Here is the wax model of an archaic head.
It was fashioned from heated wax slabs .
All around the model casting rods and vents are welded to allow the molten bronze to reach all parts of the sculpture.
All around the model casting rods and vents are welded to allow the molten bronze to reach all parts of the sculpture.
The wax is attached to an iron frame that will allow it to be manipulated during its refractory coating.
The wax is coated with what will become the refractory mold capable of supporting the molten metal. It is a mixture of soda silicate, molochite and chamotte.
The increasingly coarse-grained chamotte is incorporated into the mould.
It is the sculpture just before the dewaxing which consists in melting the wax to leave the void which will be filled by the bronze.
Casting: the crucible was removed from the furnace which allowed it to be melted (at the top of the photo). The mold is held vertical by sand and the molten metal poured into the tundish to the brim.
The mold is broken , the sculpture appears with the jets and the vents.
Then comes the finishing work , which consists of eliminating traces of refractory using chisels.
The finished sculpture , it was filled with refractory cement that we see flush in the black parts.