DEFECTS PRIOR TO "SETTING STONES IN WAX" => 13 photos

 This 560th tutorial essay is about 'defects in waxes' before the stones are set. (These wax forms were not made for casting purposes.) 

They were just to display the defects that sometimes occur before the setting of stones. 

 When you prepare the wax,  ALWAYS EXAMINE the holes where the stones will be placed. It is almost too late to make radical changes once the stones are in and ready for metal casting.

 This ring is the epitome of a wax that cannot or mustn't be used, why is that? Every hole is solid with wax, not to mention that some of the claws are either too short or just 'missing'.

 These claws need to be cleaned of extra 'injection wax' before any stone is to be set.

 I marked this wax ring in ink just to show you that 2 very important centre claws were not cast in the wax.

 It is advisable to do one of two things, the first is to scrap the wax completely and the second plan is to repair it..

I'd recast the ring again saving much time in repairing.

As you can see there are other mini-claws not good for stone setting.

  Here are some extra pieces of wax remaining from the wax injection process.

 When you are dealing with the 'Channel Setting' ring, every hole MUST BE CLEANED. (Any wax residue is always YOUR enemy).
 Never assume that it will look nice afterwards..it won't and severe casting & setting problems will ensue.

  This is a photo of the underneath of a wax ring. Here you can see the wax buildup before any drilling with a 'twist drill'. Every hole is literally plugged with wax. Get rid of it and clean those holes...NOW!

 In this photo, you can see the twist-drill at work cleaning out the wax from underneath.

 The main problem is that when you hold the wax ring, the warmth of your fingers might alter the shape of the ring.

 I'd ask you to put the wax ring on a 'tapered ring mandrel' to avoid any problems. 

 

  This photo shows the collection of dust that has been collecting while it has been sitting in my inventory for many days or months.

 This round pendant has too many mini-claws missing. It's better to recast the wax again. The reason is that it might not always be easy to find wax-shaped wires of the same diameter for the pendant.

 Always examine your wax for defects prior to your metal casting. If you feel that there are too many problems, don't spend your precious time in fixing it.

 Those little white spots are 'dust', this is an an enemy in the casting. When the dust is removed, it will leave little holes in the metal. How is the dust then removed? 

 I've seen many jewellers immerse their new waxes into a jar of liquid such as "Methyl Hydrate", or alcohol. 

 At that moment they will turn on their ultra-sonic vibrator leaving the wax 'free' from any residual 'dust'.