Bronze statues

Bronze statues
The most commonly used technique in bronze casting is the "tire perdue" or lost wax method. This means that the place of the wax is occupied by the bronze. On the statue, which is made in clay or wax, supply and venting channels are applied. The model, including ducts, is wrapped in a refractory mold. This is placed together in a so-called heating furnace. The heating takes a number of days, during which the temperature is slowly raised so that all the wax drains from the maIlen and eventually burns. What remains is a clean, empty mold.
The fired mold is buried in the ground and all around the earth is well tamped to absorb the pressure of pouring. Then the casting in bronze begins. Bronze is an alloy whose main component is copper. Various alloys are possible, such as brass, where 60% copper is used. The color of an image partly depends on the alloy. The bronze is melted in a crucible by heating it to about 1200 degrees Celsius. When the bronze is at the right temperature, the crucible is skimmed and the dirt or slag is removed. The fully cast mold is cut out and the image is further finished. After embossing, that is, chiselling, filing and sanding, the image can be patinated. For example, due to the action of acids, the image acquires a certain color, after which it is rubbed and can be placed.

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