We have made moulds from sculptures constructed from the following list of materials:
Clay, plaster, fired ceramics, stone, natural and found objects, wood, paper, glass, plastic …the list goes on.
Services
We specialise in mould making and fine art bronze casting service for sculptors and artists.
Our foundry is based between Preston and Liverpool and within easy reach of Manchester and Leeds. We provide the complete foundry service and using the following range of traditional skills, ensure a professional finish every time.
We provide the complete foundry service and using the following range of traditional skills, ensure a professional finish every time.
Mould making
Bronze casting
Finishing
Patination
Bronze Resin
Metal Fabrication
Contact Stephen on 01704 821541
or email info@bronzecast.co.uk
to discuss your project.
Mould Making
Our goal is to faithfully reproduce your artwork, capturing every detail from a finger print to the deepest undercut. In order to achieve this we produce multipart silicone rubber moulds encapsulated within a supporting resin or plaster jacket.
One of the most common questions we are asked is, “Can we mould this material?” More often than not the answer is yes. We have made moulds from sculptures constructed from the following list of materials:
Clay, plaster, fired ceramics, stone, natural and found objects, wood, paper, glass, plastic …the list goes on.
Bronze Casting
At the core of our service is the foundry. We employ the ceramic shell method of the lost wax process of casting. The main advantage to this process is faster production times than that of the traditional Italian plaster block method.
The process begins with the production of an exact wax copy of your piece which is then added to a system of wax rods called ‘runners’ and ‘risers’ culminating at a pouring cup. It is then covered with several coats of a ceramic slurry which is left to dry.
When completely dry it is fired in a kiln burning off the wax leaving a hollow ‘shell’ mould into which the molten bronze will be poured. When filled with bronze and allowed to cool the shell is finally removed to reveal the raw casting.
Finishing
Newly cast pieces return from the foundry and require extensive work to remove all unnecessary runners and risers. Following this, much time and labour is given to fettling the surface and tig welding parts together. Then by use of air tools and grinders the surface and weld joints are carefully blended back together until a unified piece emerges.
Finally the fine detail is reinstated using chisels, punches and matting tools, replicating the textures and patterns of the original piece.
Patination
Patination is the colouring of the bronze surface using a variety of chemicals. These chemicals are applied using a process of heating the piece with a blow torch and applying layers of chemicals with either a brush or sprayer. A wide variety of colours and finishes can be achieved at this stage. A palette of colours ranging from traditional blacks and browns brown through to more adventurous greens, whites and blues , or any combination of colours is achievable.
A good patina will work in sympathy with the sculpture, enhancing the form and surface, contributing to the overall feel of the piece. Finally the piece is coated with a wax polish or lacquer which provides a durable weatherproof surface.
Bronze Resin
Often referred to as ‘Cold Cast Bronze’, the technique involves blendingpowder with epoxy resin to produce a material which is applied to the interior of a silicone mould. The mould is then filled with further backup coats of epoxy resin and fibre glass to give the sculpture strength and support.
Once set the sculpture is polished with wire wool to reveal the metal surface of the bronze powder. Finishing with patination chemicals and waxes is similar to that of real bronze statues. Bronze resin sculptures mimic bronze statues, and provide the artist with a cost effective alternative.
Fabrication
To compliment our bronze casting service, we provide an in-house metal fabrication service. This enables us to help you realise sculptural works in galvanized steel, Cor-Ten steel and stainless steel. Or, sculptures can be fabricated directly in sheet and stock metals from your drawings and designs or incorporated into cast works.your sketches we can also produce CAD drawings for laser cutting, planning drawings for large scale projects and engineering advice .
We provide an encouraging environment amongst like-minded people where space, equipment and technical assistance are at your service if you wish to work more directly with ourselves.