| All
of the Gold
words below are links to pictures which show our sculptures in progress and
an explanation of the techniques we use to create them.
Our bronze sculptures and fountains are made
of silicon bronze which is either cast or
fabricated. |
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Ceramic shell and vacuum casting begin with a
wax model of our original sculpture. Whether
the pieces are cast or fabricated, they go through an extensive grinding and
polishing process before a hot patina is applied. The
patina process
consists of heating the metal and applying many coats of different metallic
nitrates to the polished or sandblasted surface. The final step is sealing the surface with wax, or in the case of the fountains, a lacquer surface which is water and weather resistant. Finished Bronze Sculptures |
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| The above "Moon Sculpture II" is an example of a piece that is mainly sheet bronze formed by hammering and bending the metal and then welding and grinding all of the seams smooth. The ball and the "moon men" supports were vacuum cast. A wax model was needed for each. The surface of the "moon" and "men" were polished before the hot patina of a dilute copper nitrate was applied. The base has a liver of sulfur patina which turns a silvery black. | The original for the "Octopus Box" was a very complex pattern to make. The four sides were carved in plaster forms and then clay was pressed into the plaster to form the sides of the box. They were joined together to create the main body of the box and fired in a ceramic kiln. The little feet were carved in wood and glued on the bottom. The top was also made of wood and topped with an octopus sculpted out of a plastic-like clay. We then made separate rubber molds for the top and bottom to make the red wax model needed to do the shell casting. A wax model of the top and bottom is needed for each box. The waxes are then shell cast. After the metal has cooled the defects and gating are removed and the surfaces are polished. Liver of sulfur patina was applied to the bottom and top of the box. The detail, frame, and octopus were then polished and a dilute cupric nitrate patina was applied to turn them gold. | |