Sculpture: The Lost Wax Process with Doug Downs
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- Sculptor Doug Downs demonstrates the "lost wax process." He takes us through mold building, bronze casting at the foundry, chasing techniques, and working with a patina artist in adding color to his sculpture.
So skillful. So patient. I came here looking for a "lost wax how-to' video and was pleasantly surprised to find a short documentary. Thank you for this.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. This video is the work of Rich Cheatham the film maker. He deserves the credit for creating a fine visual understanding of the lost wax process.
Watching this beautiful little film, I learned so much more than I already knew about the lost wax process. I appreciate the simplicity and time compression of the step-by-step descriptions, beautiful music, and peaceful atmosphere that the artist and filmmaker have fashioned for viewers around what is clearly a very noisy, smelly, hot, heavy, lengthy, potentially dangerous, and certainly difficult undertaking involving carving, destruction, fire, forcible blows, melting, blasting, torches, knives, grinders, and many other tools---ultimately "freezing" Douglas Downs' inimitable play of positive and negative-space forms from the natural world into glorious three-dimensional visions of his own creation. Bravo!
Thank you so much for your comments! They are much appreciated!
How I got here: purchased a photopolymer resin printer. This got me into the research of lost PLA/Resin. That led to researching casting and lost wax processes.
Where I am at now: beyond impressed with the excellent skill and extreme craftmanship of these pieces. The artistic stylings are a wonderful aesthetic and a testimony to your creative genius.
Alas: I am inspired and discouraged at the same time. Your work is too wonderful and a very high bar to reach.
Thank you for your kind words, however don't be discouraged. Please pursue your own way. What you do will be your own unique creation done your way. Pursue your vision and share it with the world.
They are all beautiful. I really like the horse one. Awesome.
As a dental lab tech, I find most of the process used here is 90% to 95% exactly what I and other dental lab techs use, or have used, to create one of a kind dental prosthetics pieces for patients not only here in the U.S. but around the world. These pieces require a lot of patience and skill. If you really think about it, they are like miniature pieces of art. The size of the piece may not be as grand but the process and steps required for the outcome are still pretty much the same as the ones shown here. However, with new technology, the way things are done might be changing a bit. But, for the most part, crowns and removable partials and other dental prosthetics are still done like this (or very similar process - in a smaller scale) EVERY DAY by AWESOME Dental Lab Techs here in the U.S. and around the world. Shout out to them! And kuddos to Mr. Down for his amazing art...
Thank you for your appreciation and for your work that benefits so many people! Yes, the processes only really differ in scale for the most part, although I bet I am a whole lot messier than you in your work!
Douglas Downs I am so honored you would take the time to reply ♡ the funny thing is that it can get just as messy at times, but I think it makes it a whole lot more fun😅. I believe that all forms of art can bring peace and healing to people's hearts and your work my dear Sir does just that!!...Thank You for sharing your art with the world♡♡
Very good educational video about lost wax casting.
This is such an amazing art form requiring great amounts of artistic ability, strength, patience and teamwork. I would love to see this in person and to study or apprentice under an amazing artist like you sir .Thank you for making this vidio and sharing this AMAZING Art with us!!!
Thank you very much! If you ever visit Carmel in California, you can see more of my work at the Carmel Art Association and they can put you in touch with me.
Great comprehensive video of the process. It should make those who collect bronze better understand the cost of finished pieces. Although I work in realism I admire the delicate lines of this piece and its composition and balance. Beautiful job.
Thank you. Rich Cheatham, creator of the video, did a fine job. When I do realistic sculptures I do them with this same wax and the same process. As I have gotten older I have spent more time evolving my more stylized works. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
That was interesting. Greater than my research requires. 😆 I wanna make a ring at home I really liked his owl. Very graceful
Thank you! I wish you well on your ring! Doug
Thank you for sharing your ideas
Truly fascinating process. And a wonderful piece and result!
Thank you! Rich Cheatham did a great job capturing the process, both the work and the magic of it.
Seems to very tested through. I've never seen the using compressed air to get silicone into everywhere, and would have liked to hear and see a bit more details of it. Looking forward to the rest of the video.
Wow - I really love this sculpture - it´s fantastic - absolute beautiful!
And thanks for showing the whole process. Although I knew about the principals of the process, I have never seen it in a such fascinating video - narrated so detailed and with so much love for the art and the craftsmanship. I really enjoyed it.
Greetings from germany!
Thank you! You can see more of my work online at: carmelart.org in the artist section under Douglas Downs( as well as watercolors by my wife Anne Downs). You can see them in person at the Carmel Art Association in Carmel, California and at the Petroglyphe Gallery in Mokelumne Hill, California.
Thank you! Both Rich who created the video and I am delighted that you enjoyed it! How did you happen to watch the video? Are you an artist?
Amazing work!😍
Thank you very much for watching the video!
Perfect master i like this work
Thank you! May appreciating art in all its forms enrich your life! Doug
@@douglasdowns6708 Hello, I am also an artist. I produce in the disciplines of painting and sculpture. Watching videos of a respectable person like you made me happy. I wish you a happy art life. Have a nice day
I am very interested in your work. I have begun sculpting again after 34 years. I used to sculpt in wax but now I use oil based clay. My art teacher from high school became a great Western Art sculpture. He told me about the oil based clay.
I'm glad you are interested in my work. Oil based clays are fine. Clays are usually a much faster material to use than is wax. However with clay you must make a mold in order to have it cast. Working in wax I have the option of casting the original wax without making a mold and sometimes I do. Another different is the fact that almost any clay sculpture must have an armature or framework on the inside to hold up the clay, whereas wax is self supporting and needs no armature. I have make a piece over 5 feet in height without any internal framework--just the wax. So whether you use wax or clay depends on what you are trying to do and how you like to work. May your sculpting projects go well !
Very Good!! Tanks
Dough, this video is one of just a few other that show all the details and step-by-step process. Highly appreciate and respect. A few questions though. What is exact composition of the white slurry used to cover wax prototype before burning it out? I realise it contains sand. What % and what are the other ingredients? Thank you.
I am not exactly sure of the exact composition of the slurry. It is indeed mostly sand of different grades( very fine to coarse), with glycerin-like material as binder. Most foundries use their own formulas and I don't know the exact nature of the materials Monterey Sculpture Center used or what the new foundry, American Fine Arts Foundry, with locations in Salinas, California and Burbank, California use. Sorry to fail you.
Very interesting!
Thank you!
stunningly beautiful....
Thank you! You can see my work at the Carmel Art Association in Carmel, California. Carmel is located on the Monterey peninsula on the central coast of California.
Beautiful work. I was wondering what kind of tool you are using to smooth the wax
I smooth the wax using self-modified dental tools( I changed the shapes of the ends and added wooden handles) as well as hand sculpting tools from Germany that a friend gave to me many years ago. I am also using an electric hot pencil on a rheostate. This model is called a McGill. Hope this helps! Thank you for watching! Doug
What kind of wax was the owl sculpted out of?? Can anyone help me on this. Thank you very much. Great video!
Glad you liked the video. The jeweler's wax I am using in my mixture of two different kinds of wax was called Pinter Red( it is extremely hard), but unfortunately it's no longer available . I save and recycle the original models because of this. The other wax which is the other 50% of the mixture is the micro-crystaline based wax that Monterey Sculpture Center uses for gating purposes for the casting process. This wax and other similar jewelers' waxes and sculpting waxes are available at Paramelt, 2628 River Ave. Rosemead. CA 91770 phone 626 573-3000. @t I hope this helps!
Wow!
We sculptors always enjoy such a response! Thank you!
Que buen video, que es el liquido que le echa ala cera y luego la arena gracias
Glad you liked the video. The liquid Is a glycerin-like material as binder for the various layers of fine sand used to make the shell. Most foundries use their own formulas and I don't know the exact nature of the materials Monterey Sculpture Center used or what the new foundry, American Fine Arts Foundry, with locations in Salinas, California and Burbank, California use.
Thank you for sharing this. When designing a piece what is your process?
I start with a wax which is a mixture of a very hard wax( a jeweler's wax) and a much softer wax (a microcrystalline wax used at the foundry for gating). The wax mixture makes for a material that can be softened with a light bulb and modeled into a rough composition with my hands and then when it's cool I use what's called an electric hot pencil and modified dental hand tools to work the piece into it's ultimate refined state. It takes a very long time, months in fact, to sculpt the wax into the finished work that is ready for mold-making and casting.
Can you suggest a different wax since your preferred wax is no longer available?
The gate wax and other similar jewelers' waxes and sculpting waxes are available at Paramelt, 2628 River Ave. Rosemead. CA 91770 phone 626 573-3000. @t They have a wide variety of waxes and have been good in the past at sending samples. I hope this helps.
Im missing a critical step here. The other side of the mold. Is it a release agent like talc or oil, with more rubber poured over it so it separates?
Good point Kyle! This silicone rubber does not require a mold release, so I forgot to mention that since I have not used a mold release in many years. The rubber used is called Smooth On Mold Max 20 Silicone Rubber.
I mean when you do the other half of the silicone on the mold... After the first side is done, with the plaster backing, and you do the other side, do you flip it over and pour the rubber on top of the already cured rubber so that it encases the model and has identical registrations? If this is the correct idea, what do you use to keep the second half from sticking to the rubber of the first half while it cures? Do you use talc, Teflon oil, etc, so you can peel the 2 halves away once the other side cures?
I'm working on rings and a bronze sword that I 3D print in wax after modeling it in CAD (i have a lot of respect for your sculpting ability). Basically doing the same process you're doing here, using Mold Star, but I'm pretty sure when i pour the other side of the mold, the 2 halves will fuse if i dont put something between them. I hear some materials will poison even tin cure silicones but I'm unsure what these are, so basically I'm asking for a suggestion in how to keep them from fusing. Im afraid Teflon oil might affect the cure, and talc might create a gap thats too large and need lots of cleanup on the wax. Would I need to buy commercial spray or is an interference agent even necessary when putting wet silicone on cured silicone? I've used Oomoo 30 before and it likes to fuse even to cured silicone.
(note: I do not mean when pouring the wax, I know cured silicone will not stick. I mean when making the halves themselves before getting to the wax casting process)
Yes
Yes, you have described the other half exactly as it happens. I don't have to use a separating agent with this rubber, but in the past I have used commercial separating agents and have also used petroleum jelly or green shampoo as a separating agent. You could try those on a small sample to see if it works with your rubber. There is a wide variety in silicone rubbers and whether or not they require separating agents. Its best to try the separating agent on a small sample. Good luck with your rings and sword!
Sorry, I meant green soap, not green shampoo. It can be painted on as a mold release, as can petroleum jelly. If you are using a spray mold release be sure to use a respirator.
the owl is great
Thank you Hans! I appreciate that!
Thank you for watching and I'm glad you like the finished sculpture!
With what do you color your wax?
Dear Douglas, can you tell me what type of wax are you using? Is there a manufacturer I can look up? Are you making it or are you buying it somewhere and where? A brand name would help. Thank you.
The jeweler's wax I am using in my mixture of two different kinds of wax was called Pinter Red, but unfortunately it's no longer available . I save and recycle the original models because of this. The other wax which is the other 50% of the mixture is the micro-crystaline based wax that Monterey Sculpture Center uses for gating purposes for the casting process. This wax and other similar jewelers' waxes and sculpting waxes are available at Paramelt, 2628 River Ave. Rosemead. CA 91770 phone 626 573-3000. www.paramelt.com/paramelt-rosemead.aspx I hope this helps!
Hi. What are the materials used to cover in minutes 8:34 and 8:47?
Nice!!
Thanks! Does your "handle" mean you have a foundry in your home? I had a friend who had a one-man foundry in the basement ---with the heat going up a chimney that went into his regular chimney. How is your foundry set up?
Douglas Downs
Its just a small propane furnace i use outside, have a couple others i run on diesel fuel that are larger.
I also have a forum at thehomefoundry.org if you would like to swing by for a visit.
Have a few guys there that are into lost wax as well.
Thanks I will check it out when I get some computer issues solved. I really respect artists and founders who face all the challenges of having their foundry! Way to go!
Nice work Doug. Why aren't you pouring your own bronze? You appear to be doing everything else.
Monterey Sculpture Center in Monterey, California is an excellent art bronze foundry that is set up for professional casting with large blast furnaces, heavy duty equipment, etc. I do all the craft part with the exception of the complex patinas at my studio-shop-home because from my point of view that is where my time is best spent to ensure quality work, as well as I don't have the space or time to do the actual casting here ( and the fire department would bust me!).
Douglas Downs ahh.. California, that explains it. See my channel, I pour my own stuff right at home in Texas. Saves me a ton of money and affords the freedom to try new stuff.
What is the metal used in shelling purpose
There is no metal in the shelling process. The wax is covered by a ceramic shell--largely sand with gluey bonding chemicals. The metal that is cast is bronze, an alloy of primarily copper, with some tin traditionally. Now days other metals and silicone are added to make for better art castings.
you're leaving out something here....
If you have a specific question, let me know and I will answer it.
I use a combination of waxes to both sculpt and to do the production wax from the mold. I melt what is called a gate wax and a harder jewelry wax called Pindar Red wax together to sculpt in a 50-50 ratio. Gate wax is a microcrystalline wax called 2-B-2 at my source, called JF Mc Caughin Company 2628 River Ave in Rosemead, California. I have been recycling this combination for the last 20 years since Pindar Red is no longer available. The production wax that I use in the molds is a combination of gate wax(2-B-2) and a harder wax similar to jewelry wax(2-AB43), that I also melt in a 50-50% ratio, also available from JF McCaughin Co. I do this become it gives me a wax that is soft enough to work by hand with the use of a little heat. When it colds it is hard enough to work with various tools.
Here's a place in AZ that sells JF wax. I'm running the 2-ab150. Seems to work well in my warm environment. Don't drop it if it gets cold, your piece will shatter. www.arizonasculpture.com/products.asp?catID=4&subcatID=9 Funny how the price of wax is almost the cost of bronze. Wax is $4.50 a lb and bronze is running me about 6bucks.
👌🤗🏁🆙️🎥
Thanks !