“With the bronze you see the final act…but there is a whole play in there.”
Lost wax is an ancient technique. Thousands of years old.
First a master is produced. Masters can be of clay, wax, wood, and / or a combination of all those materials. Once the master is made a mold of the master is made of it. From the mold waxes are poured and made perfect.
When the wax is perfect, gates are attached, these are big and small arteries for the metal foundry. The foundry goes through a series of steps to prepare the wax and then dips the wax into a plaster material. The plaster is where the metal is poured into, and the wax is “chased” out. The wax is lost and the metal replaces the space the wax filled. Producing a lost wax bronze. The bronze, is not yet finished. The metal will need grinding, welding, polishing and patination.
These are all complex laborious steps, that have taken many thousands of years to perfect. Each and every casting is unique. There are no two perfectly alike. With an excellent mold, a handmade master still varies just slightly. All steps in the process need to be handled with care and expertise.