| Bronze has long played numerous roles in the many | | | | so expensive, these plaster molds are the best ways |
| historical cultures of the past. From the Greek to the | | | | to hold the artistic creation until the funds are cleared |
| Chinese, there has always been a prominent place for | | | | for completion. |
| bronze sculptures in a wide variety of inner cultural | | | | The next step is the cast for the mold that is a hollow |
| connections. All though several cultures before the | | | | wax sculpture. The hollow sculpture is to have a core |
| Greek are known to have made many small display | | | | put into the hollow area, and is kept within the proper |
| sculptures, archaeological discoveries have yielded that | | | | location by metal pins. The addition of several wax |
| the Greek civilization was the first civilization to create | | | | sprues help in infusing the molten metal into the large |
| the original life-size bronze sculptures as known to us | | | | life-size sculptures. The molten bronze metal is slowly |
| today. | | | | poured from the bottom up so not to have any |
| When it comes to the full size bronze sculpture | | | | undesired splashing. With the larger bronze sculptures, |
| creation, the Lost Wax Method is the first to be | | | | there may be extra sprues positioned upward within |
| acknowledged. In the method of lost-cast or also | | | | certain critical positions. At this time there may be |
| known as the investment casting method, to create a | | | | extra ventilations added when and were needed, so |
| life sized model which is made out of an oil-based, clay | | | | there can be release of gases that could be otherwise |
| substance that would not dry out while working with it. | | | | trapped. |
| There are several ways to make the original mold | | | | At this point the wax structure is invested in a different |
| from the pattern of oil based clay. There may be a | | | | mold to be heated until the wax melts completely |
| flexible rubber or gel like material, or maybe a mold | | | | away. The shell that is left is what the molten bronze is |
| piece from the plaster created of several pieces of a | | | | put into for the final process. When the casting metal is |
| preservation of the artwork may be made, called a | | | | finally cooled, the ceramic outer mold is chipped away |
| 'plaster master'. A plaster mold may be held until the | | | | for the end result of the bronze sculpture to be |
| final decision is made to finish the project at hand. | | | | smoothed and polished. |
| Because these life-size projects made of bronze are | | | | |