Solid wax feeder bars, vents, and a pouring cup
are attached to the hollow wax components of the sculpture. This
is collectively called "sprewing" the wax.
The next stage known as the "ceramic dip" has
two components. The wax is initially dipped
into liquid ceramic slurry. The various
openings on the wax allow the slurry to enter the
hollow cavity of the wax.
Stucco made of fused silica is applied to the
wet slurry. Additional slurry and silica
are applied in layers. The grain sizes of
the silica vary from very fine in the layer closest
to the wax to very coarse on the outside layer. This
ceramic slurry was developed in the aerospace industry
and is the same ceramic used for the insulating
tiles on the space shuttles.
The ceramic covered wax is placed in a kiln to harden. This simultaneously melts the wax, which exits thru the negative space which were previously the solid wax sprews. Thus the term "lost wax casting." The hot ceramic shell is supported in a barrel filled with sand and 1,940 degree molten bronze is poured into the cup.
After the bronze has cooled, the ceramic shell
is broken off revealing bronze wherever there had
been wax. The bronze mixture is 95% copper,
4% silicon, and 1% manganese and was created specifically
for the art industry.
The "raw metal" is now turned over
to Dimitry Spiridon. He carefully reattaches
each of the individual components. Here
you can see how carefully the right hind leg is
attached to the body of the horse with the aide
of registration marks.
Here you can see the entire sculpture is reassembled
and each component welded into place. The
shiny areas are where the "rough chasing" has
begun.
Dimitry has been doing the metal
finishing and patinas on my work since 1984. He
duplicates the surrounding textures with air driven
grinding tools. The entire surface is then
hand sanded to insure a blend of the textures. The
completed bronze is sandblasted one last time,
readying the surface to accept the patina.
Dimitry and I work together very closely determining which combination of chemicals are most appropriate to enhance the sculpture. I am a traditionalist at heart and love basic brown patinas. Watching Pat and Casper while they worked in the arena, however, made me feel that an illusion of color was important to both of their identities. We solved the dilemma by offering the sculpture in both TRADITIONAL COWBOY BROWN and NATURAL COLOR. The finished sculpture is sealed with a protective wax coating. The process that began over a year ago is now complete.
"Synchronicity" - Pat Parelli and Casper
22 by 19 by 8 inches
Edition of 50 - $5,400
(Patina shown: NATURAL COLOR Also Available in Traditional COWBOY
BROWN)
www.parellicollection.com
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