Lost Wax Bronze Casting Processes 4

Lost Wax Bronze Casting Processes 4 - 6

Lost Wax Bronze Casting Processes 4 - 6

4) This new, hollow wax copy of the original artwork is removed from the mold. As many copies as the artist desires may be produced this way, although normal wear and tear may limit the lifespan of any given mold. A common number of copies of small bronze artworks today is around 25.

5) Each hollow wax copy is then "chased," or all the marks which show the "parting line" (also known as "flashing") where the pieces of the mold came together are rubbed out using a heated metal tool. Any copies of pieces which were cut off and molded separately can be reattached using heat to weld the wax pieces together just as they were in the original artwork. "Registration marks" are often used to help know where exactly to reattach pieces.

6) Once a wax copy is perfected in this way so it now looks just as the original artwork did, it is "sprued" onto a treelike structure, also made of wax. This structure usually consists of a wax cup, from which feeder tubes of solid wax attached to the bottom connect to the wax copy, and smaller vent tubes attach the uppermost parts of the sculpture back to the top of the cup. Much thought is required to design these structures, as will be explained further in step 10.