One handy though expensive tool is my Kerr Ultra Waxer 2. You can purchase a variety of heads to plug into either of the two hot tool handles and you can also dial in different temps for both of them. Additionally you can heat metal tools using an alcohol torch burner to cut, melt and manipulate the wax.
Unfortunately,
wax castings really come as perfect replicas of your original clay and I
can often spend 6-10 hours on a wax - resculpting areas that are
missing or marred by bubbles and other problems not to mention the seams
that come from the mold.There is also a large pour spout that needs to be in the mold in order to have a place to pour the hot wax into the mold. This is called the sprue and when the wax sprue is cut off there is a gaping hole and needs to be filled and repaired before the piece is cast in bronze.
Here you see a boot before and after chasing - filling in missing spots and bubbles, cutting off protrusions and generally cleaning up the wax.
In the case of the hand and book (removed from the original clay sculpture and molded and cast separately) the entire thumb is missing thanks to an air bubble in the wax casting. That means that I will melt and attach wax to resculpt the entire thumb.
