Jewelry Casting Tools

• Metal casting is as easily used for making personalized lures. PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

  Jewelry casting allows jewelers and crafters to create custom-designed pieces of metal such as pendants, chains, charms and bands. Often, the metal is cast with inserts for stones such as diamonds. Mold making is a procedure that many jewelry casters choose to skip because of the availability of premade molds on the market. Artists who wish to create something truly personal should make their own molds.

Crucibles

• Crucibles and melting dishes are necessary for handling the liquid metal. Dishes are usually made of an iron or ceramic material that can be heated to a very high temperature over a flame or in an oven. The liquid metal is poured from the dish into the mold. Crucibles come with attached handles for convenient maneuvering in the flame. Dishes are made without handles, but detachable handles that grip the sides of the dish are available.

Molds

• Molds are hollow containers which the liquid metal is poured into and allowed to cool. The mold dictates the shape of the pendant, charm or bead that you are casting. Reusable molds are available for purchase through craft stores, pottery stores and online shops. You can make your own molds through a fairly lengthy process. Many jewelry casters find that making their own molds gives them a creative edge; it gives them the freedom to make whatever they imagine.

Mold Making

• First the shape is carved, then plaster is placed over the design to create an inverted image that will be your mold. Wax is a common substance that's used in this preliminary carving. AU Enterprises, a precious-metal casting company, cautions against using wax with any type of paint on its surface, even if there are only traces of it. Silver or aluminum in the paint causes the cast to be unclean. If wax is used, remove all the wax from the plaster mold that is formed. This can be done in the heat of an oven. According to Jewelry Making Ideas," beeswax was used throughout history; today, jewelry makers have new and improved types of wax. Shrinking wax is a popular material that will shrink and become easily removable from the plaster. Heat-resistant plaster, called investment powder, according to Jewelry Mold Making.net, is layered over the wax sculpture and dried. The plaster used must withstand very high temperatures, since molten metal will be poured into and cooled in the mold.

Scissors

• High-quality scissors made of stainless steel are used to cut through mold material such as plaster. Metal Casting Zone recommends using a pair between 5 and 9 centimeters. Spring-action scissors absorb pressure and are easily used by anyone who finds operating scissors painful or difficult. These are the same type of scissors used to remove medical casts; the blades are slanted so that they can be slid into the cast easier than average scissors. This is useful for one time use molds or in a situation where you can't get your metal cast out of a particular mold.