lost-wax process

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Related to lost-wax process: Cire perdue, Lost wax casting

lost-wax process

[′lȯst¦waks ‚prä·səs]

(metallurgy)

A method used in investment casting in which a wax pattern between a two-layered mold is removed by melting and replaced with molten metal; used for casting bronze statues and in jewelry casting. Also known as investment process.

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References in periodicals archive ?

In the ancient lost-wax process, a wax version of the sculpture is created and then surrounded by plaster which hardens to form a mould.

School so proud of teacher's stunning seahorse sculpture

It is traditional in the process by which a clay model is transformed by the lost-wax process into a bronze bust (see the illustrations overleaf).

London news: this month the Queen will unveil a bust of herself at Windsor Castle to mark her 80th birthday. How does a royal portrait commission unfold in the 21st century? Samson Spanier asked the sculptor, Angela Conner

Rodin's favored method was the lost-wax process. Bronze studies for his epic monuments "Balzac, The Burghers of Calais" (1889) and "The Gates of Hell" include models showing the stages of the process for casting bronze.