Abstract
<p>Beeswax used for Asante casting by Krofofrom artisans and the Asantehene gild of metalsmiths in the 1700`s are extracted naturally without further chemical treatment to enhance their workability. Although modelling with this wax is very effective, mass production technique now adopted by local artisans and the inflow of machine made artefacts due to globalization has crippled the sale of locally manufactured artefacts. This research dives into various ways of manipulating the natural beeswax using conventional waxes to help achieve complex and competitive designs suitable for the international feed. Qualitative research design approach was used and the descriptive and experimental research methodologies were employed. A comparative analysis was conducted on the production processes employed in the 1700`s and those practiced by various cultures in Africa and experiment was conducted on beeswax to ascertain a suitable wax formulation for the production of complex shapes and sizes using simple Jewellery technique less employed by local metal artisans for casting. It was found that the addition of various additives to the beeswax improved its workability and also the use of Plaster of Paris in wax modelling should be adapted as used in this research for traditional mass production for maximum yield and less stress.</p>
Highlights
Metal Casting is one of the most ancient methods of metal forming
In Ghana, the craft itself is associated with the Asante kingdom, just as gold weights and lost wax casting are synonymous, the name “Asante castings”
Until the change of currency from gold dust to paper notes and metal coins many of the craftsmen dwelt at Adum Ensuasi a suburb of Kumasi to practise the lost wax casting technique and upon retiring from active service after the demonetisation of gold dust, the craft later took a different turn with regard to production, when some of the metalsmiths relocated to Krofofrom, a suburb of Kumasi (Kissi, 2011)
Summary
Metal Casting is one of the most ancient methods of metal forming. As far back as 5000BC, metal objects in the form of knives, coins, arrows and household articles were being used. Lost wax casting as practiced in Asante cannot be compared to the castings of the 1700`s in terms of quality of craftsmanship and finishing as made known by Ross (1977), who commented on the fineness of the gold weights, and other castings saying: They weigh between one half and one kilogram, but based on a comparison with other Akan gold work, their actual gold content is probably low (between six and ten carats). It will help eradicate the negative assumptions made against lost wax cast artefacts from Krofofrom in terms of lack of mastery of the craft and finishing as commented by Rattray (1927): The metal workers who were collected around me to make the series of castings were sadly out of practice. The Asante brass casting differ slightly from what Gupta (1983) and Beeswax in Asante castings
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