| The
Bronze Process |
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More Metal Forms |
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| The
first step in this process is to carve the piece out of clay.
Because we are going to make a mold off of it, there must not
be any undercuts. |
The
second step is to make the mold. The plaster has been poured
over the clay piece and is hardening into the mold form. |
The
clay is being released from the plaster mold. |
The
mold has been cleaned up. |
The
3rd step is to create a wax off of the mold. Hot molten wax
has been poured into the mold. |
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| After
allowing the wax to harden into a 1/4 inch shell the excess
is poured off. |
The
wax has been released from the mold. |
A
few weeks of carving produces the finished wax. |
The
4th step is to create an investment for the bronze pour. thin
pieces of wax, a pur cup and a pour column are attached to the
piece. |
The
back of the piece shows a netword of thin pieces of wax to help
the bronze reach the smaller places and to help the air release
from the investment. |
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| The
investment mixture is now being poured over the piece. The investment
will be placed in a kiln, with the open end down, where the
wax will slowly be melted away, leaving a cavity shaped like
the wax. |
The
investment is placed upside down and wet sand is packed around
it. This will help keep the investment together when the molten
bronze is poured in. |
They
are now cooling. |
After
about 2 hours the bronze is cool enough to break into. The investment
is chipped away reveiling a very dirty piece of bronze. |
Front |
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| Back |
The
small bronze tubing and the pour cup is removed. |
The
bronze piece is then sprayed with tiny glass beads at high pressure
to clean it off. |
The
piece still needs to be sanded down and then treated with various
acids to obtain the look needed. |
The
finished piece. |
