Casting and Carving Wax

Reed

Active Member
A friend of mine just retired from 30+ years of making crowns and implants. He gave me a pretty good collection of various waxes he used to cast crowns, etc.There are several types:
  • casting wax (hard)
  • carving wax (hard)
  • inlay wax (hard)
  • wire wax (flexible, but firm)
  • plastic stick wax (soft, flexible, reminds me of the stuff on the back of plastic hooks to hang small things on the wall)
Does anyone have experience with any of these waxes? I'm wondering if any of them would be a worthy component in bullet lube.
 

Ian

Notorious member
The person to ask would be Gary (Onandaga) over on CBA. All I can tell you is all of those are likely microwaxes. Take some of the harder ones (just an ice-cube sized chunk) and add a half teaspoon of mineral oil to it. If it cools to a stretchy, rubbery state, then you have mostly microwax. If it's brittle and forms stress cracks when bent, and doesn't carve smooth, non-serrated curls with a knife tip, it has a lot of paraffin in it.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Looks like lots of carnauba and paraffin are involved. Might want to save the hard ones for use in small amounts.
 

M3845708Bama

Active Member
A friend of mine just retired from 30+ years of making crowns and implants. He gave me a pretty good collection of various waxes he used to cast crowns, etc.There are several types:
  • casting wax (hard)
  • carving wax (hard)
  • inlay wax (hard)
  • wire wax (flexible, but firm)
  • plastic stick wax (soft, flexible, reminds me of the stuff on the back of plastic hooks to hang small things on the wall)
Does anyone have experience with any of these waxes? I'm wondering if any of them would be a worthy component in bullet lube.


Have only used them in lapidary work (rock) cutting and grinding. When they say hard they really mean hard. Similar to some of plastics like hdpe.
 

oscarflytyer

Well-Known Member
I wish I could find it/info. Years ago (20+?) I saw info using dental sheet wax as gas checks. I got hold of some thin (maybe 2 mm) pink dental wax sheets as was going to try them. Life got in the way and never did. Always wanted to try it.