© 2012 All rights reserved. Wendy Hunt Sculptor. United Kingdom
This is the finished piece before it goes to the foundry for casting.
Once the mould has been produced, a casting is produced using green wax. Wax runners will then be attached going from the sculpture to a cup that has been fixed to the piece, this will allow the air to escape when the molten bronze is poured.
The sculpture is then dipped into a ceramic mixture over a period of days, creating an outer shell.
The ceramics are then placed in a kiln where they will be fired to 900°c for about 1½ hours, at this point the wax will run away leaving a hollow ceramic shell. When casting takes place the sculptures will be turned upside down and the cup that they are stood on in the kiln will be used as the pouring point for the bronze.
The furnace is then loaded with the bronze ingots (about 80lbs in weight) and heated too 1200°c, for about 1½ hours.