Metal Casting Zone

I am just getting started on using microcrystaline wax for lost wax sculpting. I am not very confident in my ability to get great pours so I want to make copies of some of the sculptures I have made before investing the originals. The first one I did was with "amazing mold putty". I am pretty happy with the resulting copy but it is not cheap and could easily be the most expensive part of my process. Is there a knock off product or an whole different method you would recommend? my buddy uses some paint on stuff that looks like a real pain but It is something I am thinking about.

Once, I tried to use the "Great Stuff" foam weather sealant. I had a small bust of Lincoln, put it in a can and fed the foam in from the bottom to try to keep bubbles out. It worked well. The problem I had was when I tried to pour the wax in, it had leaks and the foam being very insulating, the wax didn't set up very fast. I tried to cool the spots where it was leaking and kept adding wax. I made a big mess and haven't tried it since. I do think it would work, maybe just coat the inside of the mold with a layer of wax at a time to build it up.
Oh, I ended up out of wax and a good wax piece of Lincoln's head... from the nose up.

Hi MCTC

Have read your post.
Sounds as though you require some RTV rubber, to mould the heads you are doing. There are rubbers that withstand heat temps of wax.and reproduce the most tremendous detail. Then try to find a jewellery tool supply place near you and look at the many grades of waxes. Both for carving and injecting wax. I see the result of your wax head casting is ok, but how well this wax burnout? ,could be a question I think. Good luck with the heads. Johncast

I tried the boiling water method for burnout with pretty good results. Could not get all the wax out the weigh so I might throw in in my fire pit for a while just to be sure i got it all.

That rubber does look quite a bit cheaper like $50 a gallon form a quick look on the net. The process looks quite similar to stuff I used.

Nice sculpt.

If you want a cheaper and possibly better option in a rigid two part epoxy, which is what I seem to be seeing in the image; I would recommend the following;
Magic-Sculpt
I personally buy the 20 pound kits, that is in two one gallon containers with S&H it cost me about $130. But you can buy small amounts.
www.rmi-online.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=magic+sculp

RTV rubber will give you a mold that can release without concern for undercuts. Depends on what you want to cast in it. For duplicating sculpting stages I would use Rebound-25. You brush it on in a few coats and then you can peal it off like a glove. Turn it right side out again and pour up many more copies if you like. I usually use Magic Sculpt for a support mold outside of this. But pouring a block of wax over each half (on top of the rubber) also works for support and when done with the mold you can remelt the support and use the wax on something else. Again I use a two gallon kit but you could buy the 2 pint sample kit pretty cheap, about $30 bucks;
www.reynoldsam.com/index.php?cPath=2_1115_1132

Also I do not know what sculpting medium you are using. I am enjoying Fuze, Ether, and Ice from Willow Products. Not as well known but beats the dog dodo out of standard NSP sculpting waxes etc;
www.willowproducts.com/galleries.php
Check out his Product catalog, Images and Blog. You can even order 1/4 pound samples. If you are serious, I mean really serious, I recommend buying a sample of all his regularly stocking waxes. My last ten pound orders were in Ether and Ice.

Also a good resource for someone like yourself, as you may already know, is the Clubhouse Sculpting forums. Critique, technique, and showing off glories and goobers;
theclubhouse1.net/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=9

Best of luck to ya,
Blobber