A number of persons were interested in the lost-wax casting course I
proposed to teach at Wildacres Retreat in October. I am submitting
additional details below:
Basic Lost-wax Casting
October 3-7, 2005
Wildacres Retreat
Little Switzerland, North Carolina
http://www.wildacres.org
This is not a wax-design course. The course is designed to teach the
basic techniques for lost-wax jewelry casting. Starting with a
commercial wax model, the student will learn the proper methods for
repairing wax models, attaching sprues, investing, burnout, casting,
and final finishing of a piece of jewelry. Emphasis will be on
learning why certain steps are performed as well as the alternative
methods that may be employed to produce quality castings.
This course is intended to enable a student to make intelligent
decisions if he/she should deADsire to set up casting facilities
after returning home. Approaches from simple methods with home-made
equipment to the more expensive professional equipment will be
discussed. Steam casting, vacuum casting and centrifugal casting
will all be demonstrated and the student will have the opportunity
to experiment with some or all the techniques. In addition to using
hand tools, elementary mass-finishing techniques using rotary and
vibrating tumblers will be demonstrated and employed in the course.
Course Prerequisites: None required, although some jewelry-making
experience will be helpful. You will be expected to use hand tools
such as a jeweler’s saw, hand files and sand paper to clean up and
finish your castings.
Class Maximum: 8 Students.
Short Instructor Bio:
Fred Sias is a retired Clemson University Professor of Electrical
Engineering. He has worked with most lapidary techniques including
faceting, gold and silver smithing, channel work, opal cutting, and
lost-wax casting. He has taught lost-wax casting at Wildacres for
both the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies
and the Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies, and at the
William Holland School of Lapidary Arts in Georgia.
For more contact Fred Sias at @Fred_Sias