Customer Reviews

Modeling in Wax for Jewelry and Sculpture (Jewelry Crafts)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I got this book after making jewelry for 3 years and lost wax casting for 6 months. Boy, did I learn a lot! The projects are truly outstanding. They show a wide variety of techniques and styles. Try each one even if it's not a style you're really big on - I did and found neat ways to do things I wanted to do that I hadn't managed before. I require this as a text for all my apprentices who do casting.

I wish I had this book when I first started to sculpt figures in wax. I would have saved myself a lot of time and agrivation. I would have also saved myself quite a bit of money by using good tequniques, and in that respect alone this book would pay for itself. If you are just getting into wax sculpture, this book would lay a very strong foundation from which to build your skills.

Informative book with many photographic examples of the instructions.
I enjoyed putting some of the methods into practice. Was well laid out with a broad choosing of projects.
A good intro to medium level instruction book.

This book has paid for itself already, even though I haven't yet read every page! I did learn how to design and carve jewellery in wax, but our syllabus only allowed (literally) enough time to barely scratch the surface of what is possible. Having set myself the task of carving a complex freeform mermaid, I had been struggling with her wild, fine, seaweedy hair. Thanks to Lawrence Kallenberg's book, several new items have joined my arsenal of wax carving tools - and they didn't cost a cent because I already had them. I just hadn't thought of using them on wax. And my head is spinning with new ideas for larger pieces using the sculpture techniques he suggests and describes so well.
This is a book that is meant to be read, and read thoroughly, rather than as a ready bench reference, and at times, it is slightly heavy going, but with that said, it's a well worth while addition to my library.

This is indeed and excellent book for anyone who is interested in wax carving, especially for those who are commencing work or hobby in lost wax casting.

It is informative and describes the various process in good detail, also providing projects in each chapter to assist the student to familiarize themselves in the carving technic.

This book is really helpful in the regard that it guides you to what tools/materials you need to get going with wax carving. Also, it is good in describing techniques to use for different carving projects. It gives you a general idea about how to go and complete wax-modelling projects and describes working with different qualities of wax and their characteristics. Only minor thing is that it does not EXACTLY describe projects step-by-step, which leaves a gap there for the absolute beginner, I think. A good initial step was the book 'Basic wax modelling' by Hiroshi Tsuyuki, which gives the beginner the essentials to be able to go further in a project.
As a conclusion, I definitely would recommend this book, I think it is very useful for everyone that wants to get into wax-modelling!

I've bought several other books on wax carving before, but none near as useful as this one. This is the book where you start, if you are beginning wax carving and already understand a bit about jewelry making. I'm a metalsmith (see [...]) who has been hand-fabricating for a while, and this book is just right for me. It's got a good progression of complexity, sufficient illustrations, and lots of great information. If you've never made jewelry, this book may not be for you unless you are particularly handy.

I was a little unsure but, I took a chance. GREAT CHOICE! This book is just what I needed. I'm picking up pointers on almost, no make that on every page. I am so happy with my purchase.

i liked this book. it seems to be pretty complete and i learned enough from it to get started in jewelry making. imo it could have gone into more depth for centrifugal and vacuum casting.

A bit disapointed by this book. I guess so many books now have great photos and are put together so well that an old fashioned style manual like this just doesn't inspire. I'm sure it's full of really useful stuff, but the format is so off putting that I can't be bothered to read it. A really good, modern book on wax carving with lots of interesting projects is long overdue..