Lost Wax/Cire Perdue Glass from the Glass Encyclopedia
above: detail from a
"lost wax" vase
Lost Wax (or Cire Perdue) Glass: A short explanation:
The "Lost Wax" technique of forming glass was used by the Romans over two thousand years ago, and is still used today by some master glassmakers. It is a method of making glass pieces with more intricate or elaborate shape than is normally possible with glass. The French name is "Cire Perdue", and the technique has been used for casting bronze statues over many centuries.
When used in glassmaking, an original model for the glass item is first carved from wax (much easier to form complex detail as shown the picture on the left, which is part of a vase by Rene Lalique). When complete the wax form is fitted into a frame and encased in a moulding compound such as wet clay or plaster. Rene Lalique used a mixture of plaster of paris, quartz, and water. When this casing has hardened, it is warmed so that the wax melts and can be poured out. A plaster mould has then been formed and this is either filled with molten glass (to produce a figurine or statue) or a gather of molten glass is blown into the plaster mould to form a vase.
In most cases the plaster mould has to be destroyed in order to release the "lost wax" item. Sometimes the artist succeeds in producing a design in wax which can be used to form a mould which will release its contents without needing to be destroyed. It is believed that Rene Lalique made some semi-permanent moulds from cire perdue models.
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