Wax Molding Tools and Procedures of Jewelry Making

I. Plastic mold makingProcess of plastic mold making is regarded concisely as plastic cutting. Rubber die is widely used in the commercial massive production due to its property of free cutting and elastic – any kind of complicated mold which can be used up to 10 years once it is finished. It is not that difficult to cut a simple mold, but one with complex structure needs more research, patience and practice. Tools for making a plastic mold needs: 1. Frame mold: it is frequently made with aluminum of various sizes, other metal materials such as steel are allowed as well2. Raw rubber: glue used at the beginning is the raw rubber without being ripened, at the time the rubber used is of great plasticity which can be cut and combined arbitrarily. Through the ripened process shapes of the mold is fixed, which is of great elasticity and toughness. Expect natural rubber, silicon rubber is taken as materials in recent years as well.3. The scalpel: it is the main tool for cutting a plastic mold. Shapes of knifes can be chosen according to needs. Careful attention should be paid to the operating process due to the sharp blade.4. Mold repair pen, it is actually a special electric iron which is used to modify defects on the plastic mould.5. Nozzle pocket, outlet of each mold would be not that thick, in order to make convenience for wax injection, a special device would be used to cover the edge to form the shape of bell mouth.6. Hot press, it is the curing equipment of a plastic mold. With adjustable temperature, there are electric heating wires at both the upper and lower platen area, the upper press plate is connected to screw rod to adjust pressure and distance between the two plates. The temperature is regularly at 140  ~150 .II. Wax mold makingWax molds are made on the basis of plastic ones, the process if called wax injection. Wax which is used to produce the mold is made with waxes of different compositions to get the required synthetic wax of different melting point, hardness, toughness and strength. General demand for all kinds of wax is curtained strength, which can be burned completely to leave no residue. Wax making can be divided into three processes:1. Wax of injection. Wax of the kind of good quality should be of proper elasticity, rapid solidification, good fluidity, low melting point and easy removing property from the plastic mold. There are green, red and several other colors in the market used to distinguish the different property. Green wax gains wide application in the industry. Melting phenomenon of good wax would be occurred at 63 ~74 , the lower the temperature, the smaller the contraction of the wax; once the wax is of high temperature, it would flow into the carves in the plastic mold, which would contain bubbles when cooled off due to the inhaled air.2. Injecting wax. The wax which is melted by wax injection machine will be injected into plastic mold and placed to be cooled off in 2~3 minutes. Get the wax mold carefully after the procedures. Adjustment of the temperature is settled according to property of the wax while air pressure is adjusted according to the thickness of the mold. When injecting, using two piece of aluminum or steel or organic plate clamp the rubber mould, the process would be finished by controlling the switch appropriately. When the index light goes out, the wax mold is settled down.3. Take the wax pattern. It is important to get the right point to take out the mould, if it is too early, the wax is not solidified yet, if too later, it would be too hardened and brittle to be easily removed. Put the having been injected and cooled pattern on the bench, and then with one hand supporting the lower die, another bended slowly to open the upper one, the wax pattern would be taken out easily. Small defects on the surface of the wax model can be repaired slightly by supplementing or scratching methods.