Here we are again. KautzCraft Org has been turned back on. Actually, KautzCraft Studio, or more accurately myself, Dan Kautz, has been turned back on. I have traversed through a number of creative art and craft disciplines in the last several decades. KautzCraft.org was the Store URL (web address). I no longer operate a retail business. (Fully retired.) I re-directed this URL to KautzCraft Studio once I closed the store.
But I haven’t stopped my craft work I love to do.
My longest-lived craft skills include woodworking, involving furniture and built in cabinets and shelving, to ornate machine carved bread and jewelry boxes. It was my maternal grandfather that ignited that woodworking spark before I was a teenager
Since then, I have always been a hands-on creative and detailed craftsperson with hobbies of radio controlled model airplanes and highly detailed model trains. Not just their operation, but the actual kit and scratch building of the models from raw materials. It’s why Ready-to-fly drones never became a real passion.
Later in life I dedicated a lot of my efforts in machine shop metal working with milling machines and metal lathes. Evolving into CNC computer control. I have a fairly complete machine shop at home.
My adult daughter led me (and herself) into lost wax silver casting and jewelry making. That’s when the concept of KautzCraft Studio was really born.
Of course, I then took a deep dive into the world of wax carving and silver casting, outfitting with all the tools of the trade.
Most recently I have been heavily involved with 3D printing, originally intending to combine it into the model creation for silver casting. But the 3D creative “plastic” printing bug big bit hard and captured most of my creative efforts for the last half decade or so. I call it high quality plastic Junque making.
Mixed in at this same time was interest with LASER engraving and cutting.
I have created other web blogs for all these activities, so will not go into more detail here. Links are provided elsewhere in this website.
A Rewind
I have decided it’s time to move back to real hand-craft work. I am going back to the intensely satisfying work of lost wax casting.
Not abandoning 3D plastic printing. Just eliminating the plethora of meaningless Junque I have been designing cranking out to the exclusion of all other craft work.
The process of casting metal is a real art craft, with tangible, real solid metal items I feel have far more intrinsic value than colored plastic.
I also love the personal hand-work involvement with carving the wax master and the casting process. More enjoyment than turning on the 3D printer and let it do all the work.
Real wax has always worked the best results for me in burn-outs before casting. But I never close my mind to the alternatives. The fun for me is the work in creation of the art. Not possessing the final result.
I just know that wax has always produced the expected results. But I will continue to explore alternative materials for the master model.
The same goes for the metal used for casting. I won’t limit my use of metals to nothing other than silver. The cost of gold, however, is a bit daunting limiting factor.
I have cast with pewter and brass. I would like to try bronze as well. So there will be room for different kinds of metal products.
Lost wax means the original model is totally destroyed in the process. But I already have the tools and skills to produce wax duplicates if there is a need.
Another skill I developed was the firing of real glass enamel on certain cast metal surfaces, usually pure silver. It’s another creative avenue I wish to pursue again.
So many creative paths, I have to wonder how I let the lure of the 3D printer pull me away for so long. But that is just a thought. I let my life take alternate routes and enjoy the ride. No real remorse.
It’s just time to make a course correction.
This website, KautzCraft.org will be the new home address for a while. I opened this site on a new hosting service. The old host became a bit unstable. As I have already stated, the world is full of options.
KautzCraft.studio (URL) will remain active. I like the format. Most new casting projects will continue to be posted there.