Wax work.
This article is not the place to tell you all about wax working. It's a big subject. I will give you enough to get started however. This step is usually done by the foundry or more experienced casters. If you learn to do this you can save some money and keep more control of your process. There are books available for more information on wax working.
Notice the bits of plaster on the wax. We want to get these off as it could get in the bronze later. I like to use a Scotchbrite pad and a good paste wax. Gently rub the surface with the pad filled with paste wax. Some of the wax will have to be picked off. This is also the time to thicken any wax that is too thin. Hold it up to the light and you will see the thin parts. It's best to use cooer wax or put it on when it's in a pasty form. Too much heat at this point could cause distortion. A cool rag on the opposite side of the section you are thickening keeps the wax from punching through.
These are some wax tools. I use Surforms, files, clay tools and spatulas. There are tools made for wax working and can be purchased from sculpture supply houses. The best ones are Italian, but they are expensive. Use a propane torch to heat the tools for hot work. Wax is a very nice medium to work in because it has three states. Solid, liquid and the semi cool paste state. Use them all to your advantage. I suggest you get some wax and start playing around with it, it has many advantages as a sculpting medium.
Here I have added some wax parts to the piece to emphasize the edges. You can add other wax forms, textures holes, etc. This is the art part!!! You might also want to think about how the piece will be mounted and add brackets now. Have fun.
This is a way I might want to finish this off. I have a variety of molds of shapes I like to use. I will cast them separately and then assemble them in the bronze. Two more ideas follow.
So ends the tour. It's really not that hard. Give it a try.
At this point the wax would be sent to the foundry. I suggest you read this article about Choosing A Foundry. I would be pleased to give you an estimate on a bronze casting. Contact me for more details.
If you want to know more about the bronze casting process, look HERE.
If you would like to see some of my sculptures that have life-cast parts, try the links below. There are others n the Gallery section.
Herself
