Cathy Erdmann's Art

Fire Hose Fittings for Blaze's Sculpture

This morning I delivered the fire hose fittings from North Kitsap Fire and Rescue, to the foundry.

The fittings are put into the crucible and melted down with the rest of the bronze.  This took only a few minutes.  The temperature in the room registered 105 degrees and I was told by the foundry workers, who were pouring the metal, that it can get up to 150 degrees in the suits they wear.  A very hot place!

The metal is poured into the molds and the fittings are now a permanent part of Blaze's sculpture.

Hayden's Sculpture in the Wax Room

Now that the mold is completed for Hayden's sculpture, it's time for the wax room.  This is David, one of the many craftsmen who will handle this sculpture as it makes it's way through the foundry.  Wax is poured into the mold and back out again, until the desired thickness is achieved.

Pouring the Bronze

After the wax is melted out of the hard shell formed by the slurry, Sergio and Jesus pour in the hot bronze.  They need to wear protective suits, because of the extremely high temperatures.

 

Into the Slurry

Now that the little orphan girl has been turned from clay into wax, she is ready to be dipped into the slurry.  The slurry makes a hard shell around the wax.  The red markings on the surface help the foundry worker (this is not Ken's normal job, but I had to commandeer him for the photo) know how many times the wax has been dipped.  It will be coated seven times before it's finished.

The Wax Room

After the mold is completed, we're off to the wax room at Kolob Sculpture Works, with the orphan girl sculpture.  This is Ken, pouring very hot wax into the mold.

After several coats of wax, the sculpture is ready to be removed from the mold and now we have a hollow wax replica of the clay.

Here is Amanda, patching up and putting the finishing touches on the wax sculpture.  She also attaches the cup and arms that the bronze will flow through when the sculpture is casted.