Lost wax casting technique

The lost wax casting technique is currently used for mass-production. It is also used by artisans to create solid jewellery with complex shapes, whose modelling requires a material more malleable than gold, i.e. wax. The modelled wax is fitted into an iron cylinder, which is then filled with liquid plaster, hence forming the mould. Once the plaster is solid, wax is removed by heating and the empty mould is filled with melted gold.
The lost wax casting technique is also used to produce metal sculptures and church bells.
This procedure is now electronically controlled, however the basic technique remains essentially the same one used by Mayas, Aztecs and the ancient Romans thousands of years ago.