
of times. The problem is that it is “glued” together as opposed to
“welded” together. In trimming the edge flush in wax I had to be very
careful because if you catch the edge wrong it will separate. They’re
stuck together, not bonded together. As I recall the original in this
thread had a bigger problem, though. Something that required real
strength - this doesn’t have that, in wax. But on a small scale this
was a major job, if that makes sense. The entire back of the wax was
coated with glue before putting it on the sheet, not just a drop.
Worked just fine.
Thank you for all your responses. I’m using blue wax.
Yes, I’m using the wrong methods. I didn’t plan on how I would attach
it to the chain; if I had thought of that before, I would have carved
pendant with an attached bail, but nooooo, i jumped right into the
pendant…whatever, lessons learned.
But, if superglue will work, I’ll just go with that. Hmm. I have
friends in Philly anyways…i could get it cast at a place just off
Jeweler’s Row i know…
The crazy glue idea sounds good but depending on the application I’d
be concerned about getting a proper flow. As an extreme example if
one were to crazy glue a sprue onto an item if you didn’t have a
fillet of sorts then the ‘working diameter’ of the sprue might be
lessened. The bond may look good to a casual observer but might be
undercut at the join enough to maybe cause a problem with turbulence
or whatever. If its like a bail added on, the finished cast could
also be undercut resulting in a weak part.
It was probably asked already but how about welding with a wax pen?
You should be able to plunge that hot puppy into the join and get a
complete weld, no?
I normally use sticky wax to stick wax pieces together. The sticky
wax will usually fill any air pockets that might form between the
two pieces that are stuck together. However sticky wax is not a
strong bond.
I run a hot tool around the edges to insure a bond is developed
which will withstand handling during the investment process.
Pieces that are bonded or wax welded together should be placed under
a vacuum to check for air pockets.
If there is an air pocket between two pieces that are securely
bonded together the vacuum can cause the air pocket to blow a hole in
one pieces during the vacuum investing process.
It was probably asked already but how about welding with a wax
pen? You should be able to plunge that hot puppy into the join and
get a complete weld, no?
Several have mentioned sticky wax, whick obviously works fine in
places. The problem is that it’s thick and isn’t right in some
places. In the example I mentioned yesterday, which I actually cast,
it was a triangle inside a circle, and all of the edges were around
2.5mm wide. It needed to be put on a backing plate to be inlaid
(obviously it could be carved fresh, but that’s not the point)
Another place I used it was putting wax letters or numbers down on a
piece, like 25 year pins and stuff. You can go around all of those
edges with a wax pen, yes, but it’s a huge, messy job, and you can’t
get in the middle of it - you can only get the edges. If any
investment gets underneath, which it will if there’s any way for it
(vacuum investing), it will blow the casting. That’s where something
more like a glue is needed, something thin and compatable with wax
and burnout, and superglue does a good job of it, except again it
doesn’t have a lot of strength - glue it and leave it alone as much
as possible.
Also using a wax specifically for this sort of work helps. Pecks
Purple was a very thin flowing wax that was great for attaching such
things. Problem is it is not available anymore. Using a heated (via
alcohol lamp) “dental tool” that is formed into a short “wire like"
tip, about 20 gage in diam. about 1/4” long. To get a good, even,
penetrating wax flow, you need to get the wax rather hot (the
advantage of Pecks Purple was that it flowed VERY well at rather
lower temps. where as “regular” waxes will flow well if rather hot)
and touch the hot wax drop to the joint. Maybe practice on a couple
of similar, practice joints, before doing it on the actual piece. If
you want a picture of the tool, let me know and I will send it to you
off list.