DIY Bronze Letter Casting

Bronze is a versatile metal.

Whether a letter with clean straight lines, or one with elaborate filigree, casting the letter in bronze provides strength and fine detail. Do it yourself bronze-letter casting is a means by which you can create unique designs. Bronze, an alloy composed of tin and copper, is yellowish brown and makes a ringing noise when struck. This project makes use of the wax-casting technique where the resulting DIY letter can be a one of a kind.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Stiff foam
• Artist knife
• Rubber mold material
• Wax
• Wax sprues
• Plaster of Paris
• Protective clothing
• Protective glasses
• Bronze
• Crucible
• Flux
• Furnace
• Centrifugal casting machine
• Hammer
• Saw
• File
• Grinding Wheel
• Polishing Wheel
• Safety goggles
• Tongs
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Draw the letter design on paper from various viewpoints. Take into consideration how the letter will be used, such as allowing for openings for mounting screws to attach to a wall, or including a loop at the top for the letter to be used with others as a wind chime. Use this design as a guide to carve a stiff foam model of the letter.

2. Coat the foam model with the rubber mold material. Coat the rubber mold with wax. Attach the sprues at the top and bottom of the completed wax model. Sprues are pathways for the molten metal to enter the mold and resulting gases to escape.

3. Mix the plaster of Paris with water. Coat the wax model with plaster of Paris. Allow the plaster of Paris to set.

4. Heat the furnace to a temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the model into the furnace. The heat melts the wax, which then drains resulting in space for melted bronze to enter. Remove the mold from the furnace.

5. Place the bronze into the crucible. Heat the bronze to a temperature of 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. Put on protective clothing and protective glasses. Once the bronze melts, pour it into the plaster mold.

6. Move the mold to the centrifuge to send the molten bronze throughout the mold. Remove the mold from the centrifuge and set aside to cool.

7. Put on the safety goggles and strike the mold with the hammer to open it. Saw off bronze extensions that are not part of the design such as sprues. File and grind those parts of the mold that are not part of the design. Polish the letter to finish.

Tips & Warnings

• The letter can be left unpolished for a more rustic look.

• Molten bronze must be handled carefully. It can splash.

References

• Cane Quest: Lost Wax Method
• html Bronze Wax Casting: Bronze Casting or The Lost Wax Casting

Resources

• Carolyn Whitehorn: The Process of Creating Bronze Sculptures