OMG I have been having so much fun with wings the past couple of weeks. More please!

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Bunnet

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Last week, I have been mostly playing about with ceramic wax. A new material for me. Always love to try new things so loved the opportunity to give this a go. In prop making it is used to cast safe breakaway ceramics, like when someone in a film or show is getting a vase smashed over their head. It’s some mystical wax and ceramic concoction that comes in slab chunks. You can get it from from ceramics suppliers. I got mine from Scarva, thanks to a helpful tip from @abprops_ 🙏. It’s definitely more wax than ceramic and melts very easily, just like candle wax. I have had some previous wax experience from another job so already had a set up of a hot plate and candle making metal jug. After painstakingly scouring the internet for tutorials I came up with a first method - pouring in to fill the mould then pouring out the still molten core after an hour to supposedly leave an even skin cast. Unfortunately, this method was not successful. It may have been the small size of my mould and/or the uneven (jutty in and outness) surface of the master ceramic ornament I was duplicating but it did not work as expected. After an hour, it was almost solid, after three quarters of an hour it was less solid but not evenly distributed, after half an hour it was leaving too thin patches that would break when attempting to remove from the mould. I have used this method before when hollow casting with liquid latex and for real ceramic slip casting but it didn’t work for this wax. So back to the drawing board and back to YouTube. I did eventually find a chap who did a tutorial on lost wax casting and showed how he made his hollow wax cast that he was going to then use in the metal casting lost wax process. It was more a slush cast method where you pour in the liquid casting material, slush it about into all the crevices and pour out. You then build up layers to create a final thickness. The most important point to remember is you need to wait at least 10 minutes between layers or you’ll just melt your previous layer. This way worked! Hoorah!
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10 things I discovered on my ceramic wax journey...
10 observations, I have made on my ceramic wax journey:
1. Best to heat it with a medium low heat, too hot and it will separate, boil and cause unwanted bubbles, however stirring and cooling seemed to resolve that.
2. Hot plate and metal candle wax jug is what I used but extraction/open window required as if the wax hits the hot plate it will burn off and be very smokey. A slow cooker would do the job nicely too I think and would probably avoid this.
3. When melting the chunks for the first time, it seems to create a scummy/foamy layer on top. Stirring and cooling eventually helped with this this but be aware of bubbles - can easily give you a rubbish surface cast.
4. A thin beauty coat as first layer is good but not leaving it long enough to solidify and/or having the next layer of wax too hot/runny could melt previous layer, usually in uneven patches.
5. Leaving the wax to cool slightly gives it a thicker consistency. As long as it still flows, this could help with getting a thicker coat, however there is always a danger of delamination.
6. Tin silicone moulds seem to stand up to the repeated hot cast better than platinum but a paintable release aided in longevity, however always be cautious with release if you are painting the casts after.
7. Transparent polish (furniture polish) works as a primer before painting. I got mine from Smith and Rodger’s in Glasgow. Regular acrylic paint can be brushed or airbrushed. I’m being wary of thickness of paint so it doesn’t create a flexible skin and prevent clean breaks. Still to test this. Anyone have experience with that?
8. If the cast goes wrong - no problem, stick it back in the pot! Little to no waste which is a refreshing change. Be wary of debris though!
9. Flashing/seams can be sanded, good ol’ scotchbrite green pads are good for gentle abrasion and smoothing, as are regular modeling tools.
10. And finally, as it is mostly wax, I’d imagine it could easily be dyed with candle wax dyes. Something else to try.

Challenges and problem solving happens a lot in prop making. Also you may find yourself saying the oddest sentences and moulding the strangest things. And no, it’s not lady bits and no, I can’t tell what it is…yet.
Keeps life interesting!
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