Best Wax Carving Mandrel: Comparing 4 Popular Options

Which Ring Mandrel Is Best for Wax Carving?

When it comes to wax carving with wax tubes, removing the centre of the wax can be extremely time consuming. If you're using the wrong ring mandrel, the whole process becomes slower and a lot more frustrating than it needs to be.

In this blog post, I'm comparing the four wax carving mandrels I've personally used over the years. I'll show you how they compare, what I like (and don't like) about each one, and which one I'd recommend if you're just getting started with wax carving jewellery.

Close-up photo of a hand holding a wax carving mandrel

What is a Wax Carving Mandrel?

A wax carving mandrel looks similar to a standard ring mandrel, but instead of being completely smooth, it has one or more raised blades running down the length of it. These blades grip the inside of your wax tube so you can gradually remove material and create the correct ring size before you start carving.

The blades aren't razor sharp, but they can still scrape or cut you if you're not paying attention, so it's always worth handling them with a bit of care.

I've bought just about every style of wax carving mandrel I could get my hands on over the years, and honestly, there's a lot of rubbish out there. So let's compare the different options and I'll show you which one I actually recommend.

various wax carving mandrel sticks with blade

Plastic Wax Carving Mandrel

I bought this plastic wax carving mandrel from Amazon a few years ago when I first started learning wax carving. It wasn't terrible and it did remove wax, but it definitely wasn't my favourite.

The biggest downside was the red strip with the ring sizes printed on it. It would start peeling off almost every time I used it, which got pretty annoying. Because it's so lightweight, I found I had to put in a bit more effort to push the wax through compared to some of the heavier mandrels.

If you're just looking for something cheap to get started, it'll do the job. But after trying a few different styles over the years, I personally think there are much better options.

black plastic wax mandrel carving tube with blade

Wooden Wax Carving Mandrel

This was the second wax carving mandrel I bought from Koodak Jeweller Supplies. I thought this one was going to be great... I was wrong. The wax kept getting jammed underneath the blade instead of being pushed out cleanly, so I'd constantly have to stop and dig it out before I could keep going. The strip with the ring sizes eventually peeled off completely, and overall it was just a pretty lousy tool to use. Personally, I wouldn't recommend this wax carving mandrel.

wood wax mandrel carving tube with blade

Large Metal Wax Carving Mandrel

This wax carving mandrel is fantastic, but it is on the expensive. It's made entirely from metal and is quite a bit larger than the others I've used. One thing to note is that it doesn't have ring sizes marked down the side. That's not really a problem, it just means you'll need to remove a bit of wax at a time and regularly check your progress on a sizing mandrel so you don't accidentally take too much off.

Because it's quite heavy, it can feel a little bulky to hold, but I actually found the extra weight helped remove wax from the inside of the tube with less effort. When I bought mine from Koodak Jeweller Supplies, it arrived well-covered in oil. Don't worry though, that's completely normal. The oil is there to help prevent rust during storage. Just give it a quick wipe over with a cloth before you use it and you're good to go. Overall, I think this is a really solid wax carving mandrel and definitely one I'd recommend.

large black metal wax carving tube with multiple blades from Koodak

Small Metal Wax Carving Mandrel

Small, compact and easy to use. I think this is a fantastic little wax carving mandrel, especially for beginners who are just finding their feet with lost wax casting. Although it's quite small, it's heavy enough to remove wax from the inside of a ring blank quickly and efficiently without feeling bulky to hold. It's easily become my favourite wax carving mandrel.

The only downside is that it can leave some faint lines on the inside of the wax ring. I don't really see this as a dealbreaker though. I like to use this mandrel to remove the majority of the wax first, then go back in with a small half-round wax file to smooth everything out before I start sculpting details onto the design.

If you're looking for a wax carving mandrel that's compact, easy to store, comfortable to use and removes wax quickly, this would be my pick. I actually sell wax carving ring mandrels in my online store.

small metal wax carving tube with blade from metal bones

Want to learn wax carving online?

If you'd like to learn wax carving from home, I offer a step-by-step online course where I'll teach you how to sculpt rings, pendants and earrings from wax before turning them into solid silver, gold, brass or bronze while outsourcing the casting process.

The course covers everything from choosing the right tools and finding a casting house, through to metal refining and stone setting.

👉 Learn more about my online wax carving course.

Written by Cassandra Djodan

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