How's the Statue Coming Along?? - The Latest from the Artist

Some of our supporters have asked how the statue is coming along, and the artist, Stephen Spears,

was kind enough to send us some photos & a description of where the statue is in the process.  Here's what he sent us:

"Using many of the same tools used to sculpt the original, the wax is “chased”. This gives the Art foundry a wax replica of the artists’ original sculpture. This wax replica will be used to create a bronze sculpture that will be an exact replica of the artist’s original.

Sprucing begins once the Wax Chasing is complete, sprues (wax bars) and the pouring cup are carefully attached to the wax pattern to insure the proper flow of metal and to control the metal solidification.

Up to a dozen layers of ceramic are applied to the wax positive ensuring that the wax pattern and sprues are fortified by an outer ceramic shell that becomes the final mold after the shell is fired and the wax is "lost" (melted away).

The shells (still containing wax) are then placed into the kiln and heated to 1600 degree F. At this point the wax is “Lost” (melted away) leaving a hollow ceramic shell that is ready to accept the molten bronze.

Next comes the pouring of the bronze metal. The Art foundry uses electric melting in their bronze foundry because it is cleaner, faster, and offers more control over this important step. After the dewaxing the molten metal (bronze at 2000 degrees) is poured into the shell and allowed to cool.

The ceramic shell is removed from the metal and the sprues are cut off. Art Castings sandblasts the bronze sculpture to remove any ceramic remaining from the casting process to ensure a clean casting for the welding department.

The process is going smoothly and more pictures will follow.

So there you have it!!! We're excited for this latest update and looking forward to more to come, so stay tuned!