Published 01 October 2019 in Publications
Art Times
It is such an extraordinary experience to meet an artist and academic with a world of knowledge both on the creative side and the chemical side of sculpting.The process is mind-boggling, complicated and captivating at the same time.
We were invited to visit his studio-foundry in the Cradle of Humankind. Mike Edwards and fellow sculptor, Christo Horn, explained the process to us. It was great to be part of the enthusiasm as it was casting day - many processes to manage simultaneously.
What is involved in casting?
The idea must first be sculpted. Mike uses his own clay mixture. He created two formulas, one for winter (or colder) conditions and one for summer. A rubber negative mould is then made. Warm wax is then poured into the mould to create a wax positive of the
sculpture. When cooled the wax is removed. The positive wax sculpture is fitted with vents and in-gates to enable air and bronze to reach all areas in the mould. Mike strongly believes that in sculpting one cannot be influenced by the process required for casting as it restricts the creative process. The entire wax sculpture with air vents and in-gates is invested in a ceramic mixture, layered several times to create a new mould. The ceramic outer moulds are then cured. This process also melts the wax out and leaves the moulds ready for the bronze.
Finally, it’s time to cast! The ceramic moulds are heated to 650°C and simultaneously the bronze must be melted to 1200°C. The challenge is to pour the bronze into the moulds as quickly as possible as it starts cooling rapidly once it leaves the furnace. Safety First – melted bronze will burn straight through you!
After several hours the ceramic bronze filled moulds have cooled sufficiently in order to handle cautiously with gloves. The ceramic mould is broken and removed from the bronze leaving you with a raw sculpture.
Finally, after removing the vents and in-gates, now hopefully full of bronze, as this indicates a successful pour, the sculptures are taken to be meticulously cleaned and polished.
