Our Craft

Patterns and master copies can be made from all sorts of materials, sometimes our customers provide these but we often make them ourselves.

By combining traditional hand sculpting and 3D printing we can achieve a huge variety of pieces to suit many end uses.

A rubber mould is made using the original pattern. Every detail captured in this mould will be reproduced in the bronze castings.

This mould has include air gates, channels for the molten bronze, and other specialised details to ensure a high quality casting.

Wax copies are made from the mould and then attached to a sprue. The structure and orientation of the sprue is critical to allow the best flow of the molten bronze.

Our specialised wax department have been making sprues for complex artworks for decades and every piece is individually assessed to design the optimal sprue.

The wax sprue has a plaster jacket poured around it before being baked in our kiln. This hardens the plaster and melts the wax which is recycled in our wax department.

The hardened plaster mould has a negative space the same shape as the wax sprue and is now ready for casting.

The bronze is heated in our furnace to create mesmerising molten metal. The temperature is measured and moderated to create just the right fluidity in the molten bronze.

Casting is an art unto itself with the pouring technique being the difference between a high quality casting and scrap. Pouring too quickly creates turbulence in the mould, while pouring too slowly creates air pockets and other issues.

Our finishing department removes sprue and casting marks before assembling pieces.

With the parts welded together we work to refine details and prepare the surface for patina or polishing.

Every one of our pieces is finished individually and by hand.

Patina can create traditional aged finishes but also highly layered and brightly coloured effects. We offer a range of solutions and our patina artists work closely with our customers to achieve their vision.

Once patinated the pieces are finished with a microcystalline wax to bring out the natural lustre of the metal.