“give me the correct solvent and i could dissolve the world”
(zev 2010)
i believe xylene can dissolve wax. hardware store item (it is the
carrier in concrete paint due to its low surface tension) read label
etc.
zev
Can anyone give me a product name for this orange based cleaner that can be got from THE UK.
I don’t know what’s available from the UK but I just used an orange
oil based cleaner which is sold in supermarkets for removing grease
and stick residues. It contains the active ingredient D-Limonine.
I don’t buy stuff from jewellery suppliers when I can get viable
alternatives elsewhere. For the same reason I buy borax (melting
flux) and cloudy ammonia (brilliant for removing polishing compound
residue) from the supermarket and sulphuric acid (for pickle) from
the local auto electrician.
All the best
Jenny
On the other hand, people can often do quality work with quality tools. It's funny that the norm on this list is "buy the best tools you can, never skimp," and yet here people are saying, "just use old dental tools."
I make stuff.
Tools and modifying tools included. Most of my tools look different
from when purchased, the self made custom ones do exactly what I
want. If I factor in the time they usually end up more expensive than
purchased tools, I don’t skimp.
jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand
Charles,
Any of the orange smelling solvents work to smooth waxes as well as
any lighter fluid.
The orange smelling ones are suppose to be more environmental. Many
brands here, just look for color and smell oranges.
Regards,
Todd Hawkinson
Southeast Technical College
Hi Jenny,
I don't buy stuff from jewellery suppliers when I can get viable alternatives elsewhere. For the same reason I buy borax (melting flux) and cloudy ammonia (brilliant for removing polishing compound residue) from the supermarket and sulphuric acid (for pickle) from the local auto electrician.
Cloudy ammonia… hmmm that sounds like a good idea, does it oxidise
the copper in alloys?
I use borax for forge welding, but I use a very good flux for
melting (a bit dry, but it works).
Sulphuric acid is harder to get these days in NSW.
Regards Charles A.
I have use white spirit which I expect is a pretty similar petroleum
mixture to lighter fluid. It works after a fashion but that’s all I
can say. Mineral turpentine is better but orange oil is better
still. I have also tried acetone and alcohol but they are useless.
The only common solvent I haven’t tried is spray paint thinners. I
much prefer the orange oil To start with it smells much nicer --and
it works.
I just paid $127 for 12 needle files for silver, and I guess I'll have to pay it again when I start to play with gold.
Charles, I use the same files for both silver and gold.
M’lou
Please check out Lee’s site for good ideas on using wax.
I learned how to wax and cast in 1972, in dental school. We used
inlay wax, asbestos liners and centrifugal casting machines. We cast
gold, officially. But to maintain sanity we made jewelry and cast any
metal we could melt.
Tools for working wax can be almost anything: we had a #7 wax
spatula and some round tipped tools for melting little balls of wax
and transferring them. We also had a lot of carving tools (including
lots of burs).
If you are already very artistic and a good sculptor, you would
benefit by having a set of Wolf tools (my wife has large and small
sets). She also took one of Kate’s classes. It makes a difference for
her and for me.
If you are just learning: try and take a course. There are many ways
to use wax. Play on your own for a while and see if you have the
talent that would warrant the purchase of the good tools.
The purchase of good tools does not bestow talent to the owner!
(rats!)
Charles Friedman DDS
Ventura by the Sea
Charles, I use the same files for both silver and gold.
Really? Do you clean your files regularly.
I was told that you may be working on a piece of silver or platinum
with a file used for gold and you can end up with gold specks in
your white metal.
Regards Charles A.
Tools and modifying tools included. Most of my tools look different from when purchased, the self made custom ones do exactly what I want. If I factor in the time they usually end up more expensive than purchased tools, I don't skimp.
As a blacksmith I make tools too 
Charles A.
I have quite a few tools that I have made or adapted for carving
wax. wax carving has been a small part of my job for 35+ years.
Files, scrapers, gravers, all have a place they work best, for me. I
will often adapt a tool for a particular job, if I need to.
This last Sept I took Ms Wolf’s wax course, and found it made a huge
improvement in my carving. Her tools certainly do help, as they are
well thought out, but they remain just a part of the tools I keep on
hand as I carve a wax.
While I still do not own her small set, after taking her class and
having access to them for 5 days, they will soon become part of the
selection I can draw on while doing a carving, because they certainly
saved me some serious time on some parts of the carving process.
And I agree the good tools do not bestow talent, they do certainly
help you make the best of whatever talent you may have!
Jim Newton
Some of my favorite tools were bought at a swap meet. $2.00 for a
crazy assortment of 20 old dental tools. What I didn’t use out of
the bunch I gave away. I’ve discovered while teaching that my
favorite go-to tool is not necessarily someone else’s. It’s very
personal.
I also used an exacto blade for years before finding my favorite
tool.
amery
Hi Charles,
We have used cloudy ammonia for cleaning copper prior to enamelling.
It works just fine but of course the copper is not left in the liquid
for a significant length of time. I usually use the cloudy ammonia in
the ultrasonic cleaner as well. Actually when I bought the last
bottle of sulphuric acid I was living in NSW and got it from a local
battery shop. I think I was also buying a battery for the ride on
mower at the same time (we lived on acreage then and I hate ride on
mowers). I bought a 1 litre bottle which I still haven’t finished. It
goes a long way in pickle. I use borax as my flux for melting silver.
We also mix it with honey as an ant bait. I use a fancier fluoride
based flux for soldering.
I have some future projects in mind involving etched silver. I
expect it might be “interesting” or perhaps attract interest when I
try to buy nitric acid.
Hang in there Charles. I enjoy your contributions to discussion and
the second hand experience of your studies.
All the best
Jenny
I do not worry about mixing silver and gold tools, although files do
need to be cleaned regularly, to be most effective. Platinum is a
different story. Any metal you transfer to platinum, is a
containment, and will damage the platinum when heated to soldering
temps, because they melt at lower temps than the platinum, so I use
separate files for platinum than for any other metal.
Any metal you transfer to platinum, is a containment, and will damage the platinum when heated to soldering temps, because they melt at lower temps than the platinum, so I use separate files for platinum than for any other metal.
I have always used the same tools regardless of the metal I am
working with and never had any problems. But I learned very early the
importance of cleaning bench at least twice a day and sometimes even
more often.
Under normal circumstances, metal should not cling to tools.
Brushing with bristle brush is sufficient to remove all traces. If
not - than you are doing something wrong and it is better to correct
the underlying problem than maintain separate set of tools for each
alloy.
Leonid Surpin
I do not worry about mixing silver and gold tools, although files do need to be cleaned regularly, to be most effective. Platinum is a different story. Any metal you transfer to platinum, is a containment, and will damage the platinum when heated to soldering temps, because they melt at lower temps than the platinum, so I use separate files for platinum than for any other metal.
That does make sense, thanks for that, I’ll pose the question to the
teacher and check to see that I didn’t miss-hear, it’s a mad class
sometimes it’s really noisy.
Regards Charles A.