Metal

The raw castings are now ready to be fitted, welded and chased by skilled craftspeople. This is by far the most time consuming part of the bronze casting process. Each piece of bronze must be carefully assembled so that no seam lines can be detected and that all tooling and chasing marks match the artists original design. By welding, grinding, chasing, sanding and polishing, all areas are blended back to make the bronze look exactly like the artist’s original sculpture. There are dozens of tools required to recreate  an artist’s surface where a weld has been made. As an artisan becomes more and more  proficient in his or her craft the various tools of their trade become extensions of their hands. Our best craftspeople can literally sculpt with a TIG (tungsten inert gas) welder.

 

On larger sculptures it may be necessary to design a structural support system. This is typically done with Stainless Steel Angle or Rod. Each piece will be designed specifically to its unique needs.

Once the chasing is complete, an artist typically comes back in to check the metal with our artisans. They carefully go over the entire surface to make sure every detail is exactly as they intended. When they are completely satisfied, the sculpture is then ready to go to patina.