Practical Wax Modeling

The essential follow-up to Basic Wax Modeling, Practical Wax Modeling: Advanced Techniques for Wax Modelers takes jewelry makers deeper into the professional techniques of lost wax design and casting.

Through 385 clear step-by-step photographs and diagrams, this 160-page hardcover book demonstrates advanced wax modeling methods for creating rings, brooches, pendants, and more. Organized for practical bench use, it offers guidance on both hard and soft waxes, texturing, gemstone setting in wax, and the Japanese Mitsuro hikime process—a rare technique for achieving beautifully striated surfaces. Readers also learn professional approaches to mold making, casting, and post-cast finishing.

Some key features include:

Detailed projects demonstrating advanced carving and construction in hard and soft wax.

Instructions for making and using Mitsuro, a traditional Japanese modeling wax.

Professional texture and surface techniques for unique design finishes.

Clear methodology for preparing, casting, and finishing jewelry forms.

As noted by metalsmith and educator Charles Lewton-Brain, the text is “clear and well organized, with large, excellent photographs illustrating each stage.” The book is structured as an applied progression from Basic Wax Modeling, but it also stands alone as a comprehensive reference for advanced wax modelers.

Rich with visual instruction and professional insight, Practical Wax Modeling is invaluable for jewelers, sculptors, teachers, and students of metal arts who seek precision and creative control in their casting process.

Beautifully printed in hardcover (160 pages, 24 × 17 cm), this book remains one of the most respected technical manuals in the jewelry field, bridging the gap between craft practice and fine art metalwork.