The Gibran Sculpture Series
So once the wax has been melted out from inside the moulds (that’s why it’s sometimes called the ‘Lost Wax’ process), the empty moulds need to be made ready for casting. These moulds are tall and thin and although they will stand up on their own, they are far too unstable to stay upright reliably while being filled with molten bronze.
So, the next step is to make them stay upright and here they are being put into a container to make sure they do.
The gaps between them in the container are filled with sand, which keeps them separate from one another and then they stay absolutely still throughout the casting process.
Preparing the empty moulds for casting.
The bronze is being melted in the furnace behind.
On the floor in front of the furnace is the special cradle that will be used to pour the metal.
Finally, after all that preparation, the bronze is poured into the moulds!
This is the moment of casting. The crucible holding the molten metal is carried by two men using a special cradle with very long arms. A third man directs operations and makes sure that the metal going into the moulds is free from any impurities.
The next step is to let the castings cool, which takes days rather than hours.
See the finished Speak to us of Freedom sculpture here.