THE PROCESS
Lost wax casting is one of the oldest metalworking techniques on earth. At TVB3 Dezigns, we follow the same ritual — from wax to finished cast — with no shortcuts and no reproductions.
Ancient Method. Radical Intent.
The lost wax process — cire perdue — dates back over 5,000 years. Every civilization that worked metal eventually discovered it. We didn't invent it. We inherited it.
What we bring is obsession. Each piece begins as a wax sculpture and ends as a permanent cast object. Between those two states is fire, chemistry, and irreversible transformation.
The form is born
WAX SCULPTING
Everything begins in wax. We carve, build, and refine the original form by hand — no digital modeling, no CNC. The wax is the only version of the piece that will ever be touched directly. It is destroyed in the process. That destruction is the point.
Microcrystalline wax, carving tools, heat. Hours or weeks depending on the piece.
The mold is built
INVESTING
The wax form is coated in a ceramic investment — a slurry of silica and binder that hardens into a shell. This shell becomes the negative space that the metal will fill. The investment must be perfect. Any flaw in the shell becomes a flaw in the cast.
Ceramic investment slurry, multiple coats, 24–72 hours drying time.
The wax is lost
BURNOUT
The invested shell goes into the kiln. At temperature, the wax melts and burns away — leaving only the ceramic mold. This is the moment the piece becomes irreversible. The original wax form is gone. What remains is the void it left behind.
Kiln temperature: 1,350°F. Duration: 4–8 hours. The wax is gone forever.
Metal meets void
THE POUR
Metal is melted in a crucible and poured into the hot ceramic shell. The pour happens fast — seconds, not minutes. The metal fills every cavity the wax once occupied. When it cools, the ceramic is broken away. What remains is the cast.
Bronze at 1,900°F. Brass at 1,700°F. Iron at 2,800°F. One chance.
The piece is revealed
FINISHING
The raw cast is cleaned, the sprue is cut, and the surface is worked — or not. Some pieces are left raw, with the texture of the investment still visible. Others are ground, patinated, or treated. Every finishing decision is intentional. Nothing is done to hide the process.
Angle grinder, files, wire brush, patina chemicals. Each piece finished by hand.
No two pours are identical. No two pieces are identical. That is not a flaw — it is the point.
— TVB3 Dezigns Foundry Philosophy
Ready to Begin
COMMISSION YOUR PIECE
You've seen the process. Now put it to work for you. Commission a singular cast object — your concept, our fire.
Start a Commission