Lost Wax Jewellery Casting & Casting House FAQs

The Process of Lost Wax Jewellery Casting Simplified:

• You use a soldering iron and jewellers wax to create a ring design
• You send the ring design off to a casting house to transform it into metal
• The casting house pours the metal for you 
• The casting house ships your raw metal designs back to you
• You sand and polish the metal & set any stones

What is a Casting House for Lost Wax?

A casting house is a specialised facility that transforms wax jewellery models into solid metal pieces. They use advanced equipment to ensure precision, durability, and quality in the final product. Many jewellers, especially smaller independent designers, rely on casting houses to streamline production without needing expensive equipment.

How Does Investment Casting Work? 

Investment casting, also known as lost wax casting, involves creating a mold around a wax model in a flask, heating the flask and melting the wax away, and then pouring molten metal into the cavity left behind. Once the metal cools and solidifies, the mold is broken away, revealing the metal version of the original wax design. This technique allows for intricate details and smooth finishes.

Can You Cast at Home?

Technically, yes - you can cast metal at home, but it requires specialised equipment, technical skills, and extreme safety precautions. A home setup involves a burnout kiln, a centrifugal or vacuum casting machine, protective gear, and proper ventilation. Without professional grade tools, achieving consistent, high-quality results can be challenging. Sand casting is another option for wax carving, but you are limited with design options. 

Should You Cast at Home?

For beginners or small-scale jewellers, casting at home may not be practical due to the upfront costs, space requirements, and safety concerns. Mistakes in temperature control or metal pouring can result in failed casts and wasted materials. Instead, outsourcing to a casting house ensures precision and reduces risks.

Why Outsourcing Casting Is a Smart Investment

Outsourcing metal casting, especially in the beginning, saves time, money, and effort. Here’s why it’s a great investment:

• Cost Effective: Setting up a home casting station requires thousands of dollars in equipment. A casting house eliminates this need.

• Professional Quality: Casting houses have the expertise to produce high-quality metal pieces with fewer defects.

• Time-Saving: Instead of troubleshooting casting issues, you can focus on design, finishing, and marketing your jewellery.

• Safe and Hassle-Free: Handling molten metal requires extensive safety measures. Outsourcing removes this risk.

Finding a Casting House In Your Country

To locate a casting house near you, start with a Google search using keywords such as:

• "Investment casting jewellery services [your location]"
  
  
• "Lost wax casting for jewellery [your location]"
  
  
• "Jewellery manufacturing casting house [your location]"

Adding specific terms like "custom jewellery casting" or "small-batch metal casting" can further refine your search.

If you can't find a local option, don't worry - many jewellers ship their wax models interstate for casting. For example, Metal Bones Jewellery ships wax models interstate from Queensland to Victoria, and despite shipping costs, outsourcing remains more cost-effective than setting up and maintaining casting equipment at home.

Casting House Recommendations

This is a selection of casting houses to get you started. You'll find more recommended options inside the course.

Australia

• Lenrose

New Zealand

• Morris & Watson

United Kingdom

• Jewel Cast

Canada

• Epic Casting House

USA

• Daniel Jewelry

Switzerland

• Altmann Casting

Factors to Consider When Casting

• The cost of precious metals fluctuates daily, so it's important to monitor global metal prices: Kitco Metal Prices.
  
  
• Always check the current cost of metal and request fresh quotes from your casting house, especially if you're working within a budget.
  
  
• Keep in mind that casting houses will always charge more than the global metal value due to additional costs like refining, labor, and overhead.
  

How Much Will Lost Wax Casting Cost Per Piece?

This is a tough question to answer - it depends on several factors. If you're just starting out, try working with cheaper metals like bronze or brass. For example, I’ve made gold and brass rings in the past for around $18 AUD - pretty cheap! Casting house prices vary, so it’s a good idea to shop around for the best deal. But keep in mind, quality can also differ a lot.

Tips for getting started with lost wax casting: 

• Check your casting house fees carefully to understand what’s included and what might come with extra charges (cast in place, replicas etc.)
  
  
• Start small with just 1-2 pieces to get a feel for the process before scaling up.
  
• Avoid working with gold at first - t’s expensive!
  
  
• Walk before you run - don't rush your craft, take your time to learn the process and find what works best for you.

It's important to remember that you actually need a lot less wax than you might think. Using excess wax only leads to unnecessary costs, so it's worth being mindful of the size and design you're creating to avoid overspending.

Consider keeping your designs simple at first, especially if you’re working within a budget. This will help you keep costs manageable while learning the casting process.