Wax pens?

The Dremel versa-tip has a max temperature of 1050F which is far too hot for wax. If you can't adjust the temperature you're just going to be exposing yourself to nasty fumes. Same with soldering irons. Along with that wax has a flash point and shouldn't be exposed to temps over about 260F anyway. :dead

I'll start by saying I've been working with wax for about 8 months now, I'm still learning how to make the best of it, it's been a steep learning curve for me, but I like it! I don't like sculpting with soft materials like clay, so wax suits me much better. :XD


I use a dentist waxer unit (there many different ones available from many different online places, mine was about £40) which has temperature control and two pens, I usually keep one pen at about 200F for quick messy work and the other at slightly above the melting point of the wax to smooth/burnish it and make small adjustments. I also keep a hot wax pot on hand, again with temp control.


The Giles waxer is a precision pen, and some of the tips are designed like fountain pens, this enables you to draw a smooth raised even line over the surface of your wax- really for jewellery and intricate things like filigree design. So you if you think that you'll get use out of those then it would definitely be a good purchase.
There are also small battery operated pens like the Max Wax, that are comparatively very inexpensive and purpose built, they also have interchangeable tips, both basic and precision, I don't think they have temperature control, but don't quote me on that.

There are also electronic heaters available for wax carving tools (dentist picks) and you just place the tip in the machine and it senses the tool and heats it up, as a safer alternative to using an alcohol lamp for heating your tools.

Mostly I use spoon shaped tips with my waxer for adding bulk wax or smoothing. I use pointy tips for facial detail occasionally, but usually I just carve detail with regular sculpting tools. I don't really have a lot of use for tips that have a fountain pen design.




I would say that if you're unsure about working with wax a lot, then start with a wax pen like the Max Wax, you can see how all the various tips available work for you without spending a lot on a larger unit.

If you are sure that you want to work in wax then check out dentist waxers as well as jewellers waxers and see if there is one you like. The Giles waxer is a quality machine with precision tips, but only has one pen, personally I like to have two. The "Arbe" waxer looks similar to the Giles and seems be lower in price. You could always get a single pen unit and a battery wax pen.
There are others available with similar tips that have two pens that can be kept at different temperatures, but you might have to pay more if you want to use fountain pen style tips.


I also think a wax pot is a really useful tool, I have a small dentist one, but there are many available for jewellers and sculptors and beauticians. If used at low temp you can soften wax up enough to sculpt a basic form with your hands, and at a higher temp to have melted wax readily available to add onto your piece. Also as somewhere you can dump your scrapings into, so that they don't go to waste.

 

An alternative is an alcohol lamp with metal wax tools. The fuel is isopropanol alcohol. It burns very cleanly. It also burns almost invisibly. An alcohol lamp is an old tool used by jewelers. The fuel is expendable, but may be purchased in your local hardware store.

 

That's the type I have Isara, cheap and cheerful. :XD (That shipping seems steep, I bought from this seller, it was here in the UK 3 days after payment too, but that was in July, there might be better deals now elsewhere).

Heads up though:
I recently had to pull the pens apart and rewire them because the wire is free to twist inside the pen case; overtime that breaks the connections. If you do decide to get this model then you can prevent that from happening by either electrical taping the back end of the pen to the wire (where the spring is) or dropping some glue in there to secure the wire to the pen case to stop it twisting inside.
Other than that I have no complaints, it's been perfect for what I wanted- to learn.
)

 

I make my own metal wax tools from steel banding material. <--Click here to see weblog post.
I can make just about any shape I want to make with a grinder, file, and sander. <--Click here to see weblog post.
This is one way I use my tools and alcohol lamp to work carving wax. <--Click here to see weblog post.

I really like these studio-made metal wax tools for working on carving wax because they heat up quickly and cool down quickly.

I do not know of any way to tell others how to work with carving wax.
You will just have to practice working with it, and discover what works for you.

Martha Armstrong-Hand says:

She also mentions numbers 4 and 6 die sinker's rifflers (a type of file); and numbers 80, 100, 120, 240 and 280 sandpaper, cut into 2x3 inch rectangles. For the finest surface finish she uses number 600. Use whatever feels right to you.

 

I don't use an alcohol lamp so I can't offer any experience there, but I still put all my favourite metal tools to good use when I'm not working with heat, I don't know what I would do without them. When I sand I go up to P1200 grit which is about 650 grit and then from there I polish with fabrics working up to polishing cloth.
You can also use alcohol on a fine cloth to smooth parts, I use it in hard to sand nooks sometimes, I'd recommend isopropanol. It just evaporates away after doing it's thing.

Re; wax pots
I used to sculpt a basic form in polymer clay, make a mould and then cast in wax, and I still do that for detail, but for making a quick hollow form to sculpt over and carve into, like a head, these days I just model it quickly in softened wax. Word of warning though; even at soft temperatures it can stick and burn your hands, you should take precautions to protect yourself, and avoid touching wax that is too warm to hold a shape. I sometimes dust my hands/fingers with talc before working with it to stop it sticking, it will cool quite quickly and is still reasonably pliable for a little while. I'd suggest starting out pouring basic forms the traditional way and getting used to how the wax behaves at different temperatures before attempting hand sculpting hot wax, it definitely has some risks.
170F should be hot enough to liquefy wax (subject to recipe of course), but I can't say for sure? Pot's that can be picked up and used for pouring though look awesome, mine is rigid like your first link and though it's an essential tool for how I like to work, it would be so much better if it had removable chambers. Beauticians get all the coolest equipment, but I worry that if it's intended to heat wax for use on skin, it might not get hot enough for pouring carving wax for safety reasons. :confused: but I just don't know.
Mothi has a blog - Just This and That and she has an ingenious alternative to a wax pot in that post.


In all, it looks like you're researching it thoroughly, and not diving head first into what can be a dangerous material to work with, so I commend you for that. )

 

Thank you for your kind words, Isara.

My weblog has gotten so big, I'm not sure that I could sit down and read it all, but I would recommend using the Labels feature in the right-hand column to search for posts that are relevant to what you are interested in. They are now organized alphabetically, and are easier to use than they were before. I am not a professional Blogger, so I have not spent much time on the weblog's interface. I like using it as a daily journal because it is so easy to jot down my notes and upload images.

As irandom has mentioned, Mothi also has an excellent weblog about using carving wax, and other fascinating things as well.

Have Fun !!!