Hi,
i have never seen this technique for sizing a wax ring blank…i havent tried it yet, but it looks interesting…!…thought i would share…
julie
Julie, if this photo is meant to show a sizing technique, it is unclear what you are referring to. I see a sort of freeform ring with a fish scale or snakeskin pattern. Nothing there looks like the ring has been sized, or where / how it might have been. Sizing that wax ring depends partly on what sort of wax it is. Some, like Ferris File-a-wax green are quite brittle. With that wax, I would limit sizing to either adding wax to the inside, or filing some away, but if either of those, or some other method were used, I cannot see what you are showing us… ( note that not all green carving waxes are brittle) clarification please?
Peter Rowe
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Hi Peter!
Oh! Drats! the instagram video did not copy/ paste as i had intended…and i cannot see the artists name on this pic, to follow-up…alas it is now buried in my feed…
ok, so during the video, while the piece was still in a wax D ring blank form, the artist heated up the ring mandrel (which was held horizontally on a stand/ vise)…and then they slid the ring blank onto the heated mandrel and push it up to the desired size…
the ring blank melted as it was slid up the mandrel, and the finger hole got bigger…
must take practice to get the heat just right…
(the piece is of a puppy dogs nose!)
julie
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The wax of the puppy nose is well done and adorable. If you are serious about pursuing wax carving, spend the money and buy a Matt Wax Reamer. It’s a wonderful tool and will save you so much time and frustration. We use it and it’s da bomb. It’s much more precise and faster than using a tapered wax ring mandrel. The right tool can be a game changer. Also if you haven’t yet, invest in a good set of Kate Wolf carving tools. Most folks believe that the most expensive part of being a good jewelry maker are the precious metals and gems. Nope. It’s the tools.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo
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Hi!
I agree! I have both and they are invaluable! great investments!
I remember when I first started making jewelry, and went into a supply store…so intimidating!..there were glass cases filled with interesting looking “things”, and big pieces of mysterious machinery all around…and ceiling high shelves behind the counters holding who knows what!
(the Matt wax reamer was in the case, and I was like “what is THAT?”…ooohhh! I have to have one!)
After reading the Rio Grande Catalogs every year, cover to cover, I could eventually identify everything in the store! I miss the Rio Grande Catalogs! And the online website search function is not always forthcoming…I think the catalog “made me buy things” in a way that their website never will…I expect to see “Vintage Out of Print” Rio Catalogs on EBAY for $$$ soon! ha ha ha!
Julie
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Rio needs to do a better job indexing their new website. I can’t find anything easily and will sometimes look at Stuller, Otto Frei and others just for that reason. I have mentioned this to their customer service representatives several times. I too like catalogs…Rob
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Hi Rob
I agree…i was looking for an unmounted stitched muslin buff…for flexshaft…how hard should that be?
julie
The saddest part of it all is that they had a perfectly functioning website. Why they decided to do a total rewrite is beyond me. There is an old Data Processing saying (maybe originally from other sources) “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” What a blunder, in my opinion.
Neil A
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I also agree. Not only is it hard to navigate it is no very intuitive. Logging into the new site for the first time is ponderous. A good example of fixing what wasn’t broken.
D
I agree, I can’t find Diddy squad on their website. They need to bring back the catalog.
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I agree about the website, They just redid it, and it sucks. If they are so worried about hurting the environment, they do a catalogue that decomposed in say a year of being in the ground. Only send one out every 5 years, and so mini catalogues with updates of one line of discontinued items, and a listing like the catalogue of new items. I’ve bought much more in the last two years from Otto Frei, especially since the new catalogue on line came out.
Jo I also agree with you. The reamer is wonderful.
Reactive Metals Studio just popped up as an ad in this thread. After doing the MacKenzie - Child Artisan Show, I decided that I wanted to learn about anodizing reactive metals. A quick search brought me to Reactive Metals Studio. I knew the name because of their ads and participation on this discussion board. After studying their website and some back and forth with Michele, I knew exactly what to buy. I placed an order and a week later (yesterday) everything arrived. The order was complete, well documented with lots of directions on each piece of the order. Enclosed was the usual order documentation and a set of well written directions. After some more back and forth with Michele, I colored my first metal. In this case titanium because I discovered that I had 100 titanium ear wires and 20 feet of wire. I have no idea why I bought the wire. The whole experience has been great and it included a website that was easy to navigate and people on the other end to answer my question. I am struck by the contrast in this discussion. I am trying to do more business with smaller suppliers and people who specialize in whatever it is that I am interested in at the time. We tend to get into buying habits that may cause us to miss a great buying opportunity and maybe meet people who are more like us than part of a corporate machine. This is just a thought, but it will help to form my buying habits going forward…Rob
5 Likes
Hi Rob,
I agree with you again!
I have become very picky when it comes to shopping on websites in general…I view websites and online shops as un-manned stores…with that said, I want all the information that could possibly inform my purchase decision to be readily available…and often times it is not…and I will not buy from website that do not provide at least the minimum information…
…I love McMaster-Carr for their detailed item listings…
…I will not buy simple ziplock bags if I cannot determine the mil thickness…
…Rio Grande used to put more details on their listings…nowadays I often find myself calling customer service to inquire…the problem with that is…they can only see what I see online…but sometimes they will have someone physically check and find the answers I am looking for…
It amazes me how much i have to slog around to get details of what people are selling…
Julie
Hi
here is an example…I looking for a variable speed benchtop belt sander, preferrably 2"-4"
how hard is it to give the fpm speed of the belt…?..even on fixed speed…
crazy making
Julie
I like McMaster - Carr too, but I have only bought tool steel from them. Finding what I needed was fairly easy. The only difficulty was created by my lack of knowledge about what I was looking for. The order process was great as was the way that they packaged and shipped what I ordered. I will use the again…Rob
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For those of us that are poor or just tired of buying yet one more tool (I am a tool hoarder), I have found that a potato peeler works pretty well to ream a wax ring. You just have to be careful and not too aggressive.
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I don’t carve wax or cast jewelry from wax, but I like that simple solution to a problem. Thanks for offering it…Rob
hi!
veg peeler! genius idea! i shall experiment!
julie
Hi Julie - I also saw this video on Tiktok and have been thinking about the sizing method!! I wondered if it was kind of a messy process but it looks like they did a great job. Also, I was impressed by their method of etching the texture of the dog’s nose as well.
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I was much more curious about the granular texture than about the sizing technique. Could you give a few hints?