How to repair wax from a NEW statue? => 21 photos

 I've covered many wax topics in the past months and years. However, this essay holds a special meaning for 'us' in the "Lewy" family. Why is this? This statue was a gift to my Parents circa 1934, when they got married in Manchester, England. 

 We even gave this statue a name, "The ballerina". 

 I had a specially large rubber created for this statue. My rubber mould technician was surprised that I wanted to have this statue copied.

 After 25 years of having this mould sitting in my cupboard, you are now learning why I wanted to have this done.

 To illustrate its size, I placed a tape measure along its height. This will show just how large it is. This heavy rubber weighs in excess of 8 pounds.

 My caster made a wax carving of it, but two pieces. Hence, it's in two different colours because of its intricate shape & its delicate features.

 All of these waxes (and a few more) weighed approximately 139.0 grams. After coring, the remaining wax weight has been greatly reduced to 78.9 grams in total. This will be a great financial saving in the metal. 

  This 'three-tooth' bur was fashioned just for wax cutting & wax removal.

 By removing some of the internal wax, the finished weight will be substantially reduced. I am constantly aware of the "Rule of 6% 'wax to metal' reduction".

Here you can see what the '3-tooth' bur has started to clean.

 As the "Ballerina" has bended arms, I'm limited in just how deep into the arms & legs that I can cut.

 This is the wax residue after just a few moments of coring. I must continually stop and clean the rotating bur. 

If not, the 'bur wax' obscures and vastly limits my vision.

  Even a 'sculptured face' needs to be remodelled and hollowed out. The face alone weighed 5.5 grams.

 I removed exactly 2.5 grams from the inside of her head.

The 'hollowed arm' now weighs 2.2 grams.

The "Ballerina" torso now weighs 25.8 grams. Those 'dots' were intended for me to set some gemstones after casting.

Before any wax removal, this one leg is now weighing 6.4 grams.

You can see that even the slightest bending of the 3-tooth bur, there is a wax hole to the arm.

 The wax hole in this one arm MUST BE REPAIRED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

 Here are the two back halves of the torso, which are now joined by a touch with the warm wax pen. NOT WITH A HOT PEN TIP.

 With the utmost care, let the wax pen carefully join the two halves together.

 With a 'bent leg', there is limited opportunity to remove wax where required.

If there are holes in any hollowed area, fill them with a soft wax that only requires a 'warm heat'. NEVER APPLY THE WAX TO THE FRONT OF THE FACE.

 This might destroy the facial contours, as this might be very difficult to repair.

 I use a soft wax that will carefully fill in any defects from the '3-tooth' bur cuttings.

 In closing, this process is not for the beginner; it is only for the well-trained repair person or wax technician.