Lost Wax Casting

Lost wax casting is an ancient method of producing jewelry and other objects in cast metals.  It involves making a “master” object from wax or other material that can be melted or “burned out” of a mold, surrounding that master with plaster of Paris or clay, and then melting the master object out in a heated kiln.  This produces a cavity in the mold that can then be filled with molten metal, usually driven in with the force of a centrifugal or spinning casting machine or a strong vacuum (although gravity alone was the traditional mechanism).