While we were in Utah, (almost a year ago) we got to Tour Beare Bronze Sculpture
This is where my Dad works, and just recently my mom as well. My dad has been doing this kind of work, Bronze sculpture all his life, and I remember as a child going to the foundry, so it was pretty amazing to watch my kids learn about this kind of Art from my dad just as I did.
When you want to have a bronze sculpture made you start with your original piece, then they make a mold of it. Then from that mold they make a Wax version of the sculpture.
Once you have a wax version of the piece from that they made a casting. This is what will hold the liquid bronze. Your max piece is dipped over half a dozen times into the slurry, then into a white sand like power until the casting is finished. Then it is heated up, and the wax comes dripped out.
After that they heat up the bronze and heat up the casting and once it is just right temp they pour the bronze into that casting.
When bronze is heating up it has a green flam- pretty cool!
This is my Dad and his boss doing a bronze pour it was pretty cool that my kids could watch him do this.
After the bronze cools about 12 hours or so. Then break off that outer casting and then sand blast it to get all the finishing touches done on the piece. After that a patina is done, which is a process of heat (from a torch) and different chemicals to create different colors and patters on the bronze. Here my dad is teaching them that - the frog picture is a piece after it has gotten the patina.
After the patina, the piece is rubbed out with a protective wax then boxed and shipped. When I was in High school, I had a job at the foundry where I would help in the office, and I would also rub out piece, once that patina is finished.
Now you all know where I get my creative genes :)
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