Foundry Pour, April 2016

Below are pictures of the last bronze pour at the University of Wisconsin foundry. I poured my investment mold for the title plates of The Ephemeral Knot, and All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found, as well as a few other waxes for future pieces. Observing this time was a group from a local high school.

Foundry pour, April 2016.

Setting up the molds with the pour team.

Practicing the pouring order of the molds.

Sculptor and Art Metals instructor Peter Flanary loading the forge with bronze. Take a look at his work HERE.
 

Bringing the bronze crucible out of the forge. A group from a local high school was observing.
 

The pouring of my investment mold.
 

Pouring other artists' investment and sand molds.

The remaining bronze is poured into ingots.

Opening the Investment Mold for "The Ephemeral Knot".

I was a bit worried about how the arm would turn out because of how much bronze was used. If a metal sculpture is too thick, the cooling process can cause cracks or collapsing. Prior to investment, I thinned out what wax I could from the underside, but much of the sculpture had to be thick for future tapping and bolt placements. But everything formed well, and I'm really pleased with the level of detail.

Detail of the rough bronze.

Starting the removal of the investment.

The majority of the investment removed. There are some bones and pine cones for future pieces.

The arm removed from the sprue tree. There is still quite a bit of finishing work to do.