Assembly and welding.

Panels are being placed back together and welded into place.

The Bean Pods are starting to come back together.

Panels waiting for assembly.

The pods are almost done. It should be noted that all through the process, from the wax until here, small discrepancies and warps can occur to the castings. Welding a large piece back together is very much an art form in its own right. The process involves hammers and chisels, vises, pneumatic rams and spreaders, and usually a few choice words. If it is done correctly your piece will come out looking like the original.

Close-up of welds.

The pods are back together. The stems will be welded back together as a separate unit and joined with the pods later.

Removing the shell and cleaning the casting.

The shell has cooled down and is ready to be removed.

The shell is initially knocked loose with a hammer. This will take off most of the shell and will get it ready to have the sprues removed.

Once the majority of the shell has been knocked loose from the casting it is ready to be cut free from the spruing system.  This is done with a plasma torch that quickly cuts through the sprues.

The panels have all been cut free and are waiting to go into a sand blasting chamber which will remove any residual shell.

Pouring the bronze casting.

The bronze is being heated and melted in a floor mounted crucible. When it reaches 1700-1800 degrees Farenheit it will be removed and poured into the molds that are being heated up in a separate kiln.

The shells being removed from the kiln.

Here the shells are being placed in a sand pit. The sand is used to hold the shells in place while the bronze is poured into them.

The bronze has been heated to the appropriate temperature and the crucible is being lifted from the furnace.

The crucible is moved into place and each shell is filled with molten bronze.

The shells have been filled with bronze and removed from the sand pit. They are allowed to cool down before being transported to the area where the shell will be removed.

Creating the shell.

The sprueded wax is prepared for shell.

The wax is dipped in a liquid called slurry.

The excess liquid is allowed to drain off.

 A fine layer of sand is shaken over the entire piece. This will bond with the slurry to create a layer of shell. This initial coating is fine enough to register the detail in fingerprints. As progressive coats of the slurry/sand combination are applied, the sand used will become larger grained in order to add strength to the shell.

 The finished shell being allowed to dry before going to the pouring floor. Once it arrives on the pouring floor it will be placed in a kiln upside down and heated so that the wax can melt and drain out. This will then be the hollow shell that he molten bronze is poured into.

 

Finished shells drying.

Spruing

Photos available soon.

Wax Pouring.

Dave Trock prepares the mold for wax.

Painting on the first layer of wax.

The first layer of wax has been painted on and is being allowed to cool before additional layers are applied. When the wax reaches the appropriate thickness it is then allowed to cool completed and gently removed from the mold. The wax is then returned to my studio where I do wax chasing, or wax retouching. This is the process of repairing any small bubbles or imperfections that might have occurred to the wax. Once each panel is looked over and repaired, it is then ready to go to the foundry for casting.

Finished Mold.

The mold has been completely removed and cleaned up. Here is the entire grouping of molds ready to be transported to the wax pouring shop.

The remnants of the original sculpture. These will be transported back to the studio where anything that can be salvaged will be reclaimed for use in future projects.