Casting in Bronze
How is it done ??
The Clay original is usually taken to the foundry to have a mould made....more on moulds soon.
Once the flexible mould and its supporting case is made the mould is cleaned and a wax is made in the mould.
The wax is checked by the Sculptress JOEL to make sure the quality good, the detail is accurate and the signature in place.
The wax then has an investment added....this is going to become the next mould for the molten Bronze.
Once the wax is put into a kiln it is lost and the molten bronze is poured into where the wax was....it has to run into all the detail and the air must leave - hence all the runners.
The bronze flows down sprues - several small bronzes may be set up to be cast in the same pouring.
Next the investment is removed and all the Bronze sprues and runners have to be cut away and the surface re-instated - this is called fettling and chasing.
Once the Bronze is cleaned it then needs to be coloured - patination - using heat and chemicals.
In Roman times sculptures sometimes were buried to achieve the dark aged look.
Finished Bull Mastiff half life-size portrait head here
You can see it is an involved process and at any stage there can be challenges. We are grateful for all the hard work the people at the various foundries put in to make the detailed sculptures made by JOEL in clay come through to their enduring reality of Foundry cast, lost wax process Bronze
If you would like any further information please contact the studio using the form
Labels: Bronze casting