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STEP 1
Making the Mold From An
Original Work of Art:
This step is by far the most critical. All the detail which appears
on the original sculpture
must be captured in this
mold. The mold (depending on
the size of the sculpture)
is cut into sections for
casting.
STEP
2
Making the Wax Casting:
Molten wax is poured into
the mold to form layers of
wax. This wax model is an
exact duplicate
of the original casting.
STEP 3
Chasing the Wax:
The wax is pulled from the mold and hand chased (re‑detailed) by a
skilled artisan. Although
the artist reproduces the
original artwork, each piece
may slightly different from
the next.
STEP 4
Spruing:
Wax rods (gates) and
a pouring cup are attached to the wax casting in
just the right positions.
This will assure a full
pour.
STEP 5
Casting the Ceramic Mold
(Investment Casting):
In a temperature controlled climate of 72' Fahrenheit, the wax
casting is dipped into
Investment liquid several
times. On the first dip a
fine powder is applied. On
the next dip a course
ceramic sand will be
applied. This step is
repeated several times, each
increasing the coarseness of
the material to create the
ceramic mold. Between each
dip, the ceramic layer must
cure (dry) before another
layer can be applied.
STEP 6
Burn‑Out:
The ceramic shell is placed in a kiln and fired. The shell bakes
and the wax is melted (lost)
from the shell. This creates
a hollow ceramic shell mold.
Thus the term "Lost Wax".
STEP
7
Casting:
The ceramic shell (mold) is removed from the kiln and immediately
the molten
bronze is poured into the
shell. At the time of
pouring, the bronze is 2100
degrees Fahrenheit.
STEP 8
Break‑Out:
After the casting has cooled several hours, the shell is carefully
broken away
leaving the unfinished
bronze.
STEP 9
Sandblasting:
Any fragments of the ceramic
shell are removed by
sandblasting. The sculpture
is
also carefully inspected at
this point.
STEP 10
Assembly:
At this time all the pieces
of the sculpture are welded
together by our skilled
craftsman.
STEP 11
Chasing:
All the weld marks are
chased and re‑detailed.
STEP 12
Glass
Beading:
This is similar to
sandblasting; the glass is
extremely fine to ensure an
even bronze finish.
STEP
13
Polish:
The raw bronze sculpture is
now hand polished in
preparation for the patina.
STEP 14
Patina:
The bronze is first heated.
The patina chemical is hand
applied by our skilled
artist.
STEP 15
Waxing:
The wax is hand applied with
heat to ensure a beautiful
lustrous patina.
STEP 16
Mounting
and Inspection:
According to customer
preference, the bronze is
mounted on a marble or wood
base and the final
inspection will take place.
Our customer will be assured
to receive a fine quality
sculpture.
STEP 17
Shipping:
The sculpture is now ready
to be packaged and shipped.
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