Making Metal Sculptures Using the Lost Wax Casting Process

When JJ Porret makes his unique metal sculptures, he uses the lost wax casting process. With this method, he is able to build to take a simple idea and bring it to life using an otherwise hard to work with metal. Take a look at how the process works!

First of all, JJ creates the original sculpture using clay. Once the sculpture is complete, he then creates a negative mold out of plaster. Once the shell has dried, it is divided into two parts, cleaned, greased and then rubber is poured between the outer plaster shell and the original sculpture, forming a negative mold.  The shell is then filled with wax to create a wax copy of the sculpture. The wax copy is retouched heated metal sculptural tools to prevent any imperfections coming through. Gates and vents are then attached to the sculpture to help the molten bronze flow into the cavity and let air escape.

Once everything has been prepared, the wax copy is encased in a mixture of ceramic sand and placed in an oven to make a ceramic shell. The wax melts away and is then filled with molten bronze, filling the space where the wax was lost, hence the name. Once everything has been retouched, cleaned, and colored, the sculpture is complete!