About the Bronze Casting Process

The bronze sculptures are made with the highest quality bronze consisting of 95% copper and 4% silica and 1% magnesium. The sculptural process from start to finish includes several stages of development. Paul starts with an armature supporting the original clay sculpture and then makes a rubber and fibre glass mold of the original. This mold allows Paul to make a wax replica of the original sculpture. With the wax replica in hand the piece is then prepared for bronze casting using the lost wax casting technique. First the wax replica is prepared and fitted with a network of wax pouring tubes and then the piece is dipped into a liquid ceramic slurry providing a thick coating on both the inside and outside surfaces of the hollow wax replica. The ceramic encrusted wax replica of the original sculpture is then fired in a kiln, the wax melts out (hence the lost wax term) and the ceramic is cured by the heat of the kiln. This leaves a hard durable shell around the space formerly occupied by the wax replica. Molten bronze is then poured into the ceramic mold through the series of pouring tubes and is distributed throughout the mold of the sculpture. The ceramic is then chipped and sand blasted away revealing the bronze sculpture which is then refined and finished with an acid base patina.