Modeling in Wax for Jewelry and Sculpture

Be careful which edition you buy! I wanted the 2nd edition. The image for the item I purchased showed the 2nd edition, which is not what I received. I should have checked the publication date. It stated 1981, which is not what I wanted.

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.

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.

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.

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.