In this TWO YEAR course, we cover ring carving (hard wax/wax ring tubes) using traditional wax carving tools. The designs covered in the course are fundamental skills and include carving of a stacking ring, wavy ring, dome ring, signet ring, wax texturing methods, wax repairs and resizing, plus a plethora of wax carving tips and tricks!
Note: this course does NOT include any gemstone work, and does NOT cover the build-up/melted wax method (but there are separate courses for these topics)!
Note: this course does NOT include lost wax casting.
Students who enrol into this course cannot be upgraded or pay the difference to access the "Madame Mak Wax Academy".
Welcome to the wax carving ring basics (carving hard wax/wax ring tube). In this course I cover the most common styles of ring, and how to carve them from a tube of ring wax. I also ramble a little about wax and what it's like to work with it, plus some extra things for your perusal. Enjoy!
In this module I will be taking you through the important safety considerations and requirements for working safely with jeweller's wax (hard wax, and liquefied hard wax). Please do not pass this section. You must watch this section before proceeding with the course.
In this module I'll be walking and talking at my bench, and sharing the tools and consumables I use at my bench for wax carving. You won't need all of these tools by any means, but I have compiled a tools list for you at the end of this segment with the essentials, including a tool budget breakdown and different options for setting up. Enjoy!
In this module, I take you through some very useful quality information you should know regarding a few technicalities at the bench, specifically casting shrinkage, moulding and mass production and how to apply it to a wide customer base, and wax injection modification and how to utilise it to create secondary versions of an original moulded design. These are not tutorials, but I regale you with all you need to know!
In this module I walk you through how to weigh your wax and convert your wax model to a metal weight equivalent. It is important to weigh each wax model to know how much it will weigh in metal, and to calculate how much the metal (piece of jewellery) will cost in advance of casting it. This is extremely important, so please don't pass this!
Welcome to the first wax carving module of this course. This is the introductory basics for carving a stacking band in jewellers wax. Please start here before progressing to the other videos. Enjoy!
In this module I present to my bench with a handful of pre-carved ring bands in a simple stacking style, and a variety of tools to demonstrate a variety of wax texturing methods.
In this module I demonstrate how to repair a cracked or broken wax, and also demonstrate how to size wax models up and down in size prior to casting (from hard wax models and models pumped from a mould/injection wax).
In this module I take a pre-carved stacking ring from my scrap box and show you how to transform it into a wavy ring using files and emery paper. A fun way to convert old stacking rings and stuff from your scrap box etc!
In this module we turn it up a notch from the stacking ring, and carve a smooth dome ring. Dome rings have a chunky rounded top and taper to a thinner band, and serve well as every day rings. Get ready to learn how to measure and mark your waxes for achieving symmetrical designs!
In this module, I do your head in with a bunch of measuring and marking and then show you the process to create a round top (round face) traditional signet ring. Enjoy!
A handy compilation of tool suppliers (Australia & international) and casting facilities (Australia & international).
My heartfelt thank you to you, for joining the Madame Mak Wax Academy. May you feel every moment of bliss at the bench, as I did and still do. Enjoy!