Using wax in finished pieces

[Helenium]

Anyone here have experience in using wax as a material for finished pieces? I can't find any specific information online.

I read with interest the article in the current Sculpture magazine (March 2003, pp. 83-84) about the "Waxen Identities" exhibition at the Georg Kolbe Museum in Berlin. The show concentrated on artists who use wax as a medium for finished pieces, as opposed to it being just an intermediate step for metal casting. I have been casting my pieces in Forton MG and then painting them in a cold wax medium, so I was very interested in the idea of casting them in wax.

Does anyone has technical advice to offer me? Specifically, I am wondering what kind of wax to use that is permanent (if cared for properly), the pros and cons of wax as a final material, where to get the supplies, and whether wax can be cast in the polyurethane molds I use for my casting now.

To see the kind of work I do, go to my web site and click on "reliefs."

Thanks,
Helen

[Randy]

Helen. . .

Great website. Just wanted to let you know that you should be able to pull waxes from your molds. Don't you already do that to send them to the foundry? Attached is an image of a piece that my wife and I own, that is wax with a plaster armature. There are old-fashioned wax candies mounted in it, too!

I would talk to wax distributors about hardness and care issues. We handle ours carefully and don't let it get warm.

Hope someone who works in wax more often gives a reply.
Randy

[jcwhite]

Helen,

I've only used wax for casting as well, but here are some wax suppliers I've used who have been helpful with my questions: Remet Corporation in Utica, NY (www.remet.com), and The Compleat Sculptor (www.sculpt.com or 1-800-9-sculpt).

-Jessica

[Toby]

There are what is known as machining waxes, having a wide range of melt points and hardnesses. They tend to come in primary colours though: Toby

[jslomba]

I have been casting wax works for a few years. Durability has always been an issue, but I have found wax to be more archival and compatible than other synthetic materials I have used (and developed allergies to). I use a 50/50 mix of white microcrystalline and paraffin. I like the translucence of paraffin, but it is too brittle on its own for demolding. Wax does need structural support and does change when exposed to heat and cold (I have had more difficulty transporting work in the cold than the heat). It took a lot of experimentation to learn the possibilities and limitations of the material in relation to what I was trying to achieve aesthetically. (Randy I am happy to see that one of the early pieces still seems to be in good shape).
Jeff

[Randy]

Jeff. . .

Thanks for joining us with your comments. The piece is holding up great. The candies ooze their colored jellies, slowly, which is quite fun. I am sure most are not interested in working with the candies, but who knows?

Let's see an image of a new experiment when you get a chance.

(I am shipping my DVD and a few stone pieces to W&M tomorrow.)

How's Luke and Elenor?
Randy