Sculpting Bean Pods

The installion is completed.

2010-05-29T10:05:00.002-06:00

Filling in the dirt and landscaping around the completed plinth.

The Bean Pods are installed. This completes the process that was begun in October 2009 and took 8 months to complete from beginning the commission to installation.

Special thanks go out to Jody Wagner, Cliff, and the crew of Land Design Landscaping in Oakland, Maryland for all the hard work they did on the installation.

The client, myself, and my wife Shannon.

Building the Plinth.

2010-05-29T09:44:00.000-06:00

Digging the hole for the footer. For this installation hard-packed gravel was used.

Placing and packing down the gravel.

The plinth or sculpture base is being constructed from pave stones and then will be finished off with a sandstone cap.

Snapping the pave stones to the correct dimensions.

Almost done.

Grinding off any imperfections so that the top cap will fit level and securely.

The top cap is in place and ready to have the sculpture placed on. The two stones in front have been left out so that once the sculpture is in place we can reach in and bolt it down. After that the stones will be slid in place.

Sculpture is in place and bolted down.

Uncrating the Bean pods.

2010-05-29T09:21:00.000-06:00

The crate has arrived and is in good condition.

Taking out all of the bolts that hold the crate together so that we can remove each panel.

The reveal. Bean Pods have arrived in perfect shape and everybody is happy.

Removing the rest of the panels.

The Sculpture is uncrated and waiting for installation in the morning.

Shipping the sculpture.

2010-05-29T08:44:00.001-06:00

Transporting the Bean Pods from the Patina shop to the Shippers.

Bolting the Bean Pods to the bottom of the crate.

Moving the sculpture.

Sealing up the crate for shipping.

Special thanks go out to Jim and Sheree Lambert at Shipper's Supply in Loveland, Colorado.They have been my only shipper for 24 years.

Applying the Patina.

2010-05-29T08:28:00.000-06:00

The piece has been sandblasted to remove any contaminants on the surface of the bronze.

The first step for this particular patina is to apply sulferated Potash to the surface of the bronze to darken it.

Once the entire surface is covered with Potash it is then rinsed with water and dried off.

Heating the bronze.

Applying the next series of chemical to the surface. This is done while the bronze is hot.

When the chemicals have all been applied, the bronze is allowed to cool down to room temperature.It then has a layer of metal varnish applied to it to seal the patina and when that dries several coats of clear paste wax areadded to the surface in order to further seal the patina and to provide a nice luster to the surface.

Special thanks go out to Debbie Bakel of Patinas by Debbie in Loveland, Colorado for such fine patina work.

Metal Chasing and additional welding.

2010-05-02T09:48:00.000-06:00

The welds have been ground down and texture is being replaced using high speed air tools and carbide burrs.

The pods have been chased and are ready to have the stems attached. In many cases with larger pieces they are assembled into separate pieces, chased, and then assembled further. This allows for easy handling and access.

Nuts have been added to the bottom for mounting when the piece is delivered.

The stems were assebled and chased seperatly and are now being welded into place.

The stems have been chased and the piece is now finished and ready to go to the patina shop.

Assembly and welding.

2010-03-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-03-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-03-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-03-13T09:23:00.006-07:00

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

2010-03-13T09:23:00.002-07:00

Photos available soon.

Wax Pouring.

2010-03-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-03-13T09:08:00.006-07:00

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.

Removing the rubber mold.

2010-02-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

The rubber is peeled back from each section of the original. It then has the edges trimmed up with scissors and is fitted onto the surface of the corresponding plaster mold.

Cleaning the plasters.

2010-02-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

Each section has the edges trimmed up with a knife and then a torch is run over the edge to burn away any excess hemp. They are then ready to have the rubber inner mold put into place

Taking the plaster mold apart.

2010-02-10T16:23:00.003-07:00

Each section is worked loose and set aside to be cleaned up later.

Sometimes the sections come loose easily, and sometimes they have to be pried loose.

In order to remove the plasters from the bottom of the piece, we had to take apart the armature and lift the entire piece free from the base and lay it on the floor.

The mold is plastered.

2010-02-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Making the plaster mold.

2010-02-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

The first step is to make a "splash" coat of plaster. This consists of splashing a thin layer of plaster over the area in order to get a good base of plaster on the piece.

Next, the hemp is dipped into the plaster and then placed over the splash coat.

The hemp is about half done. the entire surface will be covered like this.

Once all the hemp is in place, then more plaster is added and smoothed by hand in order to create a clean surface to the mold.

The mold section is finished. Each individual section of the mold will go through this same process.

Preparing to make the plaster mold.

2010-02-10T15:52:00.001-07:00

Each mold is comprised of two parts, a soft inner layer made out of rubber that will pick up fine detail, and a rigid outer mold that will provide support. The outer mold is made up of plaster and has hemp added to provide strength. The photo above shows Steve using plastic to protect the rest of the mold while one section is plastered.

Forming the hemp into balls.

The hemp is formed into balls and ready for use.

Mixing the plaster.

Rubber is almost finished.

2010-01-31T17:03:00.002-07:00

Once the shims have been painted over it can be difficult to remember what has fresh rubber on it and what doesn't. To solve this problem Steve adds inert blue chalk dust to the mix between layers. The cream areas visible have the fourth layer of rubber on them, and the blue areas are the fifth coat of rubber that is just being painted on. There will be one additional coat of rubber painted over the entire piece and then it is time to create the plaster and hemp "mother" mold. This will be a rigid plaster shell that fits over the rubber to provide support and stability when the wax is poured later on.

Shimming is complete.

2010-01-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

At this point all of the shims or dividing lines are in place. The next step will be to paint additional coats of rubber over the entire piece including the shims.

There are two types of shims visible in this photo, most of the shims are constructed to provide a break in the mold, but in two areas they have "windows" cut into them with half spere plastic partitions or "keys" inserted. These are areas where the mold on either side can be joined back together later and wax will be poured as a hollow instead of a panel.

Here is a close-up of one of the keyed areas.

Building the mold shims

2010-01-29T08:40:00.002-07:00

The shims are basically dividing lines for the mold when it is finished. They are the places where the mold will come apart. You can see in these photos that the shim lines are being built where lines of pins had been placed in previous photos

First coat of rubber.

2010-01-27T18:50:00.004-07:00

Steve from SAV Mold Making in Loveland is applying the first coat of rubber to the piece. This is a thin mix of rubber that will more easily pick up all of the texture on the surface of the piece.

At the Mold Makers Studio.

2010-01-27T18:39:00.001-07:00

The Bean Pods have been delivered and pins have been placed in the pods to denote where the shim lines will placed.

Bean Pods ready for transport.

2010-01-27T18:01:00.003-07:00

Pods are in the truck ready for the trip to the mold maker.

A special thanks is due to Mike Fister of Bronze Services for his assistance in the loading and transport of the sculpture.

It was a slow, cold trip to the mold makers studio, but the piece arrived in perfect condition.

Stem parts ready for mold.

2010-01-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here the parts have been cleaned up and positioned so that the molds can be made on them.

Stem parts.

2010-01-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here are the stem parts right after being cut off. They will still need to be cleaned up and set in place for the mold maker before leaving the studio.

Preparing the Bean Pods for mold making.

2010-01-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

The stems on the pods had to be removed for a couple of reasons. First, and most importantly, the sculpture wouldn't fit out the door of my studio with them still attached. Secondly, they are the most fragile part of the sculpture and I wouldn't have wanted to risk damage to them on the 10 mile drive to the mold makers studio.

The successive photos show the stems being cut and removed.

Shannon and the Bean Pods

2010-01-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

Bean Pods are FINISHED!

2010-01-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

After surviving the holidays, I have finally been able to get back to the Bean Pods and finish them. I am very happy with how they turned out and am really excited to see the first casting. The last couple of days have been busy with coordinating the schedules for the mold maker, the wax pouring, and the foundry. Now begins the task of preparing them for the mold-making process.

Close-up of stems.

2009-12-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Back view.

2009-12-17T16:05:00.003-07:00

Stems are in place and rough sculpting is complete.

2009-12-17T16:04:00.002-07:00

2009-12-17T15:46:00.004-07:00

Two stems in place.

2009-12-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Building the armature for the stems.

2009-12-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

The armature for the stems started with another laser scanned enlargement from Gator Products. The juncture of the three stems was built using a high density foam to provide extra strength. The longest stem is made from a hand-bent piece of 3/4" metal conduit and the shorter stems are fashioned from thick aluminum wire and then coated in sculpting wax to provide additional strength before they are covered in sculpting clay.

Studio guard dogs hard at work.

2009-11-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Tony hard at work.

2009-11-03T15:19:00.001-07:00

Applying the seams.

2009-11-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

The last thing to sculpt before I apply the second texturing pass are the seams along the back of the bean Pods. Seams as shown are in thier initial state and still need to be refined further.

Transition between applied clay and texture.

2009-11-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

There are still a few areas to work with texture. You can see low areas in this photo that will be filled in with additional clay as I texture.

Texture details

2009-11-03T15:11:00.002-07:00

This is the initial texture. There will be another texturing pass made over the entire piece to make sure there are no low/high areas that still need to be dealt with and then I will then go through and smooth all of the texture off of the high points to provide contrast.

Bean Pods totally covered with clay.

2009-11-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

At this point the pods are completly covered in clay and most of the surface has had the initial texture put on.

Clay is being applied to the surface.

2009-10-25T01:24:00.001-06:00

I am applying a layer of oil based clay. Because the enlargement was so precise, in most areas I am only having to add 1/8" to 1/4" thickness of clay. The stems of the Bean Pods will be made and set in place later as a separate piece.

Foam is coated with wax and ready for clay to be applied to the surface.

2009-10-25T01:23:00.000-06:00

Painting the foam with a layer of hot wax.

2009-10-25T01:21:00.001-06:00

I am painting the surface of the foam with a layer of hot wax. This serves two purposes, it will seal and strengthen the foam, and it also provides a better surface for the clay to adhere to.

Back veiw of the Bean Pods.

2009-10-25T01:10:00.002-06:00

The Pods are in the studio and I have added 1" steel pipe for an armature to hold them upright during the sculpting process. Holes were drilled into the foam so that the pipe could be inserted into the foam an then glued in place. The Bean Pods are now very rigidly held in place.

Pods in the studio all together with 1" steel pipe armature in place.

2009-10-25T01:08:00.001-06:00

I want to say THANK YOU to Gator Productions in Loveland, Colorado for doing such a great job with the foam enlargemnt.

Ready to be untaped.

2009-10-24T19:03:00.002-06:00

After the glue has dried and the tape is removed the Pod will be hand sanded to remove any excess glue and to smooth down any seam lines on the surface.

Pod is glued and held together with duct tape while it dries.

2009-10-24T18:47:00.000-06:00

Pieces are stacked waiting to be glued together.

2009-10-24T18:46:00.001-06:00

Cutting the pieces apart.

2009-10-24T18:45:00.001-06:00

Finished shaping ready to be cut apart and assembled.

2009-10-24T18:44:00.000-06:00

Parts are roughed out waiting to be refined.

2009-10-24T18:43:00.000-06:00

Outlines are taking shape.

2009-10-24T18:42:00.000-06:00

Bean Pods starting to appear.

2009-10-24T18:40:00.004-06:00

At this point large areas of foam are being removed and a larger cutting blade is being employed. Additional passes will be made over the foam with refining blades to get a more finished surface.

Foam ready for cutting.

2009-10-24T18:35:00.000-06:00

Cutting table is prepped and ready for foam.

2009-10-24T08:29:00.000-06:00

Bean Pods cut into slices and laid out as they will be cut . 2ndsheet.

2009-10-24T08:27:00.002-06:00

Bean Pods cut into slices and laid out as they will be cut . 1st sheet.

2009-10-24T08:27:00.000-06:00

3-D scan veiws created in the computer

2009-10-24T08:24:00.000-06:00

Laser Scanning one of the pods

2009-10-24T08:18:00.000-06:00

Original Sculpture entitled Bean Pods

2009-10-24T08:17:00.000-06:00