I am currently concentrating on producing sculpture in cast bronze. Bronze is a material freighted with associations especially in the world of art; bronze resonates with history, value and the conflicts that come with scarcity and expense.
Underlying and partly generating these associations are wonderful physical properties: Bronze melts at a relatively low temperature, is somewhat ductile when cold, and nearly as hard as mild steel. It can be welded and worked easily, and can be colored using a variety of chemicals with or without the application of heat. It is a material uniquely suited for sculpture.
A variety of different methods are in use to produce bronze castings. I most often use the lost wax method, in ceramic shell molds. Other methods in use include green sand, resin-bonded sand, and plaster investment molds. The lost wax method of casting allows us to produce any shape desired, and investment molding allows us to reproduce the finest details of these wax shapes.
A typical casting in the lost wax method involves a number of steps:
- Producing an object in wax
- Building a system to direct the molten metal into the image, and vent the gases produced when casting.
- Building up an ceramic shell mold around the object and supporting structure.
- Preparing the finished mold to receive molten bronze by exposing the cup and melting out the wax.
- Melting and pouring the metal into the hollow molds.
- Removing the cast object from the ceramic shell, and cutting away the support structures.
- Cleaning the object, welding together pieces if the object was cast in multiple parts, grinding down the welds to produce a final surface.
- Applying a patina or surface treatment, attaching the object to a base if needed.