Bronze Casting Manual

How to cast a small bronze sculpture in a week. A detailed DIY tutorial for artists, sculptors and hobbyists.

Learn the lost wax, ceramic shell technique.
If you happen to be one of those crazy individuals that insists on doing everything by themselves, this tutorial will show you a simple, safe and easy way to cast a small, fist size sculpture in bronze at little cost and little effort.

This book demystifies the bronze casting process. Follow the step by step instructions and make a small bronze object in your backyard.

The method described in this manual is called the thin ceramic shell, lost wax technique. There are many other methods to make a bronze figurine but the lost wax, thin ceramic shell method is the easiest way for the home founder to make a small sculpture to a high degree of quality at little cost and with easily found tools and materials.

This is the same method implemented by professional art foundries. We have simply scaled it down and adapted some aspects of the process to make it easy for anyone to complete successfully in a few days without any heavy equipment.

This manual focuses on a simple yet rewarding project that will allow the novice to cast a small piece safely, quickly, cheaply and to a high degree of quality. More advanced casting techniques are discussed in the second part of the book.

What does the manual cover?
The tutorial takes you through all the steps necessary to make a small, fist size bronze sculpture, from making the original sculpture in wax to finishing the final bronze reproduction.
The manual will introduce you to the basics of wax working, "sprueing" a wax model, mixing and applying a ceramic slurry, making your own crucible and making an efficient yet affordable furnace, melting and pouring the metal and finally chasing the bronze before applying a simple patina.
Advanced casting techniques such as hollow casting are discussed in later chapters of the manual.

What tools and materials are required?
Most of the tools and materials you will need are fairly easy to find, you may even have them already. However you will also need some more specialised materials that are more difficult to source:
To make it easy to find these tools and materials, an appendix lists a large number of places where such tools and materials can be purchased in different countries around the world. (UK, US, Canada, ZA, OZ, NZ, France, Ireland and more...) This will save you much time and effort and will allow you to quickly gather all necessary materials and equipment.

How much will this all cost?
You should not have to spend more than $300 and perhaps as little as $100 depending on what you already have and on whether you buy or rent some equipment.

How many people are needed?
All steps can be easily managed by one person and no particular physical strength is required.

How much time is needed?
The project will span over 5 days but it does not have to be 5 consecutive days. You could work one day a week over a 5 weeks period if you prefer.