bronze pour. part 1

I sat down all set to show you my artwork from this quarter after final crit today but then I realized that I never told you about the BRONZE POUR!

The last picture on that post is of my "wax tree".  The tree is made up of parts of my sculpture and other sprues and vents of wax that are necessary for pouring metal.  

Without ( hopefully) boring you with a bunch of technical jargon,  I'll try to explain the process.  

The entire wax structure in that photo gets coated with many layers of a material that, when fired, turn to a hard shell-like substance.  

The wax is burned out in the firing process, and you're left with a shell that is filled with the molten metal.

Here's my shell before and after the bronze pour:

Wax Tree
                                                                                                          

     Fired Ceramic Shell

Get it?

Good.

So, here's some photos of the bronze pour. I gotta say, one of the greatest days of my life.  

It was unbelievably cool to participate in the melting and pouring of metal.  

Consider me addicted.

Students from the Savannah campus came and the entire place was permeated with pure joy and excitement.  

I was downright giddy.  

This day was only trumped by the aluminum pour day when I actually got to be the one pouring the metal.

Unbelievable experience.

I swear, if more people could experience this, the world would be much happier.

On with the photos.

Taking the molds out of the kiln.  Wax is melted out and ceramic shells are preheated.

That's my Foundry prof in the black rimmed glasses.

Gearin' Up.

I swear, so giddy and excited.

My text to Ro at this point:

I send him this photo.

Ro:  You're scaring me.

Me:  I'm crane operator on the pour team!

Ro:  Now you're really scaring me.

The pour team.

Note how bad ass we all are.

( life lesson:  Never let 'em photograph your McDonnell chin
and never let 'em capture you in a face shield. )

Getting last minute instruction. 

( side note:  this generation with the stretchy earhole thingies.  Not getting it.)

That's me!  With the blue bandana!  Operating the crane, Baby.

Without me, none of that could have gone down.

I was instrumental!

Pouring the metal (!!) into the ladle.  

(**stupid column)

pouring the metal into the molds. 

(me, screaming inside of my head :  holy SH!+holy SH!+holy SH!+holy SH!+!)

A better shot of the molten metal being poured into the ladle.

Again , better shot.  I'm behind the camera now.  

(Quick side note.  Earhole Guy.  Gotta comment on this again because I think it's so stupid to do this to your earlobes. 

 In almost every picture he looks like a complete dumba##.

I rest my case.)

(If you're reading this, I apologize if your earlobes currently have enormous stretched out thingies in them. )

Once the metal is poured into the molds and cooled, 

the ceramic shell gets broken off to reveal the metal casting.

Here's mine. 

All three of my castings.  

Then the extra metal has to be cut off and then the finishing stages commence   

More on that, 

later.