While visiting Kathmandu, our group was shown a variety of traditional handicrafts, including making brass art using the lost wax technique.
(Our guide explaining the lost wax technique, and showing us some models)
An artist creates a design out of bee’s wax. The size and complexity of the wax model can vary greatly…
(Carving the wax model)
A caster then casts this model. Sometimes master casts are created which are used to make more than one model, but in our demonstration each wax carving and casting were unique. The casting was made of a mixture of dung and mud and other stuff that I can’t remember, which is allowed to harden.
Metal is heated in a primitive kiln and when molten is poured into the mold. The hot metal melts the wax and fills the mold, assuming the shape of the original carving.
Once the molten metal has cooled, the mold is broken to release the rough casting.
(breaking the mold and freeing the poured brass)
The rough parts are cut off and recycled, while the casted piece is cleaned up to remove signs of the casting process.
