How to Make Your Own Rings From Wax Casting
- 1). Dip a sheet of jeweler's modeling wax into warm water to soften. Cut wax strips of rings with a razor blade. Carve the ring designs on the flat wax strips before molding them into a ring shape.
- 2). Shape the wax strips into rings. Wrap tape around a wooden dowel to make a ring form of the correct size. Lubricate the tape with petroleum jelly. Dip a wax strip in warm water, wrap it around the dowel, then cut to fit. Turn the wax pen on to heat. A wax pen is a battery-powered electric device similar to a soldering gun. Join the two ends with the heated wax pen. Smooth the joint and remove. Repeat with the other wax strips.
- 3). Touch the hot end of the wax pen to the end of a piece of wax wire. Hold the melted end to the outside of one of the wax rings. Hold in place until cool. The wax wire attached to the ring is a sprue. Attach sprues to the other wax rings.
- 4). Fill the flask with investment plaster then pour the dry investment into a separate container. Investment is very fine plaster used to make the mold. Rinse the flask then fill it with lukewarm water. Pour the water into a large bowl. This is the amount of investment and plaster required for pouring the mold in Step 6. Dry the flask.
- 5). Set the rubber base of the mold flask on a work surface. Slip the free end of one sprue into the hole at the center. Fit the metal flask over the rubber base.
- 6). Add the investment plaster measured in Step 4 slowly to the lukewarm water in the bowl until smooth and free of bubbles. Pour the investment slowly into the flask, tapping the sides periodically to help it settle and release trapped bubbles. Continue to tap the sides to release bubbles for five minutes after filling the flask. Allow to dry overnight.
- 7). Flip the flask over and peel off the rubber base. The top side of the flask now looks like a funnel. Place the flask in the kiln with the funnel-side up. Heat the kiln to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for one hour to burn out the wax. Allow to cool to 400 degrees Fahrenheit then remove the flask.
- 8). Place the flask, funnel side up, into the centrifugal casting machine. Heat the casting metal in the crucible until molten. Slowly pour the metal into the mold. Turn on the casting machine. Keep the centrifuge on until all the metal disappears into the mold. Allow the investment to cool slightly.
- 9). Remove the mold from the casting machine with tongs and place in cold water. Cold water dissolves hot investment plaster. Wiggle the mold in the water to break it up. Remove the cast metal ring and sprue. Repeat Steps 5 through 9 with the other wax rings.
- 10
Fit the metal ring into a vise padded with masking tape. Saw off the sprue using the jewelry saw. File away any bumps with a fine metal file then clean off dried investment plaster with a wet toothbrush.
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