Andrewjbelcher Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 I'm new to this. I have tried chasing and repousse in the past, but only at a friends house. My question is, since repousse pitch is so blasted expensive (at least where I looked) are there alternatives? Thank you AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Wax would probably be the way to go. I took a workshop on raising and some minor chasing/repousse details and we used pie tins filled with wax as our student version pitch pots. I recall discussing the different types of wax with the instructors but I can't recall what the names were. The cost for something like pitch and wax might be a little high to start with, but don't overlook the service life of what you are buying. You probably won't need to buy more for a very long time unless you are really using it every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenylittlemetalguy Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Rio grande is at $45 this morning for the stuff I have. It is good and was worth it to me.i know that is a considerable amount but I agree whith chinobi that the service life makes it worthwhile. But try the wax, it's cheap. My guess is it will work but will be a bigger pain when it comes to heating and cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Some tars get really stiff when cool. Check with a roofing company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsterling Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 http://www.northwestpitchworks.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Somewhere back in the mists of time there was information on the web on how to make your own "pitch" using roofing tar, plaster of paris and some other additives to get the consistency right. I'll have to check the Best of the Hammer to see if they had a recipe there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Well, parrafin's cheap, but tends to be brittle. (as I found out the hard way on my first lost wax casting, whoops!) Doesn't get much cheaper than used crayons. Beeswax is very durable, but goes about 5 a lb, and gets kinda yellowish orange and very, very hard to clean off of metal when overheated. (probably why it makes such a popular finish, no?) Maybe you could mix parrafin with an oil, or say another wax? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Consider modeling clay! :rolleyes: Just a thought that came to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have always used lead. Use care and common sense obviously. Not sure if it would work with thin metals though, but it works well with 1/8" thick metals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I preferred lead as well. I found it much more user friendly. I have not done any repousse for years and back then was not aware that I should be in fear of lead poisoning and instant death if I touched a piece. I do have a pitch bowl and ring which I have never used. The awful experience I had with a pitch tray doing some repousse for a Davies brothers' gate restoration in the seventies scarred me for life. To be fair I think the pitch was out of condition and could have done with more tallow to make it less brittle, I think the tray it was in was also too shallow for the depth of relief we were trying to achieve. I was under training at the time so was not in a position to change things. I am surprised it is expensive nowadays though, I am sure I would only have bought mine on a whim. It came from a jewellers tool supplies place. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have always used lead. Use care and common sense obviously. Not sure if it would work with thin metals though, but it works well with 1/8" thick metals. It works well on 16SWG and also copper, annealing is vital, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have microcrystalline wax, much more malleable than paraffin wax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Iron Dwarf, do you have or know the brand name offhand? I cant for the life of me get google to give me something that resembles a purchasable product :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 sent you a pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Much obliged :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Iron Dwarf, do you have or know the brand name offhand? I cant for the life of me get google to give me something that resembles a purchasable product :'( Poth Hille in the UK I do not know whether they will ship overseas but I am sure there will be an equivalent company in the USA. They have a good web site. They do different melting point versions of microcrystalline I think, maybe Iron Dwarf will enlighten us as to the one he has had success with... If you do a search on here for the thread on Renaissance wax and bees wax I posted the recipe for the Renaissance wax which comprises Microcrystalline and polythene waxes and white spirit. Kill two birds with one stone! Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Many thanks Alan, I will look into that company and see if the shipping is worth the hassle, or if that can lead me to a domestic source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Having mentioned I have an unused pitch bowl and ring earlier I happened to spot it on the shelf under the silversmithing bench today. It must have been there for the best part of forty years! Still has the bag of Plaster of Paris with it, mice have probably had the tallow! Interesting how the steady weight of the bowl and ring have just displaced the pitch over the years. When I tried to lift the ring off, the pitch just shattered and yet the form it had taken makes it look so soft. The only price tag still on it can be seen on the leather ring at £4.55 the bowl still also had its lable but the price had faded. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Olsen Ramsey Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 You can use a thermoplastic like Jett Set, or hot glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
781 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 A while back on Facebook someone was using hot glue and a bowling ball. Haven't tried it not sure how well it cleans off. Different amounts of heat would change how it moves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Depending on local availability, you can get vastly different types of glues/and colors too the black ones here are much 'denser' and harder than the clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rasymus Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 For thin metals, foils, I have had excellent results using a rubber like material that is used to cover floor drains in the event of chemical spills. It is somewhat tacky, care must be taken to keep it clean so that the dirt particles do not transfer to your work. For heavier metals I would imagine that the rubber would break down over time. It would not be cost effective to purchase new, but if you could get some that has been used and discarded I would suggest you try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markus Davis Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I've heard of people using hamon clay for repousse work. It can be made pretty cheaply, if I remember correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshuaMS Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 I've made some of my own pine pitch, using pine rosin (hardened sap gathered from a pine tree and melted to strain out impurities), beeswax and clay dust from a potter's supply (I've heard most any fine powder will do, including coal/charcoal dust, or ground horse dung). The pitch I made was a very hard cutlers resin, and not for repousse purposes, but I believe by lowering the dust and raising the wax ratios the pitch would be softer. I hope to make a batch for repousse soon as I really enjoyed the process when I was in school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Plaster of Paris and tallow is what I was told to mix in with the pitch. I am sure that the metal won't mind what you use! Apart from the balance between flexiblility and support the only other consideration is the release from the metal surface when resetting. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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