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Unsolicited Testimonials

Pictures of Hardware in Client's Homes

Home of Everything!

Patina and Nickel Plating now available for Bronze items!

Examples of Nickel Plated and Patina pieces

Horse Items

What's New?

Individual Dog Breed Pages

Cat Pages

Individual Cat Breed Pages

Individual  Animal Pages (not cat or dog)

Individual Mythical Animal Pages

Link to Terry's Beautiful hand painted cards

Dog Ornaments / Pendants

Animal Ornaments / Pendants

Dog Pendants

Animal Pendants

Pet Pendants, with or without Clickers

SMILE project

Pet Hardware List

Animal Hardware List

Fox Hunt Hardware

Fox House Numbers

HUMAN themed Fox Hunters!

NEW! Fox Hunt (and Dog and Misc.) Bronze Buttons

Individual Plant Items

Dog Bookmarks

Other Animal Bookmarks

Lost Wax Casting

Horizontal Pet (mostly dog) Pulls

Vertical Dog Pulls

Deluxe Dog Finger Pulls!

Dog Bone Handles

Dog Finger Pulls

Letter Openers (mostly Dog)

Dog Bottle Openers

Dog Wall Mounted Bottle Openers

Dog Napkin Rings

(Mostly) Dog Scarf Rings

Solo Door Knockers (mostly Dog and Cat)

Dog Duet Door Knockers

LARGE Door Knockers

LARGE Animal J  Hooks

Animal Duet Door Knockers

Dog Small Door Knockers / Cabinet Pulls

Dog Breed  Towel or Curtain Rods

Dog Towel Rings

LARGE Animal Towel Rings

Dog Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Holders

Dog J Hooks

Dog Hooks

Cat items

Cat Deluxe! Finger Pulls

Cat Napkin Rings

Cat Door Knockers

Cat Hooks

Pet  Jewelry

Horse head items (clickers, etc.)

Horse Items

Horizontal Horse Pulls

Vertical Horse Pulls

Icelandic Horse items

Horse Hooks & Plaques

 Horizontal Animal Pulls

Horizontal Sea Pulls

Vertical Animal Pulls

Finger Pulls

Animal Head Deluxe! Finger Pulls

Animal Letter Openers

Animal Bottle Openers

Animal Wall Mounted Bottle Openers

Animal Scarf Rings

Wildlife Animal Napkin Rings

Animal Duet Door Knockers

Wildlife Animal Small Door Knockers

Wild Animal J Hooks

Wild Animal Hooks

Animal Towel and Curtain Rods

Animal Towel Rings

Animal Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Holders

Animal Feet

Mythical Animal Hooks

Early Music Hooks

House Numbers

Oval Botanical Pulls

Narrow Botanical Pulls

Small Round Botanical Pulls

Botanical Duet Door Knockers

Botanical Hooks

Discount List

Four Paw Drive

FAQ

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Ordering Information

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WHAT DOES LOST WAX CASTING MEAN?

 

MAKING THE ORIGINAL BRONZE (or other metal) FIGURE

pattern carved in wax

1.  Wax Pattern

(click on pictures to enlarge them)

1. The figure is carved in solid wax by the sculptor (in this case, M. A. Dabritz). This is called the "wax" or "pattern".  


sprues added to wax pattern

2.  Wax Pattern with Casting Sprues

(wax pathways)

(click on pictures to enlarge them)

2.  Sprues (wax "wires") are attached to the pattern.  These will burn away to form channels through which the wax leaves the mold and also through which the molten metal enters it.


 

wax pattern surrounded by investment

3.  Ceramic Mold (investment)

( Cut-Away View )

(click on pictures to enlarge them)

3. A ceramic slurry ("investment") is poured around the wax pattern and allowed to harden around it like plaster. This surrounds the pattern completely, the picture shows a cut-away view so you can see what is happening on the inside of the mold.


wax pattern burned away

4.  Ceramic Mold After Wax Evacuation

( Cut-Away View )

(click on pictures to enlarge them)

4. The wax is "burned out" in a kiln at 1250° F (orange hot), so that it goes up in smoke and leaves its impression in the ceramic. This creates the mold. Hence the term "Lost Wax" because the wax is gone.


5. Metal is melted and to be forced into the cavity left by the wax.

melting bronze rod with a torch melting metal, flash photography

 flux added to molten metal

(click on pictures to enlarge them)

The first picture shows the torch melting the bronze rod into a ceramic crucible.

   The second picture is taken with a flash so that you can see the cylinder that used to contain the wax pattern, before it was burned away.  Now it is the mold into which the metal is forced.

The third is taken just after the flux has been added to the molten metal to help remove impurities and to make it flow more easily into the mold.  The flux makes a little smoke. 

When the metal is thoroughly molten, the centrifuge is spun (in this case) to force the metal into the mold so that it will assume the same shape that the wax formerly had.

Molten metal can enter the mold by many different methods of casting.  I use centrifugal, but could use vacuum pressure, steam pressure, air pressure, or even gravity (for larger pieces).


 

bronze figure with sprues still attached

6.  Unfinished Bronze Figure (With Sprues)  

Just out of the mold

(click on pictures to enlarge them)

6. The hot mold is plunged into cold water to disintegrate the investment so that the bronze figure(s) can be removed.


 

finished bronze figure

Finished Piece

(click on pictures to enlarge them)

7. The metal figure goes through several finishing and polishing steps to complete it.


To place an order, check our information or you can email us at sculptor@castofcharacters.com or call us toll free at 1-888-495-1090

MAKING REPLICAS OF THE ORIGINAL

8. To make replicas of an original, a rubber mold is made around the finished wax pattern.

 9. The rubber mold is cut with a scalpel along critical "parting" lines to separate it into two parts.

 10. The wax original is removed from the rubber mold leaving a "negative" impression in the flexible, reusable mold.

 11. Molten wax is forced into the rubber mold, hardening into a "positive" copy of the original pattern.

 12. This duplicate wax pattern is cleaned and re-detailed so it is virtually as good as the original wax pattern.

 13. The duplicate wax goes through exactly the same casting and finishing process as the original pattern (steps 2-7).

 

IN ESSENCE, THE WAX FIGURE IS TURNED INTO SOLID METAL. A NEW WAX PATTERN MUST BE MADE OF EACH FIGURE (either from scratch or from a rubber mold)  EVERY TIME IT IS CAST.

YES, EVERY TIME.

To place an order, check our information or you can email us at sculptor@castofcharacters.com or call us toll free at 1-888-495-1090

 
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Copyright © 1999 - 2017 Mary Ann Dabritz