Output details

Complex and Experimental Sculptural Casting Systems

Lost wax casting: a method of casting metal, in which a mould is formed around a wax pattern, which is subsequently melted and drained away. The resulting void is filled with molten metal creating a cast Sprue: a channel through which metal or plastic is poured into a mould. Advances in technology in lost wax casting (especially vacuum casting) and rapid prototyping ([in jewellery] advances in ultra high definition wax rapid prototyping) means that objects can now be created that have never been possible to make. Through their delicacy, quality of finish and complexity this research portfolio looks to explore possibilities in vacuum casting by the creation of ever more complex ways of spruing wax and indeed exploring the breath of materials that can be cast. Most jewellery will be sprued by one to multiple sprues (depending on size of work) the work created herein looks to create ever more finely detail objects by raising the complexity of the spruing systems involved in their casting. Several jewellers have used multiple sprues and computer aided design to create fine detail objects, notably the jewellery of David Goodwin MA(RCA) and more recently the precious metal stationary of Jack Row. The technical innovations in this portfolio separates itself from these works or any others by several key innovations: by its sheer scale of miniature spruing systems (1-3 thousand sprue castings), the lack of symmetry and skill of placing each sprue separately on to the work, the invention of the unsupported/integrated spiral sprue (in one case over 4 meters long) and the breadth of materials used to create these highly detailed spruing systems. Inspiration for the narratives for these works stems from research and design ideas in REF Output No.2 ‘Exploring the relationships of language, text, body and object through the production of artifacts.’