JEWLERY CASTING PLASTER HOW TO
JEWLERY CASTING PLASTER SERIES

Never handle the molds directly when casting. Don't try to get all the holes at once, rather heat the metal between casting, and take them one at a time. Pour the metal as directly into the holes as possible. You can also use the torch here, to melt small amounts of metal quickly. Heat the metal you plan to use for 30 minutes at it's melting temperature before you cast, just so that it's actually a liquid and not superheated slop. The scrap yard also has raw ingots.Īnyway, I have a Lee lead melter, which has been modified for my use, and a small porcelain crucible to hold the metal. I used zinc obtained from pennies.don't worry, the pennies I used were so disfigured, the bank wouldn't take them. Please vent the area if you decide to use lead. The metal can be anything that you are able to melt. I wore goggles, apron, and a pair of kiln gloves when handling the metal, and I still got burned. I have burned myself countless times, so learn from my mistakes. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE WEAR PROPER PROTECTION WHEN HANDLING HOT THINGS. Alternatively, a propane torch will work, as I have used it before, but make sure not to concentrate the flame, else the mold will break due to heat stress. However, I can't account for everything, so use judgement when doing it this way. Don't worry, this should not harm anything. You will smell wax doing it this way, so I suggest lighting up some candles. If you suspect that the wax isn't quite all gone, then keep it in longer. Set the kiln to 400^F for 30 minutes, then done. Remember, the side with the holes faces down. Place all the molds on a aluminum foil covered pan, with a slight angle, so the wax can pour out. Being a DIY guy, I had to try out different methods, and using a oven worked fine. Simply place the mold in one, set to a slow cone 03 (burns organics), and fire away. If you have access to a programmable kiln, like the ones I have at my school, this step is easy. If done for any less, you are liable to get cracks. After the powder has been cast, leave it to dry in a warm (or hot) place for at least 8 hours. The powder will dissolve in water, but your carvings won't. If you don't have a fancy sprue base and cylinder setup, like these ones, no problem. A shop-vac and a modified container will suit our purposes.

Most recipes ask you to vacuum the mixture before and after you pour it, to eliminate any bubbles. Each brand varies in the recipe, so follow yours closely. This is the kind of Investment Powder that I use. Once all the sprues are attached to the base, fit the cylinder over the cap, and fill it with the investment powder. People have cast with thinner walls, but they are better than me at this. Always leave at least 1/4 inch between sprues and I recommend 1/2 inch distance from wall. If you don't, the metal won't flow there. If the object has multiple lo points, you must attach a sprue to each. When you attach the sprue to the base, you want the sprue to be at the lowest point of the object. You must attach a wax stem, preferably 1/8 inch in diameter or wider, with a funnel shape bottom, onto the lowest or highest part of your creation.

JEWLERY CASTING PLASTER SERIES

Veevers shows in this series of images how she makes her intricate, patterned semi-porcelain brooches, sometimes using as many as five different colored casting slips in one piece.When you have carved all the rings you want, now you need to cast the negative mold. Then she creates a clay wall around the plaster slab and pours casting slip over it, which gives the thickness to the piece and picks up the detailed Joanna Veevers paints colored slips onto a plaster block into which she has scratched an intricate pattern. A mirror image will be left in the clay surface, so any lettering needs to be scored in reverse. This intricate design can be reproduced quickly once This ceramic jewelry making technique allows a fine, delicate line to be scored into the surface of a plaster block, which will form a raised decoration on the surface of soft clay pressed into it. Take it away Joanna! –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

JEWLERY CASTING PLASTER HOW TO

Joanna shows how to make clay jewelry by scratching into a plaster slab and then pouring and painting on casting slips of different colors. Today, I am sharing a nice little project from Joanna Veevers, excerpted from the book Ceramic Jewelry. Body adornment is one of the oldest art forms so it is no surprise that clay has been used as a jewelry making material for a very long time. Mostly I have been working with clay slabs, but there are countless methods for making ceramic jewelry. I have been experimenting lately with how to make clay jewelry.

Pottery Making Illustrated Submission Guidelines.Pottery Making Illustrated's Print Mailing Schedule.Ceramics Monthly's Print Mailing Schedule.Workhouse Clay International ICAN Merit Award.ICAN Making a Difference in Ceramics Award.Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition Award.

Jewlery casting plaster