A snow covered City?

Nope, it's not covered in snow. I just had to take some pictures showing what one of my projects looked like in the cleaning stage, the ceramic/silica(?) shell is still covering it, and let me tell you, it is a beast to get out of all the nooks and crannies. Though once it's done and has had a nice patina applied, it, looks something like this. 

This is a completed city bowl (I know my titles are great aren't they), it weighs about five pounds, is bronze, and fits in the palm of your hand. 

I sculpted each of the buildings by hand from wax, it took a very long time. But I enjoyed it so much I had to do it again, this time with a vase. This one was even more work if possible. I had to pour it in two pieces, otherwise it would not have stood a chance of getting cleaned thoroughly again. 

This one is still in two pieces, I'm thinking about just putting a hinge on it and then it'd have the option of being closed or open. Because that's alot of detail I'd be losing if I just welded it shut. Though at the same time, the idea of having it be a hidden little world, that could be viewed through only little windows is also really appealing...

Melting Waxes

Tiny post today. The end of the semester is throwing me a loop and keeping me busy. Here's the last step before actually pouring the molten metal into the molds. 

Basically in this step, using a torch, the wax is melted out of the silica casing. One of the concerns in this is very nearly the same concern when attaching screws to the piece. When the wax is melted out, it's important to start from the bottom of the piece and melt the bottom of the piece so that the wax at the top has a place to go. If the bottom of the cup doesn't clear first, then the wax above it won't have anywhere to go and will expand and possibly damage the mold. Always point the torch down, and think through exactly how the wax will melt.

 I've been thinking about posting about video production soon, but at the moment I am far to busy actually putting together my video projects. 

Dipping Waxes Part 2

Part 2! Now the actual dipping begins. The screws have been attached and each piece has had the surface coated for protection.

The first layer of silica is applied in liquid form. The particles should be suspended so it is important to mix this well and stir it often.  It's important to dip the piece in slowly and to make sure no bubbles form on the surface of it. Any bubbles that form in the first few dips allow the molten bronze to bubble out into the space and only provide more trouble later in the work.

Depending on the size of the piece a different amount and kind of dipping is recommended. My professor suggested that I dip mine twice in the fine silica and three times in the coarse because of their small size.

Each dip needs to dry completely before the next can be applied, and the process can take several days. It is easy to tell when it's ready to be dipped again because the coating goes from a green to yellow. Below can be seen  first dip, the wax is still visible underneath the initial layer.

Below is an example of what the finished dipping should look like. The waxes are completely hidden and the forms are muffled.

Next update should have more on the process with melting out the waxes.