Mark Cowardin’s Bronze Casting Crew
Last week, I posted pics from Angelica Sandoval’s Aluminum Casting. This week, it’s BRONZE in Mark Cowardin’s class on NOVEMBER 10! How do you know it’s bronze?
Bronze is comprised of COPPER and TIN. Tin makes the copper harder, more durable as it was discovered many millenia ago during the Bronze Age. However, it’s the Copper that gives the furnace flame it’s signature green hue.
Photo credits: Barbara Sullivan
One of the truly exciting experiences for JCCC students in Sculpture is the casting process.
This intricate, multifold process starts with an idea, which then the student makes a “positive” of using microcrystalline wax. Once made, a wax “sprue” (channel for the metal) is attached. The entire solid piece of wax is then dipped multiple times into a silica slurry, which builds up a “ceramic shell” around the wax. After the shell has dried, it is fired and the wax is steamed/ melted out, leaving a void in which a metal is then poured, such as aluminum or bronze. The shell is then chipped away, leaving the “positive” metal piece, whereby the sprue is removed and the sculpture is cleaned.
