Created From Lost Wax The Process

Original Sculpture:

The artist creates an original sculpture from clay, or various other materials.

Silicon Molds:

A mold is then made of the original sculpture which becomes the exact negative of the original sculpture. Sometimes many molds are needed to recreate the original sculpture especially when the piece becomes larger or more complex.

Wax Replica:

Once the mold is finished, molten wax is poured into it and swished around until an even coating covers the inner surface of the mold. This hollow wax copy of the original model is removed from the mold and cleaned.

Foundry Wax Prep:

The wax copy is sprued with wax that will eventually provide paths for molten bronze to flow and air to escape. The sprued wax piece is dipped into a slurry of silica, then into a dry crystalline silica. The slurry and grit combination is called the ceramic shell . This shell is allowed to dry, and the process is repeated until an adequate coating covers the entire piece.

Foundry Bronze Pour:

The ceramic shell-coated piece is placed cup-down in a kiln, whose heat hardens the silica coatings into a shell, and the wax melts and runs out. Now all that remains of the original artwork is the negative space. The mold is then placed cup-upwards and the molten bronze is then poured carefully into the shell. The filled shell is allowed to cool and is then hammered and sand-blasted away releasing the rough casting.

Metal Prep:

All parts are welded together as necessary and the sculpture is worked until the telltale signs of the casting process are removed. The casting now looks like the original sculpted piece.

Patina:

A specific chemical solution is applied based on the shading / color that is desired. The sculpture is then sealed with wax which completes the process of creating a limited edition bronze sculpture.