You Fine Sculpture
The Process of Casting Bronze Sculpture
If you want to learn more about the process of You Fine bronze foundry,please check the directions below.
In recent years,casting bronze sculptures have played an important role in people’s lives. It has become a performance art that guides people on how to understand bronze sculptures. Then, the significance of bronze carving crafts is not only here, but the aesthetics of bronze carving crafts is also an art, which is also the value of bronze carving crafts.
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.Silicon Rubber Mold Making
After an artist’s original piece has been sculpted, a silicone rubber mold must be made.Layers of liquid rubber are applied to the original sculpture to capture the fine detail. After the rubber has set, a thick plaster mixture is applied and given time to harden to create a rigid “mother mold” to help preserve the firm shape.
Depending on the size of the piece, a mold can be made in several pieces to allow for a more excellent wax pour and ease of assembly.
Step 3.Wax Making
Now, using the rubber mold made from the original piece, molten sculpting wax is poured into the hollow interior of the mold. The wax is allowed to cool before it is carefully pulled out of the mold. Now we have a highly detailed positive wax copy of the original sculpture!
Step 4.Wax Chasing
The original sculpture is now used exclusively as a reference point. From the “negative” rubber mold, a wax “positive” must be created. Wax is melted to about 210°F, poured into the mold and evenly coated or “slushed” inside. Slushing is repeated three times using cooler wax each time to avoid melting the previous coat. Under ideal conditions, the wax wall will be about 3/16″ thick — any less might create flow problems for the bronze; any more will result in a heavier than necessary sculpture. When the mold is opened and the rubber peeled away, an almost perfect wax reproduction is removed.
Step 5.Ceramic Shell Making
The sprued wax copy & cup are then dipped in several layers of a liquid “slurry” mixture and sand to encase the wax, which then dries and hardens. This ensures that the wax pattern & sprues are fortified by an outer ceramic shell that becomes the final mold after the shell is fired and the wax has melted out.
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”.The shells are now ready for casting!
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. Welded &Polished
At this time all the pieces of the sculpture are welded together by our skilled craftsman.All the weld marks are chased and re‑detailed.The raw bronze sculpture is now hand polished in preparation for the patina.
Step 9.Patina
Finally, the casting bronze sculpture is heated and chemicals are sprayed on the surface to create the “patina”, a colored finish. Several layers of wax are applied while the sculpture is warm to create a sheen on the surface and provide protection from the elements.Each casting, even those in an edition, is a one of a kind, handcrafted work of art, created by highly trained artists and craftsmen. This, combined with the many hours of work involved in creating a sculpture, is why bronze sculpture can be expensive. Please keep in mind that each sculpture is unique, and as such, so is it’s price.
Step 10. Waxing & Finished
So if you want to know more about the process of make sculpture,no matter it’s marble,bronze or stainless steel,please contact us right now !
Experience is important & our sculptors have it!!