Lost Wax Method...
Bronze Casting: The Lost Wax or Cire-Perdue
Process
The lost wax or cire-perdue process is the
traditional method of bronze casting . It has been around for at least 5000
years and was used by the early Egyptians, Greeks, Africans and masters of the
Italian Renaissance. A complicated and difficult process, it includes the
following steps:
1.A sculpture is created over an armature out of
clay or plaster.
2.A flexible rubber mold with a rigid jacket is
made of the sculpture.
3.The clay/plaster is removed from this mold and
it is cleaned out thoroughly.
4.The mold is tied together and wax is poured
inside.
5.The mold is removed and the seams and any
casting imperfections are cleaned up by the artist.
6.Wax sprues and vents are attached to the
sculpture so that the bronze can eventually be poured into the piece and gases
can escape.
7.The piece is invested by making a mold of
plaster mixed with grog around the wax.
8.The investment mold is placed in a burn-out oven
to melt the wax out and dry the mold.
9.Bronze, which is an alloy consisting mostly of
copper with small amounts of zinc, tin and lead, is melted in a crucible to a
temperature of approximately 2000 degrees and poured into the warmed investment
mold.
10.After cooling, the investment mold is tapped
off and the sprues and vents, which are now bronze, are removed and chased.
11.The piece is sandblasted and/or sanded and
reworked to clean the surface of the bronze from scaling and acids and oils.
12.A patina is applied to the surface. This is a
chemical process that is etched into the surface of the bronze.
13.The finished bronze is now lightly waxed to
preserve its patina.
14.Our bronze pieces are beautiful works of art and are handsomely made for the
delight of our customers!