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Original Art
The beginning of the process starts with something to represent what the
customer wants as a finished piece. It can be a clay model as in the
illustration above. It can be a sculpted or molded wooden model,
something done in metal, something done in wax or any other material
that you want to use to begin the process. This becomes the model for the
final piece. |
Making the Mold
Molds can be simple or complex depending on the
original art. After determine how best to make a mold or molds, we
take the original like the one in the previous photograph and create the mold
using a silicone material. The original art is placed on a bed of clay
(the red material in the photo). When the clay is smooth at the parting
point of the mold, liquid silicone
is brushed onto the model and the clay as the man is doing above. All coats
are done by hand to insure that all the details of
the original will show in the final cast. |
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The Mother Mold
Because the silicone is flexible, it
needs a backup shell to hold it firmly in place. When the silicone has
dried thoroughly, a plaster "Mother Mold" strengthened with fibers is
created over it. Here a
Mother Mold was created over the top of a silicone mold. The two parts of the
mother mold are held together by sturdy
rubber bands. |
Pouring the Wax
When the combined silicone and mother mold is ready, liquid wax is poured
into it to create a wax impression of the original piece. Here the man is
pouring out the excess wax. After the first coat of wax dries, another coat
is poured until the desired thickness is achieved. |
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Chasing the Wax
After the wax is poured and dries, it needs to be cleaned of seam lines
and any other small imperfections from air bubbles, etc. This is
commonly called "chasing the wax." The girl in the photograph is
making those refinements in a wax piece. |
Adding Sprues
When the refinement are made, a wax pouring cup (at top) and wax rods are attached to
the piece. These rods are called "sprues." The bronze will be poured through the pouring cup and through
the sprues. The
sprues direct the bronze to remote parts of the piece and allow the hot
gasses to escape. |
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The Slurry (Investment)
When the wax is ready, it is used to make a secondary mold. It is dipped
repeatedly into a mixture called the "Slurry." The slurry dries into a
hard shell called the "Investment." The slurry coating goes inside
and outside the wax impression, allowing the final piece to be hollow. |
Lost Wax
When the shell has dried, it is placed in an
oven where the pieces are heated allowing the wax to melt out, leaving
the hollow secondary mold. At the same time that the wax is melted out, the
slurry coating is given a final curing to reach it's ultimate strength. This
is the step in the process that gives it its name of the "Lost Wax" process. |
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The Pour
After the wax has been removed, the shell is reheated and then placed in
a bed of sand. Next, the molten bronze is poured from the furnace where it
is melted into the cauldron from which in turn it is poured through the
pour cup into the shell. |
Raw Bronze
When the bronze has cooled, the piece is chased removing the major traces of
the shell material from the inside and out. Then the piece is sandblasted
removing any remaining pieces of the shell. Here are two raw bronze pieces. |
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Welding
If the original product was cast in more than one piece, the parts will
be welded back together. After that the metal is sanded and cleaned to
eliminate any signs of the welding. |
Patination
After the bronze is chased, it is sandblasted to rid it of any imperfections
and then it is ready for a patina. There are a
variety of patinas available, some of which are shown on the
Examples page. After the patina is applied, it is
coated with wax to preserve its finish. |
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Preparing a Base
We provide bases in marble, onyx and granite and cut and form them to
your specifications. Here the man is cutting a piece of black marble in
preparation for mounting a bronze piece. |
Mounting
Here is a finished piece mounted on a
custom shaped base in black and gray marble. We also have many different designed and
finished bases from which to choose. |
