Learn Jewellery Casting in Australia
Learn Jewellery Casting in AustraliaHere are some places you can learn jewellery casting in Australia. This is by no means a complete list, This is a work in progress that is updated weekly.
I have shown bias towards gem clubs in compiling this list of where to learn jewellery casting, but there are many individuals who offer training and intro at very low prices to be found by search.
Learn Jewellery Casting at The Gold Coast Lapidary Club
The Gold Coast Lapidary Club is very fortunate to have its own investing and casting area to Learn Jewellery Casting from scratch. The casting area involves technical skills using vacuum casting equipment as well as an induction heat electric furnace.
We have a vulcaniser which allows you to make your own personalised vulcanised molds which we then inject wax into from our wax injector. From there our members make a cast investment solution that gets poured into flasks and once set – roughly 24 hours, they are then placed into a kiln and a 6 and a half hour burnout process then begins.
Once the wax has been melted out a blank of the original mold is now formed inside the flask. The metal is then melted in our heat furnace and the burnout flask is then placed into our vacuum casting machine for the molten metal to be poured in. Its then submerged into a tub of water and the complete piece is then ready to be finished and polished, which is usually in the silversmithing area.
Learn Jewellery Casting with North Brisbane Lapidary Club
The first lost wax casting was introduced into NBLC by Ross Chapman about 20 years ago. Initially Ross used a car tyre pump in a home built apparatus to “suck” the molten metal into a mold. As members became more interested, the club invested in better equipment. A computer controlled kiln and centrifuge were purchased, with Ross building a shroud around the centrifuge using a stainless steel drum from a washing machine drier.
Ed Hindmarsh built 2 vibrating tables and donated to the club to assist with removing air bubbles from the investment.
Tom Power then built and donated a vacuum table so that the air was removed from the investment, giving better quality results.
Over the years we have continued to improve the process where we now have over 90% success with castings; a very good result considering how many touchpoints there are where members have been involved in the process.
From weighing the waxes, to spruing correctly, to vibrating the investment to providing the correct weight of metal, to ensuring the torch flame is a neutral flame, to ensuring the metal is completely molten; all of these areas can and do cause problems with the outcome.
Some clubs as part of their casting process sprue all of the required models into one flask. This is all controlled by one experienced member. NBLC has retained investing individual flasks; exactly as Ross started us off.
This means individual members have more control and more involvement in the casting process, but it also means that the requirement for volunteers to assist in the process is more intensive. It is a credit to all of our members who learn jewellery casting in our casting workshops, so that other members enjoy an interesting sideline to the hobby of lapidary.
In the last 10 years, we have also conducted cuttlebone and broomstick casting with members leading these new endeavours.
Learn Jewellery Casting with Lismore Gem & Lapidary Club
Currently our lapidary club offers
Faceting of Gemstones
Cabochoning of Gemstones
Metal Smithing in Silver
Wax Casting and silver Investing
Field Trips to visit exciting gem sites.
and much much more……
Learn Jewellery Casting with the Bundaberg Gem and Mineral Society
If you are fortunate enough to live in the region, the Bundaberg Gem and Mineral Society.
Nestled in the heart of Bundaberg, Australia can teach you jewellery casting and much more.
💎 Jewellery Casting in Australia: FAQs
1. Question: Where can I learn lost wax jewellery casting in Queensland, Australia? Answer: Several lapidary clubs across Queensland offer lost wax casting workshops. The Gold Coast Lapidary Club and the North Brisbane Lapidary Club are two excellent locations where members can learn the full process, from wax injection to vacuum or centrifugal casting. For those further north, the Bundaberg Gem and Mineral Society also provides instruction.
2. Question: What is the lost wax casting process for beginners? Answer: Lost wax casting, also known as investment casting, involves creating a wax model, encasing it in a plaster-like investment solution, burning out the wax in a kiln (the “lost wax” step), and then pouring molten metal into the resulting cavity to create the final piece of jewellery.
3. Question: Do you need a kiln to do lost wax casting at home? Answer: Yes, a kiln is typically required for the “burnout process” in traditional lost wax casting. This step requires sustained high temperatures (e.g., a 6.5-hour process as used at the Gold Coast Lapidary Club) to completely melt and vaporise the wax out of the investment flask before the metal is poured.
4. Question: Which Australian clubs teach cuttlebone casting for jewellery? Answer: Cuttlebone casting is a simpler, ancient method taught at some Australian clubs. The North Brisbane Lapidary Club specifically mentions conducting cuttlebone casting workshops, offering a unique sideline to their main lost wax casting activities.
5. Question: How long does the investment solution need to set before a jewellery casting burnout? Answer: After the wax-filled flask is poured with investment solution, it needs a setting period before burnout. For example, members at the Gold Coast Lapidary Club typically allow the investment a setting time of roughly 24 hours.
6. Question: What is the difference between vacuum casting and centrifugal casting in Australian jewellery clubs? Answer: Both are methods to ensure molten metal fills the mold completely. Vacuum casting (used at Gold Coast Lapidary Club) uses a vacuum to suck the metal into the mold. Centrifugal casting (used at North Brisbane Lapidary Club) uses rotational force to sling the molten metal into the mold.
7. Question: Can I make a rubber mould of a jewellery design using a vulcaniser? Answer: Yes, a vulcaniser is used to create reusable, detailed rubber moulds for jewellery production. The Gold Coast Lapidary Club has a vulcaniser that allows members to make their own personalised vulcanised moulds, which are then used with a wax injector.
8. Question: What are the common problems when learning silver lost wax casting? Answer: Common issues in the casting process that can cause problems include incorrect spruing, improperly vibrating the investment (leading to air bubbles), using the wrong weight of metal, or failing to maintain a neutral torch flame when melting the metal.
9. Question: Where can I learn silversmithing and metal smithing alongside jewellery casting in NSW? Answer: The Lismore Gem & Lapidary Club in New South Wales currently offers Metal Smithing in Silver as well as Wax Casting and silver Investing, providing a comprehensive set of skills for completing and polishing cast jewellery.
10. Question: What kind of equipment is used for jewellery casting in a lapidary club workshop? Answer: Club casting areas typically feature technical equipment like an induction heat electric furnace, a vacuum casting machine (or a centrifuge), a vulcaniser, a wax injector, and a computer-controlled kiln for the burnout process.
What is lost wax casting ?