Learning to hollow cast | Bronze Grizzly

[@laughingachilles]

Thank you for showing your mistakes. Far too many people only show their successes and that both limits the learning potential of videos such as this and it discourages those who try a new hobby as they can feel lonely in their failures. P.S I like the bear :)

[@tonywolfemusic5920]

Yes, and honestly, seeing the ways not to do something can be just as illuminating as seeing the way to do something correctly. Experience, good and bad, is still the best teacher in regards to craftsmanship.

[@wildcastfineartfoundry8727]

I'm impressed. Your way finding skills serve you well. I built a lost wax foundry 22 years ago and have poured silicone bronze off and on since then. I'd love to share some of the experience I've had with you. Over the years I was able to connect with a couple of incredible founders that were willing to share information and helped me greatly in my journey. They're are both gone now but were willing to share a wealth of information with others, just as you are doing.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I am amazed at how much there is to this craft. I love hearing the advice people have. I’ve learned a lot from people willing to share knowledge already. I also learn a lot from my failure. I don’t know that I could make it happen at this point in my life, but I would like to apprentice at a foundry someday just to learn the tricks of the trade.

[@wildcastfineartfoundry8727]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios I have a couple of information packed small text books. One on plaster/refractory base process and one on shell. I'd be willing to share these with you if there was a way to make contact.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Absolutely! My email is [e-mail]. You can send me more info there.

[@juanofthekind]

Will you guys share it with me? I’m trying to learn the process, I just got my first manual kiln which I have to set up in my garage [e-mail]

[@thumperstick]

Wow is there any way to share this info? This new hobby has sucked me in and the more learning we can all do the better!

[@dnegron8]

Thank you for your detail and wonderful info! 🎉🎉🎉 Absolutely invaluable for those aspiring!

[@akankshasaxena591]

Thanks for sharing this video with us...i was little confused with the theory of solid and hollow casting technique... U have done a great job... There is no confusion after seeing this video... U are a great artist...

[@jackavalon8366]

That’s so cool. I was wondering how ancient bronze casters made hollow vessels - and you have given the perfect demonstration- thanks from down under.

[@stevel9353]

Nice video! Some things that might make life easier for you: Get a heat gun like you use for stripping paint. Great for heating molds. Heat the mold as you brush your first coat of wax. That way you don't get those freezing lines. The heat gun works well for softening sprues too. Get a thermometer for your wax. A roaster oven like what you cook turkeys in works great for melting wax. Buy an X-acto knife. It would be good for cutting the hole in the butt. It's also good for cutting sprues. If your wax is too hard to cut with an X-acto knife, heat it with the heat gun. Heat it from a distance so you don't melt the wax. When attaching the bear to the base, consider making an exact fit while it's wax, then cut a hole in the wax base under each foot. After casting, weld from the inside. No chasing! Buy a 3 1/2 inch hand held grinder. It's way faster to grind your welds as much as you can before using other tools. You can also get cut-off wheels to cut sprues.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Brilliant! I can tell you have a lot of experience. That is some great advise. Thanks!

[@cs5982-n7j]

Great job. Thank you for sharing.

[@ryanbarker5217]

you've got all the fun toys, very cool.

[@vilangel78]

Enhorabuena por tu extraordinaria habilidad. Un trabajo encomiable. Saludos desde España 🇪🇦

[@michael-1680]

Wow! That's great! I've never hollow-cast anthing before. I'm going ot have to try it! Thank ou SO much!

[@andycap1223]

Very enjoyable to watch! Thank you for sharing both your knowledge & experience. Happy casting!

[@danwood1666]

Your videos are relaxing and easy to watch. Cheers m8 thanks

[@diversidadsocial9253]

Felicitaciones amigo. Gracias por compartirnos parte de tu lindo conocimiento Saludos desde uno de los países más lindos del globo

[@ramkitty]

A hole through base and reduced in foot gives edges for flame to puddle and fill from inside. Beautiful work

[@CaliBlueTrucker]

Great video! I have a small collection of bronze bears and other animals so it's nice to see how they're made. Some have very nice paint that was applied in a special way but I've read the technique has been lost. ( Bergman bronzes ) some are over 100 years old.

[@artfx9]

Perfect!

[@a.x.marcus4627]

This is great. Thank you

[@Pef273]

That is incredible job.

[@mevk1]

Like the idea of steaming out the wax from investment. To insure good mold strength add investment into water until water disappears. I had good luck boiling out wax on the stove with a pressure cooker or a big pot of boiling watter. Gets rid of over 90% of wax so burnout in furnace is much cleaner and wax reclamation is better. BTW, investment molds dry out on their own at room temp if given several days depending on thickness. For two-part plaster molds without wax , just preheat bone dry molds to high oven temps before casting for better metal filling.

[@SetGozo]

great very appreciative of your video share. I learned a lot.

[@fernandoquispetunque4139]

Excelente técnica gracias por compartir saludos des de Perú

[@jacknissen6040]

turned out great ! tks. must do this , must, soon. low budget. want cast walking stick handles … ? like what you’re doing and sharing. !

[@eilleenfalkenberry9852]

This is beautiful! And I love watching your trouble shooting techniques.

[@jonmixer6142]

You're work on filling the back side and blending looks really good.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I tried my best!

[@itsOculus]

both great editing and demonstration/instruction cheers & Godbless

[@thowdow5626]

Your videos are very important all of them. Have you thought of marking the bears feet locations on the base with paint and drilling out a portion of them then welding from under the base and it's soles?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I did start doing it that way and yea it does work better.

[@arrowdriver007]

Wonder how it would work out to turn the mold upside down after pouring to empty out most of the metal to make a hollow casting?

[@hxmendoza7]

Have you made any more of these grizzly bears? I would love to be able to buy one from you. My spirit animal.

[@tobhomott]

Pretty good for a new guy! Great job.

[@tracygay9370]

Great video!

[@garljoens]

I would like to see a video on how to make the form for the rubber mold. I can’t figure out how to make that mold, how to get a shell of even thickness, etc.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I have multiple videos on mold making.

[@marklundgren9382]

You have lots of patience

[@diego9886]

thanks i was wondering how to make things hollow

[@TheMarkEH]

An excellent demonstration. Thank you.

[@ryanfisher659]

Great video

[@ArindursForge]

To save work you can mark the foot placement and then drill out from the under side of the base and weld completely sight unseen

[@ph1gm3nt]

Damn, that’s what I was thinking too.

[@محمدکرمهمدانی]

سلام من ریخته گر ه‍ستم ایران

[@philipshane768]

Cool to see a golf disc on the wall.

[@scottgray6276]

I've wondered if they drive bronze screws through the hollow wax casting, to support the investment, when the wax is melted out...then grind off the heads, after the pour.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

They do. It’s called a chaplet. They will put little pins in to hold the core in place. I didn’t do that because I figured I had a strong enough column to hold the core in place. I maybe should have used a chaplet to be safe though.

[@lucasjhelenos]

I was looking for that coment

[@tchaugn]

So cute, so talented

[@KARTIKDOSHI1234]

Hi.. Thanks for the informative and comprehensive video.. But was wondering that when you fill wax in the mould, it will come as full piece filled with wax.. Then when you cut out a piece of the bear from the back, how is it hollow from inside? How can we get wax that is hollow?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I pour wax into the mould and then pour it out. A little wax freezes to the walls of the mould each time. I do it in layers. Each time a little more wax freezes to the walls of the mould but I pour out the molten wax. So the wax freezes on the outside edge first and as long and you have a hole to pour the molten wax out you will end up with a hollow shell.

[@67JGJ]

Question: When you weld the workpiece on a base, why don't you make a hole in the base and weld the workpiece firmly from the inside? The workpiece is fixed and does not lose details in the weld pool.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

That would be an option, I’ve done it that way too. If it doesn’t fit right it can leave a gap going from the bottom. I designed my sculptures a little different now.

[@tsraikage]

hans zimmer did a perfect job scoring your video

[@jacquelinedelfonso1776]

I am working on a bronze piece. But I need to weld a part on it. What do you use? Is it possible to solder a separate price on with soldering wire?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I used an AHP 201x tig welder. Tig welding is typically how it’s done and if this is something you plan on doing long term you will eventually want to have one. My set up with welder has tanks hood and everything was about $1000 investment. Some people do it other ways but I only know how to tig weld. Had to learn just for this craft.

[@ArindursForge]

Another thought to save work is to try to make the hollow center connect through the bases of two feet? Depends on how many you want to make I guess

[@ArindursForge]

Ah, I'm year late should be cool to see how you're progressing anyhow

[@josilk]

Well done sir. Great results

[@markdmaker3173]

Nice video, well done. New subscriber

[@NomadArchitecture]

Great video, I am just about to try this with my son due to home schooling his art exam. I don't understand how you got the investment out of the bear.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

The investment is fairly soft. You can use a wire to pick away at it and keep rinsing it out, or a sandblaster.

[@Lazywatchsmith]

Subscribed!!!!

[@stevesrt8]

Great Work! cheers

[@tavish4699]

what i dont quite underrstand yet is how the baer is hollow after you poured investment in it burned the wax out and then mold it what happens to the investment inside the baer? do you need to scrape it out , does it burn up?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

The investment inside the bear can either be removed of left in. I remove it with a sand blaster.

[@tavish4699]

thank you for both your answers , love your work and apreciate you letting us tagg along your journey@@lundgrenbronzestudios

[@michael-1680]

Lucas, I have a question. Clearly you are making a silicone mold from an original sculpture, but how do you manage to then pour a hollow wax shell, which can be placed into the investment?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

By pouring the wax in and pouring the wax out. It hardens on the outer part of the mold giving a nice ac shell.

[@michael-1680]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios Huh. I've always injected wax into a silicone mold, and had the whole thing harden solid almost instantly. I guess I'm too used to making very small parts, like jewelry, that don't stay liquid long enough to pour wax back out and produce a hollow shell. The only way I could figure out to do it was was to build a hollow original with a hole in it, and a two-part silicone mold, (like for a cup-shape) and then weld or otherwise close up the hole after pouring. I'll have to try making something larger with pouring the wax in and out. How warm do make the silicone before the wax goes in? Too hot to hold? Or less than that?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

@@michael-1680 I just make it warm to the touch before the wax goes in. Even on something the size of the bear it takes a while for the wax to harden. The mold holds the heat pretty well.

[@mikemastrangelo6141]

What bronze alloy do you use and what are some good sources for purchasing statuary bronze?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I like silicon bronze. I buy from Lancaster foundry in Pennsylvania.

[@mikemastrangelo6141]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios Thanks. Will give that a try

[@محمدکرمهمدانی]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😊

[@guerrillaspikes]

I think we are brothers, it's like I watched a video of myself 😅 best of luck next time 💪🏻

[@morrispicturestudios4458]

where do you buy that welding thing you have?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

From AHP. My welder is an AHP 201 X

[@mrllblasi]

How did you stabilize the investment inside the bear to prevent movement during wax burnout?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Kind of got lucky. The part of the wax I cut out that allowed the investment to flow in formed a pillar strong enough to hold the center in place. What I should have done is added chaplet, bronze or brass “silk pins”. You poke them through the wax in inside so they are poking out of both sides of the wax. Then when you pour the investment and melt the wax out, the pins are still holding the core in place. The pins just become part of the sculpture in the end. Grind them off and no one will see them.

[@charlestaylor3195]

I don't understand what is the investment and how did it make the sculpture hollow? I just noticed this video is almost 4 years old. Hopefully I get an answer.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

The investment is a high temperature plaster. It goes inside and outside the wax mold. When the wax melts away it leaves a void and the metal is poured in.

[@ona9638]

is that regular plaster that you cast in?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

No, I use investment. It’s specially made for high temperatures and is porous. The one I use is called Ultra-Vest.

[@stellarmetalworks9850]

What brand welder/model do you use and are you satisfied with it?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I got the AHP alpha 201x. I love the thing. It’s very economical for a tig welder and for the size stuff I need it for it is more than enough power. It works great.

[@stellarmetalworks9850]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios Do you use it in 110 or do you have a 240 set up? I'm wondering how it does 110. Also, I've been watching your channel, I really enjoy that you show your mistakes because the end product comes out really well. I think that some guys make it look so easy-

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I use it in 110 and it works just fine. If I plug it in to one of my outlets it pops the breaker so I make sure I use a different one. But that has to do with my wiring in my garage. Not the machine. I’m a big fan of the blacksmith Alec Steel. He always shows his mistakes and how to figures things out so I figure I can show my mistakes too.

[@stel1000]

Where do you get your wax from? What wax is it?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I get my wax from Arizona sculpting supply. arizonasculpture.com/j-mac-art-bronze-wax/

[@TVBehemoth]

What kind of welder and weld did you use? Is the welding stick made of bronze?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I use an AHP 201x. One of the best bargains for tig welders out there. Yes it’s a silicon bronze welding rod.

[@h7opolo]

dude, the plaster on the inside is called the investment, the plaster on the outside becomes the mold. 4:55

[@BernardLegendre-d6o]

❤great

[@moisesojeda5647]

can you link or show the products you use?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

That’s would probably be a good thing to do. I use ultra-vest investment from ransom and Randolph. And a mix of this and that that I’ve gathered. I’ll start adding specific things to my videos.

[@kavithasomasundaram3644]

What type of rubber do you use?can you tell whats the name of the rubber.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I use tin based silicone rubber.

[@imrek]

Nice job. You did a real butt weld there... :D

[@volkan2372]

hello, is the plaster you use normal plaster?

[@parikshitron1942]

woow

[@sammantha6998]

what kind of plaster are you using?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I use Ultravest investment from Ransom and Randolph. It’s different than plaster. It’s made to handle heigh heat.

[@alexandervouzenthal8163]

6:23 so before that point the bear was filled with the white investment that you had to remove through the butt ?

[@Patshes]

🆒😎👍!

[@MrBrianj60]

👍👍👍👏

[@bobkemper3237]

I am looking for someone to make me a small Bronze Statue about 12" high? But II don't see anyone putting their email address on hear

[@elizabethmarshall3481]

how did you get the investment out of the cast?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

You can use wires to scrape it out and spray water inside to rinse it. Or the easy way is a sand blaster.

[@tsraikage]

how did wax came out hollow to begin with?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

It hardens on the edge of the mold first so the innermost pert is still molten. As long as there is a hole to pour it out you just pour out the molten wax and it leaves you with a hard outer shell. It is done in several layers.

[@sierraecho884]

For silicon moulds check out Robert Talone on KZbin he is a master of the "one part cut mould" awesome videos truly.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

He has a good channel but his one piece molds don’t always work for what I need.

[@sierraecho884]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios What case would that be ? Can you tell me more ?

[@racheldeatherage1512]

"Liver of sulpher" must either be the worst smelling chemical ever or it has been unfairly named.

[@tellurian6859]

Just make a half bear and use it to make a book end with the half base.

[@drmodestoesq]

Or make a bull and a bear book ends and sell it to a stock broker.

[@mohansai3707]

Your from Brother

[@h7opolo]

3:03 how is your wax mold hollow if you just poured into a complete, silicone mold at 0:47? Something's not adding up. 👎

[@tonywolfemusic5920]

Because he slowly poured it, at a temp when it was already wanting to solidify, and rotated the bear to get the buildup even around the entirety of the mold.

[@h7opolo]

@@tonywolfemusic5920 nice try. but that's not what the video shows, even if he omitted the process of rotation.