[Jewelry making - Article 00767] - Re: [Orchid] Lost lead casting

[Ron Charlotte]

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>      I have been studying about early Medieval metalworking and
>     jewelry, particularly Insular jewelry. One thing that keeps popping
>     up is the speculation that lead models may have been used like wax
>     models to make castings. The idea being that lead would carve more
>     sharply than the types of wax available at the time. I believe this
>     is very plausible if the models are pressed into a clay matrix and
>     then physically removed, but the idea of burning out lead just
>     doesn't seem like a very good idea. Forget the obvious health risk,
>     these same metalsmiths routinely used Mercury amalgam for gilding.
>     A clean melt-out/burn-out just does not seem very likely. Whenever
>     I have melted lead there is always a nasty bit of slag floating on
>     the top. I imagine this residue remaining in the mold and
>     contaminating the cast. If lead could be used this way it would
>     seem like it would work better on a larger scale. 

    I've studied a bit on Medieval metalwork myself.  I agree that most
    likely lead alloy models were used to as masters for a clay or sand
    mold.  Many of the surviving metal work from recent digs like the
    London and York digs (which has more examples of middle and lower
    class objects) reveal examples of pieces (especially brooches and
    buckles made off of a common form with minor modifications done in
    the casting process). 

Ron Charlotte -- Gainesville, FL
ronch2 AT bellsouth.net OR afn03234 AT afn.org

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