How are Large and Life Size Bronze Statues Made?
Updated 11/28/2023 6:37 PM By Guo, Judy
Many people always wonder how bronze statues are made. The bronze sculpture process is called lost wax casting and is an ancient method that dates back centuries. YouFine has its own bronze sculpture foundry. We provide bronze sculpture casting services to many military memorials, museums, schools, medical structures, individuals as well as artists from around the world. To find out more about our foundry please call +86 139 3848 0725 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.
Step 1: Inspiration for the Artwork
Every sculpture starts with inspiration and design in our minds. For commissioned pieces, we would examine the history, meaning, and purpose of the sculpture to realize the vision of the project. We enter every project with an open mind and a desire to understand other people’s concepts. Our team of artists is extremely experienced and always researches each bronze sculpture commission in depth. Our team is unique because we share the same vision as our clients.
First of all, our artists read a lot of books and materials before creating the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial and watched the images at that time as many as 100 times. We could definitely restore every detail of the character’s history. Includes military pilot sculptures with weapons, buttons, military insignia, and hat styles. When everything is completely finalized, our designers create illustrative renderings depicting the composition, scale, and gesture of the artwork. Moreover, we would also entrust units to communicate in a timely manner during this process. We are deeply aware of the rigor and seriousness of the military. We also seek approval from the client through renderings before proceeding with clay construction.
Step 2: Sculpting Clay Model
We begin the creative process by working in clay using models and references. We would create a skeletal structure, with a metal skeleton supporting the clay. For this bronze military Tuskegee Airmen Memorial sculpture, we built a clay model to life-size. During the manufacturing process, our artists and managers would constantly check and adjust the appearance details and character characteristics of the entire figure.
In preparation for the casting process, the piece is cut into sections, which are then individually molded and cast. The number of parts depends on the size and complexity of the piece. Each section is marked with notches to ensure proper alignment when reattaching in the metal.
Step 3: Making the Silicone Rubber Mold
To create the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial sculpture mold, we applied liquid silicone rubber to each part of the clay piece. The rubber captures all the details of the sculpture in the negative. Once the silicone has cured, we set it into a plaster master mold to hold the model in place. The molds we created are of a walnut shell concept, so they consist of two halves separated by a seam. Molds are used to reproduce limited edition sculptures and are destroyed once the full version is cast. For one-of-a-kind pieces, such as the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial, the mold is used only once and then retired.
Step 4: Creating a Wax Mold
After the original clay sculpture is removed from the rubber mold, the wax is heated to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit and poured into the rubber mold to form a thin coating. When creating a wax model, the first hot layer fills in the fine details, while subsequent layers of cooler wax (160-180 degrees) form the shape to a thickness of 1/8 to 3/16 inch. After we remove the cooled wax model from the mold, we hand-finish or sculpt the model to reveal the details and textures we originally carved. We use engraving tools and heat tools to fix any bubbles or seam lines in the wax.
Step 5: Sand Shell Making
After chasing the wax molds, our artists would cover the fine white sand on the wax molds. It is important that our white fine sand comes from Inner Mongolia, where the sand is very fine and is reputed to be the best sand in China. Artists still need to check the fine sand with their hands every time before they make the shells. All of this would ensure the final sand shell is cleaner and does not affect the final fine surface of the statue.
Second, in this process, we add Silica sol(one kind of excellent nanomaterial, strong acid resistance material), which is very different from traditional ammonia(ammonia is acidic and makes the bronze color change after rain), would avoid the statue appear the white spots. we all knew that the white spots would make the statue damage. However, some traditional manufacturers still use ammonia then their statues appear the white spots. Lastly, their bronze sculpture just stays beautiful for a while. There is no doubt that the You Fine factory bronze sculpture would become more patina over time.
Step 6: Burning out the Wax
After the Sand Shell molds are dry and solidified, we put them into the foundry’s burnout furnace and melt the wax at about 800 degrees, hence the name “lost wax.” By burning away the wax, we created a hollow cavity within the shell where the 1/8″ wax pattern and pouring system once were. The cavities and channels act as arteries carrying molten bronze to every part of the shell.
Step 7: Casting the Bronze
Our staff of 10 is usually involved in bronze pouring. Workers would use a crucible to pour the liquid bronze into formerly made sand shells, the bronze pieces would be formed while the wax molds are heated to flow out. YouFine Foundry updated our furnace from coal heating to electric heating, which could keep thermostatic after heating to a certain degree, also more environmentally friendly.
Step 8: Welding the Bronze
To reassemble the life-size military sculpture we consulted photographs and measurements based on the original clay sculpture. Welders would weld the bronze pieces together according to original requests. During this process the most import to make sure the structure is perfect, or the total sculpture is far away from the original if comparing them together, YouFine welders need to learn clients’ requests and the structure of the original artwork before they start to work, in this way to make sure You Fine sculpture structure perfect. Every famous artist checks artwork quality, and the first check is always the structure.
We welded the seams using a TIG welder and electrodes from the same bronze alloy. Just like waxing, we sand and clean the metal to remove any excess material and fill in any dents. We sanded the welds and used a grinder with a carbine to add surface texture to the piece, blending it with the rest of the sculpture. We are proud that our seam lines are undetectable and that we maintain the highest quality welds in terms of strength and appearance.
Step 9: Applying the Patina
The process of coloring a bronze life size sculpture is called patina. It is a chemical reaction between the bronze surface and various metal salts. We achieve this reaction by applying ferric nitrate, hepatitis sulfur, and other chemicals along with varying degrees of heat. Each metal salt (usually nitrate) reacts with a different color; different application techniques produce different results, from a perfectly even coating to an organic marble look.
YouFine artists use patina to make the bronze large military statue, which means modulating different chemical liquids together to a different degree, then pouring the liquid on the bronze surface with heating, the beautiful final patina color comes out after several layers of color changing. Of course, the patina would ensure the statue is more natural and nice as time goes by. And, after centuries years, our bronze sculpture could not fade.
Step 10: Maintaining the Bronze Sculpture
To protect the patina, we apply wax while the bronze is still hot. As the wax melts, it seals the pores of the metal, and after cooling, several more layers are applied by hand and polished to give the military sculpture its final shine.
After the patina color, there are two methods to maintain the bronze surface. The first one is using wax to protect the bronze sculpture surface, top masters would heat the wax to liquid, then brush the wax to the patina’s surface softly, and at the same time use a spray gun to heat the surface making sure the wax is one protective layer. In this way, the patina color would last many years whether under strong sunlight or heavy snow.
The second way is to spray a little bit of varnish on the surface of the sculpture, which would form a smooth film, which could well protect the bronze Tuskegee Airmen Memorial sculpture from dust and rain. Cause the varnish is transparent, which would show the original natural surface of the bronze statue, no change to the original patina color.
Step 11: Installing the Sculpture
Installing a bronze statue is always an emotional experience and the bronze would last for generations. Four life-size bronze statues of the Tuskegee Airmen now stand in front of the Palm Springs Aviation Museum. When World War II broke out in 1941, discrimination and segregation prevented African Americans from serving in the military. However, through the efforts of civil rights activists and historically black colleges and universities, President Franklin D. Roosevelt organized the first group of black military pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps later that year.
They were stationed in Tuskegee, Alabama, “the heart of the segregated South,” which is why they were called the “Tuskegee Airmen.” The entire process of creating a life-size and giant bronze statue could take months or even years. The exact time depends on the size and complexity of the statue, as well as the skill of the sculptor. Our artists always maintain close contact and communication with the client, providing people with exquisite and high-quality bronze custom statues.
To learn more about the lost wax process, visit the YouFine Process Flow of Lost Wax Method.