Lost wax casting is an ancient technique that was first developed by the Chinese 3000 BC. Very little about the fundamental process has changed. The basic idea of the process is to make a wax positive of the shape that is to be cast. The wax is then moulded with a refractory (heat resistant) material. The mould is then heated to melt away the wax. Molten metal is then poured into the cavity that the “lost wax” has created.

Coates & Wood use both investment moulds and ceramic shell moulds, depending on the nature of the sculpture to be cast. Both processes give an extremely good result with surface texture and quality of casting. Coates and Wood will individually asses each artwork and use the best method to cast it based on quality and faithfulness to the original. Details as fine as the artists fingerprints are reproduced with great accuracy.