15th and 16th February 2025 – 09:30-1700 – £140.00 plus materials – BOOK NOW
This course is a follow up to the recent Lost Wax Casting Masterclass, for jewellers who wish to cast multiples of their designs. (No previous experience is needed, but casts from the waxes produced are suitable for commercial casting or may be done in the JASSO workshop by arrangement with Ben). These might be identical links that will be strung together to form a necklace… or to batch produce your designs and bring them to a wider public.
The first day will focus on making a silicone mould from an original object. This can be a found object (a natural or a man-made form) or your own design in metal or carved from wax.
The second day will focus on cutting the mould into two or more parts. Once this is done you can then inject wax into your mould. You will then be able create a wax tree suitable for lost wax casting.
If there is time you could then pour a lost wax mould with investment powder.
Course Aims
Students should be able to take home a silicone mould and multiple wax casts of their design, ready for lost wax casting in precious metals.
About Ben
I have been making jewellery since retiring from a full time teaching job as head of Design Technology at a well-known Oxford school. During my time there we introduced Jewellery as a variant of GCSE Design Technology.
My work is quite varied and includes gemstone setting, enamelling, engraving, Kuem Boo, sand casting, and lost wax casting as well as the usual shaping, forming and assembly skills of the jeweller. I draw inspiration from time spent on the western shores of the Scottish Highlands with its Celtic traditions.
Equipment
Please bring your own:
- Scalpel with a new pointed blade (No.11).
- • A cheap metal stab style can opener
- • A G-clamp that opens up to 50mm
- • If you have paper tubs and wooden spoons – v. useful for mixing the silicone
- • Castaldo See Through Mould Frame – from Cooksongold or HS Walsh. 19, 25, or 38mm thick… (19mm is normally enough and costs £31.68 from HS Walsh.)
- • 2-part Transparent Silicone A20 Moulding Rubber from DWR Plastics. The 250g pack is enough for 4 or 5 moulds with the 19mm frame. £13.70
Everything else will be available in the workshop or brought by Ben.
Who this class is for
Some experience of making and working with small 3D forms will be useful.
Normal jewellery skills… Experience of thinking and working in 3D will help, but all members of JASSO should come away with a successful silicone mould and wax casts.
This course will be taught through; Discussion of the general principles, demonstration of the process, then step by step progression with the group and detailed handouts will be provided.
You will need to bring an object to make the mould from. This can be a found object such as a small seashell, a piece of your own jewellery work, or a carved wax item. Bring several things to that the most suitable can be selected. 25mm x 25mm x 10mm is a good maximum size, smaller is fine. Word of warning… The object needs to be attached to a 3mm post. This can be soldered on or fixed by drilling a suitable hole in the object. Gluing it on with Araldite might work.
Obviously, a smooth hard surface will work best, but intricate surface texture works well. Hairy or furry will not work. An object tending towards spherical will make a heavy casting and use a lot of silver. Flat, concave or convex designs work the best.
JASSO 
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