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Artworks Foundry, Berkeley, CA

toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
edited October 24, 2016 in Street and Documentary
So this foundry had a "pour" for their customers last week. This foundry makes some of the most famous monumental bronze statuary in the world.

DSC_2556.NEF-X3.jpg

It might be of interest to some here...

Bronze statues are replicative art. They take an original piece and destroy it to make a mold.

They pour wax into the mold to make a wax figure (the wax room)

DSC_3001.NEF-X3.jpg

They make corrections to the wax,

DSC_2992.NEF-X3.jpg

then encapsulate the wax into a "refractory" plaster, dry it, heat it, turn it upside down to empty the melted wax.

The heated mold then is closer in temp the the 2,000 degree bronze that is poured into it.
The oven room cold
DSC_2545.NEF-X3.jpg...

DSC_2546.NEF-X3.jpg
Heating up..
DSC_3006.NEF-X3.jpg
The bronze...
DSC_3007.NEF-X3.jpg
The crew dressed for action...
DSC_3010.NEF-X3.jpg
The 2,000 degree bronze soup being poured into the mold...
DSC_3018.NEF-X3.jpg

When the bronze cools, the mold is broken away and the piece looks like gold and that color will be changed later with "patina" chemicals

But it may be a piece of a larger piece that will have to be welded and "chased" (imperfections ground off)
DSC_3024.NEF-X3.jpg

Such is the sausage making part of bronze sculpture.. :D
Rags

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    denisegoldbergdenisegoldberg Administrators Posts: 14,238 moderator
    edited October 16, 2016
    very interesting... thanks for sharing this!

    --- Denise
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    toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
    edited October 16, 2016
    You're welcome... thanks for looking in
    Rags
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    sarasphotossarasphotos Registered Users Posts: 3,831 Major grins
    edited October 17, 2016
    as Denise said, thanks for sharing! I love this kind of stuff.
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    toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
    edited October 17, 2016
    I love it too... thanks for looking in
    Rags
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    halconhalcon Registered Users Posts: 150 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2016
    That's a great presentation on the lost wax casting process. Very nice. I might add that if the mold isn't heated the molten bronze won't flow into all the crevices and will kind of bead up.
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    toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2016
    True

    But more importantly the wax casting has to be vented properly, beads always seem to happen hence raw pieces are always chased

    I didn't want to get too technical here

    Have you sculpted?
    Rags
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,919 moderator
    edited October 19, 2016
    Fine series, Rags. I especially like the shot of the three guys pouring the molten metal. Well done!
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    toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
    edited October 24, 2016
    Thanks Richard... much appreciated
    Rags
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