Bronze process

[William Paquet]

I don't have pix of the entire process for casting bronze. It is very labor intensive requiring many steps to complete a piece, but here are a few images which offer a glimpse.

I said in another post, this is a brutal process and hell yeah it sure is. The first time I saw the birth of a bronze I could not believe that it was possible to use such force and be able to attain a work of art with finesse and fine finish.

Here we see the artisan using a pneumatic hammer to break apart the exterior shell mold. He also uses manual hammers and chisels.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL966/3964388/8262812/370167882.jpg

Hard to see, but this is the piece as it starts to emerge. This is a customer's copy of the Jesus bust I created, barely visible amid the gates and pour spouts, as well as the mold.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL966/3964388/8262812/370167904.jpg

He is now using the power hammer to remove the mold material from inside the hollow casting. You will notice a hole in the back of the head. This is necessary to the process and will be patched later.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL966/3964388/8262812/370167892.jpg

[William Paquet]

Here is the casting with most debris removed, ready for welding.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL966/3964388/8262812/370167886.jpg

Patch roughly welded. From here the piece is cleaned up with chisels and files to remove the weld seams and retool the surface.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL966/3964388/8262812/370167915.jpg

The patched bronze, ready for sand blasting and patina. Note the amazing spectrum of color from the intense heat of the welding machine.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL966/3964388/8262812/370167909.jpg

[William Paquet]

That's all I have at this time. At some point I will post a thread including other aspects of the process. Anyone actually seeing this work done would gain a tremendous respect for the art of bronze.

[GET]

Cool.thanks for the pics Will.

[riteguytu]

wow

[Sniper]

that is a process in itself. I thought molding and casting were hard....

[William Paquet]

that is a process in itself. I thought molding and casting were hard....

All this starts with the same molding and casting done for resin, but instead of casting plastic you cast wax. Each bronze has it's own wax pattern made, onto which gates and vents are added, and then the ceramic shell is built up in multiple layers.

I knew a little about bronze casting, but until I saw it I didn't know how much work it is. Even at several thousand dollars retail, a statue like Bowen's bronze Hulk is grossly undervalued. The work is simply awe inspiring.