Making Lock Waxes — Waxes are Complete

[silky]

Good afternoon,

I’m working on waxes to be cast into a complete lock set. Searches here and abroad have answered most of my questions, but a few remain….

1. Any recommendations for good wax material?

2. Do the individual waxes themselves need vents during the investment casting process?

3. A pic or two of lock parts hanging on the tree would be very helpful!

4. I need to carve a new pan as the original is pretty eaten away from hard use and time. If I create a new pan in carving wax, can I just create copies with a mold then attach them to finished lock plate waxes? Or is it better to create a new master lock plate wax (with new pan) and cast it as one assembly? I’m leaning towards the first option because the lock has the name “BARBAR” engraved in it and I don’t want to lose the fidelity and detail of that engraving by molding, modifying, then molding that modified wax… or am I overthinking it?

5. Any best practices for plugging drilled holes in the master? I have messed around with clay and while effective, it’s a bit messy when trying to clean it up. So should I plug these holes in the master, or fill the final wax patterns with wax after making them?

I’m sure more questions will arise during the process. I’m doing this for fun and out of desire to learn the process. Thanks!

- Tom

[Jim Kibler]

First question I have is how many pieces you are wanting to make?

[silky]

First question I have is how many pieces you are wanting to make?

Hi Jim,

I’m thinking right now ~5 total sets; once priced out by the foundry, I may adjust that based on what makes most sense.

With all of this, I am open to all advice from guys like you who have lots of experience.

- Tom

[Mattox Forge]

Tom,

Who is casting them for you?

Mike

[Jim Kibler]

That’s not very many pieces for the investment.  Hopefully you’ll find a foundry for such few pieces.  No, vents not required.  With this few of pieces, gates can be added too if necessary. 

[silky]

Yup, I get it. The foundry folks I have been talking with said they’ll just add these at the end of other projects when they’re pouring the specific alloys. That said, I’ll probably wind up going with as many sets as can fit on one full tree/flask for each alloy. So, the five is probably the low end; just depends on the price breakdown and, even more, how much work goes into preparing and cleaning up the waxes. Again, this is a hobby project; I have time on my hands and the resources to try and, most of all, lots of curiosity about the process.

Thanks for answering my questions, Jim — it helps a lot. Do you have a recommendation on a good wax?

- Tom

[Hudnut]

You can get waxes from Gesswein, a jewelry supply company.  Carving waxes with different characteristics.

[Jim Kibler]

We use a reddish color wax from Freeman supply.  I'm not sure of the product number right this minute.  I've heard pink wax that is common for jewelry work does well.

[silky]

You can get waxes from Gesswein, a jewelry supply company.  Carving waxes with different characteristics.

You can get waxes from Gesswein, a jewelry supply company.  Carving waxes with different characteristics.

Awesome, thanks guys!

[PhDBrewer]

I have used the red & the pink. Also some very brittle green ( I think was old).  They both melt around the same temp (155 - 170F)  and inject between 3 to 12 psi. I had good results at 165F & 8psi. Since you made molds i assume you will be injecting the wax.
Both are pretty tough.  However the pink did not seem to like large pieces. Large pieces had some shrinkage with the red.
Both waxes were from Rio Grande. The red wax was not sprue wax. It was casting wax.

I am anxious to get parts back from the foundry!
Keep us posted on your progress.

William

[silky]

Great info — thanks, William. It sounds like the red wax is a pretty good one. The Freeman Supply website, mentioned by Jim, has a good breakdown of properties and uses for their line of waxes. The lock I’m working with needs some repairs and build-up in spots, so their purple wax sounds like the ticket for that part of the process.

Please don’t feel like you’re hijacking’s the thread if you’d like to share more information and practices from your experience; the more, the better for all of us.

[PhDBrewer]

Tom,
To answer your initial questions...
2. Do the individual waxes themselves need vents during the investment casting process?
Are you doing the casting? Sounds like you are sending them off. The foundry will add vents it they feel a part needs it when building the tree.

4. I need to carve a new pan as the original is pretty eaten away from hard use and time. If I create a new pan in carving wax, can I just create copies with a mold then attach them to finished lock plate waxes? Yes.
Or is it better to create a new master lock plate wax (with new pan) and cast it as one assembly? No
I’m leaning towards the first option because the lock has the name “BARBAR” engraved in it and I don’t want to lose the fidelity and detail of that engraving by molding, modifying, then molding that modified wax… or am I overthinking it? Yes.
Either carve a new one or make a mold of the old one. I would make a mold with the original, after filling holes with wax,, and after injecting the mold and making a wax part, alter the wax part by filling in or building up areas. After casting you can file/clean up small areas.

5. Any best practices for plugging drilled holes in the master?
You can fill the master with wax to fill the holes..
So should I plug these holes in the master, or fill the final wax patterns with wax after making them? Either, filling the master is cleaner and faster. If the master is correct, all copies will be correct.

Hope this helps.
William

[Dutch]

Silky this is interesting for sure and I am interested in your process, kindly post pics of your wax pieces etc. along the way.  I had a short stint in a foundry many years ago, it was certainly a learning experience.

[wvcruffler]

A couples Q's from another relative newby

Are you hand carving these or making a mold for the waxes from an existing piece? I had contemplated using 3D prints to make either the prototype then the mold - waxes. the upsode of 3D printing is you can scale up 1.5% or whatever the metal shrinkage calculation for your alloy might be.

I have some kilns that I purchased from a retiring person last year and made one into a PID heat reat oven and the other will be a burn out kiln. Want to eventually do some brass furniture (buttplates, triggerguards, nosecaps). But thats on the backburner now as I am skill building my stock blank skills.

Sounds like a great project!

Phil

[silky]

Silky this is interesting for sure and I am interested in your process, kindly post pics of your wax pieces etc. along the way.  I had a short stint in a foundry many years ago, it was certainly a learning experience.

Hey Dutch,

Yes, I definitely will. I should be getting into it over the next week or so. It will be a learning experience for sure, and hopefully it will help anyone else interested in it.

- Tom

[silky]

A couples Q's from another relative newby

Are you hand carving these or making a mold for the waxes from an existing piece? I had contemplated using 3D prints to make either the prototype then the mold - waxes. the upsode of 3D printing is you can scale up 1.5% or whatever the metal shrinkage calculation for your alloy might be.

I have some kilns that I purchased from a retiring person last year and made one into a PID heat reat oven and the other will be a burn out kiln. Want to eventually do some brass furniture (buttplates, triggerguards, nosecaps). But thats on the backburner now as I am skill building my stock blank skills.

Sounds like a great project!

Phil

Phil,

I’ll be making these from molds of an original lock. I’m sure the computer modeling and 3D printing would work, too, and it sounds like you have some experience with that? I’ve been told I’m an “analog guy in a digital world” so molds it shall be for me!

If you get into brass casting, I can send you some info that may help. I struggled mightily at the start but am finding consistent success now… the learning curve is steep but that has made it all the more rewarding.

- Tom

[davec2]

Silky,

Are you using metal molds ?  Or epoxy ?  Or rubber ?

[silky]

Hi Dave,

I'm going to make the molds with rubber (Freeman's RTV clear silicone).  I'd love to hear any thoughts or advice you'd be willing to share. I read your old post about making waxes a few times -- very helpful. I have all the stuff now but just need the time to do it.

This is the lock... almost seven inches long!

- Tom

[Jim Kibler]

I've used this silicone and it needs degassed prior to pouring.  You may be aware of this, but just thought I'd mention it.

[silky]

Thanks, Jim. I read the post on your blog to get smart on using it — great write-up! And I finally had an excuse to buy a degassing rig…

https://www.jimkibler.net/blog/silicone-mold-making

[PhDBrewer]

Use a pressure pot to assist in eliminating air bubbles as it cures.
Great write up Jim!

William

[Jim Kibler]

Wow!  That goes back a while.  Forgot all about it...  This was actually Katherine's write-up.

[silky]

I got a few of the molds made and started shootings wax today. There has definitely been some trial and error to find the right pressure settings and where to cut spots for vents, but I’m pretty happy up to this point. I’m starting with the purple wax which is carve-able so I can clean them up and remold if required before using the red wax for final pieces.

A question for guys who have done this before: should I spend time trying to clean up surface texture or leave that for filing once these become steel? I’m thinking the latter. I want to preserve the pleasant patina of the original lock so I didn’t file or smooth anything before making molds. Any obvious voids will be patched with a wax pen. I get it that it can pay off to make the waxes as good as possible, but it seems there’s a balance since steel is just a little less fragile than delicate wax parts that can be tough to work without breaking or distorting. Thoughts or advice?

My Ghetto Wax Blaster



A split mold (takes me a while to cut these open)



First two pieces ready for touch-up (you can see the surface finish I was talking about — that’s off the original and not wax imperfection)

[Jim Kibler]

If you want to replicate the original surface finish, this should work fine.  We have some wax called “disclosing wax” that is good for filling any defects from the wax injection process.

Not sure if you did this, but I’ve found it best to build up important surfaces prior to pouring the molds.  This provides additional material for the building and fitting process.

[silky]

Oh cool, I’ll get my hands on some disclosing wax. Thanks!

The concept makes perfect sense but am having a little trouble understanding where I would want to build up material. Can you give me an example or two, Jim?