C.V.SmithARTWORKS
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Sculptures
    • Bronze
    • Clay / Apoxie Clay
    • Plaster
    • Wood
    • Stone
    • SLIDESHOW
  • Galleries
  • Contact
  • Book
  • River Arts
  • BRAF
  • Saltwater Artists
  • CMCA
  • Yarmouth Art Festival

Some Like It Hot ... the Bronze Pour

3/27/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Molds ready to be removed from kiln after burnout
Picture
Filling wooden flasks with damp sand
Picture
Flames emitted from furnace in which bronze is being melted
    The wax maquettes that were encased in investment molds last week (see blog entry for 3/15/14) were loaded into the kiln and subjected to a burnout temperature of approximately 1,250 degrees for 30+ hours. This process removes all of the wax from the molds and dries out the investment. After the kiln cooled to a manageable temperature, the still warm molds were removed and lined up on a shallow bed of dampened sand. Long wooden flasks (frames) were placed around the molds and dampened sand was tamped in around them to within a couple of inches of the top of the molds. The sand serves to contain any spilled bronze and to insulate the molds. While we readied the molds, bronze ingots were melted in a crucible in the furnace at a temperature of about 2000 degrees. The crucible can hold over 200 pounds of melted bronze.
     When we finished packing the wooden flasks with sand and the bronze was hot, the pour team suited up in their protective garments (face shields, leather jackets, and flame resistant chaps). The furnace was shut down and the hot crucible of bronze was removed using crucible tongs and an overhead hoist system. The crucible was then locked into a pouring shank attached to the hoist, moved along the overhead support beam, and lowered into position over the first of the molds. The hot bronze was poured into the mold until it was full and then the pour team moved down the line of molds and repeating the process. After the first 8 molds were poured the bronze had to be returned to the furnace for reheating to insure that the remaining molds would be effectively filled. (If the bronze is too cool it can solidify before the mold is completely filled.) A second pour teamed filled the remaining molds with the second crucible of bronze.
     Once the bronze in the molds cools, the real work will begin. The gated bronze will have be broken out of the investment molds and any remaining investment will have to be cleaned off the surface of the bronze. Next the gating and fill cup will be cut away from the sculpture casts. The removal points will have to be chased and resurfaced, as will any areas with surface imperfections. This part of the process takes time and a lot of "elbow grease" Stay tuned!
Picture
Removing the hot crucible of bronze from the furnace with tongs and overhead hoist
Picture
Pouring the hot bronze from crucible held in pouring shank into the molds
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Cynthia Smith, Maine artist, originally from Connecticut. Taught art at secondary level for 35 years, retired in 2004. Sculpts in bronze, wood, stone, clay & plaster. Her work can be seen at several mid-coast Maine galleries and shows.

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    October 2022
    May 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.