Bronze was used in prehistory around 3000 BC. in the so-called the Bronze Age, which took its name from the use of tools made of this metal at that time. It was common to make tools used in agriculture, but in some areas, such as Greece and Mesopotamia, people also began to create metal art, using bronze for casting sculptures. One of the methods was the lost wax method that is still in use today. In Europe, bronze was used mainly in the Middle Ages for the production of weapons and tools, but also for the casting of sculptures and decorations. The great return of this metal can be observed at the beginning of the 20th century, when it was created by great artists – sculptors, making bronze castings, such as the master of this technique and large-size sculptures, a Frenchman, Auguste Rodin.
Ancient tools made of bronze. Source: https://trojmiasto.wyborcza.pl
What is bronze?
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin in a 9: 1 ratio, often mixed with lead and zinc. It is characterized by durability and strength. However, what distinguishes it from other metal alloys is the ability to reproduce the smallest details of a cast statue, which is so important for sculptors who like this metal. Bronze is commonly used for foundry molds. Brass, which is an equally noble alloy of copper with zinc, has similar properties. However, it is not about him.
Incredibly realistic sculpture with many details inspired by the work of Antoine-Louis Barye “Lion and Serpent”
Basic methods of making bronze castings
In ancient times, bronze was cast in several ways. The two basic and widely accepted methods were sand casting and wax casting. The first was a simple technique using forms containing fine sand. The second one was based on the use of a wax model, which was then destroyed in the sculpture casting process. The wax is very malleable and it was easy to make small details and carving details into it. The Greeks invented this method thousands of years ago. However, it had one major drawback: we lost a prototype made of wax during the casting. Later, indirect methods began to be used, consisting in repeated use of plaster molds from the original wax model, which was being destroyed. However, this technique still did not allow for a casting larger than approx. 1 m, as the material consumption and the weight of the sculpture were too heavy. The reason for this was that such a sculpture was full inside. However, the ingenious Greeks already developed a method that allowed for casting a sculpture that was a hollow metal shell.
Lost wax casting method
The ingenious Greek “lost wax” method, improved in modern times, brought a real revolution in foundry. It has been widely adopted and is used not only for bronze castings, but also for other precious metals such as gold, silver and brass. A sculpture made with this technique is a result of replacing the model, made of any material, with a replica of a selected metal, here made of bronze. Primary model – a project, usually made by the artist from clay. Then the sculpture is covered with a plaster mold called negative. In the case of casting more complex works, with many details, a special silicone is used, which is flexible, thanks to which the mold is easier to remove from the complicated model than a rigid plaster negative. Once the negative has solidified and becomes quite hard, you can disassemble the mold to remove the clay model. The empty form is reassembled and poured with liquid wax, which accurately reproduces all the details of the sculpture’s negative. The wax model obtained in this way, which is additionally hollow and has thin walls, is re-enclosed with another mold, this time made of a special molding mass with a special system of tubules attached to it. The mold is then fired and the wax is melted in this process. Hence the name “lost wax”. Liquid bronze is poured through pouring tubules into the space in the mold left by the molten wax. After cooling down, the mold is broken to remove the bronze sculpture, which will be finished. Then the remnants of the pouring system are cut off, and any small gaps resulting from inaccurate filling of the mold with metal are filled. At the end, the sculpture is covered with numerous preparations that will bring out the natural beauty of bronze and polished or patinated to achieve the effect desired by the artist.
We also invite you to watch an excerpt from the film made by Discovery, thanks to which it will be easier to understand the entire process of casting bronze sculptures.
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Noble bronze art or how sculptures are made …
The beginnings …
Bronze was used in prehistory around 3000 BC. in the so-called the Bronze Age, which took its name from the use of tools made of this metal at that time. It was common to make tools used in agriculture, but in some areas, such as Greece and Mesopotamia, people also began to create metal art, using bronze for casting sculptures. One of the methods was the lost wax method that is still in use today.
In Europe, bronze was used mainly in the Middle Ages for the production of weapons and tools, but also for the casting of sculptures and decorations. The great return of this metal can be observed at the beginning of the 20th century, when it was created by great artists – sculptors, making bronze castings, such as the master of this technique and large-size sculptures, a Frenchman, Auguste Rodin.
What is bronze?
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin in a 9: 1 ratio, often mixed with lead and zinc. It is characterized by durability and strength. However, what distinguishes it from other metal alloys is the ability to reproduce the smallest details of a cast statue, which is so important for sculptors who like this metal. Bronze is commonly used for foundry molds. Brass, which is an equally noble alloy of copper with zinc, has similar properties. However, it is not about him.
Basic methods of making bronze castings
In ancient times, bronze was cast in several ways. The two basic and widely accepted methods were sand casting and wax casting. The first was a simple technique using forms containing fine sand. The second one was based on the use of a wax model, which was then destroyed in the sculpture casting process. The wax is very malleable and it was easy to make small details and carving details into it. The Greeks invented this method thousands of years ago. However, it had one major drawback: we lost a prototype made of wax during the casting.
Later, indirect methods began to be used, consisting in repeated use of plaster molds from the original wax model, which was being destroyed. However, this technique still did not allow for a casting larger than approx. 1 m, as the material consumption and the weight of the sculpture were too heavy. The reason for this was that such a sculpture was full inside.
However, the ingenious Greeks already developed a method that allowed for casting a sculpture that was a hollow metal shell.
Lost wax casting method
The ingenious Greek “lost wax” method, improved in modern times, brought a real revolution in foundry. It has been widely adopted and is used not only for bronze castings, but also for other precious metals such as gold, silver and brass. A sculpture made with this technique is a result of replacing the model, made of any material, with a replica of a selected metal, here made of bronze.
Primary model – a project, usually made by the artist from clay. Then the sculpture is covered with a plaster mold called negative. In the case of casting more complex works, with many details, a special silicone is used, which is flexible, thanks to which the mold is easier to remove from the complicated model than a rigid plaster negative. Once the negative has solidified and becomes quite hard, you can disassemble the mold to remove the clay model.
The empty form is reassembled and poured with liquid wax, which accurately reproduces all the details of the sculpture’s negative. The wax model obtained in this way, which is additionally hollow and has thin walls, is re-enclosed with another mold, this time made of a special molding mass with a special system of tubules attached to it. The mold is then fired and the wax is melted in this process. Hence the name “lost wax”.
Liquid bronze is poured through pouring tubules into the space in the mold left by the molten wax. After cooling down, the mold is broken to remove the bronze sculpture, which will be finished. Then the remnants of the pouring system are cut off, and any small gaps resulting from inaccurate filling of the mold with metal are filled. At the end, the sculpture is covered with numerous preparations that will bring out the natural beauty of bronze and polished or patinated to achieve the effect desired by the artist.
We also invite you to watch an excerpt from the film made by Discovery, thanks to which it will be easier to understand the entire process of casting bronze sculptures.