Tools For a Lost Wax Shop
Working with wax is an inexpensive and fun way to make jewelry, but turning the wax into metal requires a lot of tools and and can be expensive. Making a shop personal comes as you work with, and choose, different tools and waxes. Here are some tools and supplies I like and use.

An oxygen/acetylene torch is ideal for casting. I prefer the cutting torch tip for casting.

You need a casting machine, this is a type of centrifugal machine I like, you could also use a vacuum also.

Vacuums are critical to get good detail on your casts, you use them when making molds. You can also use them for actual casting.

It is important to have some way to melt the wax when working on it. This wax melter is nice, on an upscale level

Wood burners can be use as great wax melting tools but they get so hot you need to plug it into something that can reduce the volts, like light dimmer.

Alcohol Lamps are nice but I also like to use a mapp gas plumbing torch turned way down low. This works best for sculpting waxes

This is a Wax File. They are a little more expensive than harbor freight files but worth it. They are only good on carving wax and wood

Bastard files. Good for taking off sprue remains and works for filing carving wax as well.

Needle files and riflers are great for the carving of wax and finish work. Inexpensive but usable needle files can be found at Harbor Freight.

Modeling tools are good for carving and sculpting waxes of all kinds. They can be sharpend, heated or polished as needed. You can buy commercial ones or make them out of welding rods, silverware and wire hangers.

A Mat wax cutter cuts the the inside of wax tube to make it the finger size needed.

Gravers are great for carving wax as well as engraving metal.

Flex shaft tool. Foredom are the best in my mind but Dremels and Grobets work well too.

Sheet wax. It comes in different gauges and works nicely for many applications.

Wax wires. Theses come in various shapes, like triangles, half rounds and so on. They come in different gauges and work nicely for many applications.

Mat Wax Tubes are sliced to make rings.

Sticky wax is great for combining waxes when you work. It is also wonderful when spruing.

Sprue wax comes in various gauges. It is used to suspend the model in the mold. Size is based on the model size.

Sprue bases come in a variety of types. I prefer the rubber sprue bases.

Steel flasks are used to make the mold in. The size is picked on the model size and casting method. Perforated flasks are for vacuum casting.

A scale that measures to .0 grams is sufficient I prefer .00 grams for metal measurements but a normal food scale is good enough to measure investment.

Investment, or crystobolite is needed to make the mold around the model. Plaster seems like the same stuff but breaks down at a much lower temperature and won't work. I like Satin Cast and R&R brands about the same.

A flexible mixing bowl is needed for the mixing of investment. An empty yogurt or sour cream container will work fine.

Flask tongs are used to pull the hot flasks out of the kiln for casting.

Borax the flux used to clean the molten metal when casting.

Ceramic Crucible used in a centrifugal casting machine.

Electric burnout kiln. Kiln must be able to reach 1350˚ F. Some type of ventilation will be needed also. Fans, vent hood, or do it outside.

A mold release is needed for taking out the wax model from a rubber mold. Talc is traditional but corn starch applied with a dry paint brush is really good.

Rubber for vulcanizing and the aluminum mold to contain the rubber.

a scalpel for cutting open rubber molds.

A vulcanizer for making rubber molds.

Wax injector for casting wax models in rubber molds. This is a hand plunger, I like ones that use compressed air.

A magnetic pin polisher is an expensive but wonderful tool. If you begin making a lot of rings it will polish inside of cracks and crevices of many rings at once.

A motor lathe is needed for polishing when you really start making things. A dremel can work if you are only making a few projects now and then. The Lathe can be any motor with a spindle. I have one made from an old belt sander and one from an old treadmill. Then you can buy the spindle ends to attach the buffs.

A muslin buffing wheel is used to hold the polishing compound so you can polish your jewelry.

Scotch Brite buffs come in various grit equivalents and work well buffing metals to different textures.

Polishing compound is needed for polishing. You can find what works best for you. I use Tripoli and red rouge myself.