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In “Making Life Simple: 8 Reasons to Send Your Casting Out,” page 28, Sharon Elaine Thompson offers sound advice on how to decide when it's best to cast your own work and when to seek professional help.
Casting metal into stone has been a part of metalsmithing since ancient man first began smelting ore. Carving negative relief designs into soft stone was the first method of mass production. Early casters used their skills to make tools, weapons, religious relics, and body ornaments. These stone-cast artifacts survived the ravages of time when included in burial sites, and are a testament of their value to these cultures. The process has become more refined throughout the years, but casting in tufa stone still remains a viable low-tech method, adaptable to a variety of studio applications. Buy an instant reprint! Details To read your downloaded projects, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available at no charge at adobe.com (click to download). |
Block of tufa
Hand saw or bandsaw
Canned air
Goggles
Sodium silicate solution Binding wire
Fume respirator
Casting crucible
Soft charcoal or graphite pencil, 4B
Casting flux, borax or boric acid
Tracing paper or thin drawing paper
Pan of pumice or sand
Coarse rasp fileCasting grain
Kitchen pairing knife
Carbon rod
Wax modeling tools
Various metal burs
Clay modeling tools
Polishing compounds
Round toothpicks
Fine sable brush
Polishing buffs
Cratex and other finishing points and wheelsFor information on supplies, please see the Annual Buyers' Directory. Always ask for the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for any materials you buy, which will give you reactivity, health hazard, and safe handling data. For information on supplies, please see the Annual Buyers' Directory.
Katherine Palochak learned her silversmithing skills from Native Americans in New Mexico. She combines these techniques with contemporary techniques and designs. Her work is mostly commissioned pieces and private sales, and she teaches workshops and classes in metalsmithing through community colleges and metalsmithing organizations. You can reach her via e-mail at kpalchk@trib.com
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Tufa Casting
