The bronze panels, devoid of ceramic shell, are taken to the sandblasting room where they are cleaned.
The bronze sprews are cut off from the panels and returned to the pouring floor where they will be melted down for future use.
Before fit-up and welding begins, the bronze panels are placed on the floor and the enormous sculpture is assembled like a jigsaw puzzle.
Note, the panels were numbered in clay and are visible in the cast bronze.
These numbers will be ground off or "chased" as the work is completed.
The clay model devoid of some of the clay is in the background to assist in fit-up.
The panels are assembled, fit-up, and tacked together with welds.
The welds will be ground off or "chased" as the monument nears completion. During chasing, the metal chaser will blend and integrate the weld marks . . . leaving no trace of seam lines. As the welds are chased away and blended into the surrounding metal textures, I spend many hours in the foundry. The metal chasing step in the process is very important to the artist: The integrity of the surface and what was modeled into the clay must flow seamlessly. A metal chaser is a highly trained technician and must be sensitive to and aware of the sculptors modeling techniques.
Looking past the original clay model, which damaged during mold pull, note the heavy steel armature emerging from the bear's feet. Bronze is over 95% copper and the soft metal is not strong enough to support itself when cast in large, heavy monuments. Therefore, a steel armature must be placed inside the sculpture to provide structural support. Imagine a garment hanging from and supported by a coat hanger and one can envision the armature procedure.
Notice the steel bar inserted in the leg. One panel has not been welded in place to allow the workers access to the steel armature inside the sculpture.
No comments:
Post a Comment