the process
I am dedicated to creating casts of children’s hands and feet, which are beautiful, moving and uplifting – with the belief that a bronze cast is not only a magical way to remember your child, but also a piece of art in itself. Each cast is created according to your wishes, is produced to the highest possible quality, and made to last a lifetime.
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Below shows the process I follow with you to create your piece.
step
one
We arrange a time for me to come to your house to take the mould/s.
I use a rubber called alginate (the same as dentists use to take mouth impressions) which is totally safe for delicate skin. It's pretty quick and the child's hand or foot doesn't stay in the rubber for more than a minute. During this visit I'll show you examples of other work and we'll talk about colours and engraving for the finished piece.
step
two
Once I have the moulds, I then fill them with hot wax (usually while still at your house). I take the moulds away and, once the wax has cooled, I peel off the rubber to reveal a solid wax foot or hand.
I then take the waxes to the foundry- Lockbund, in Oxfordshire- where I touch up any imperfections that might have occurred during the mould making process
step
three
The foundry take over at this point and the waxes embark on the incredible process of being turned into bronze.
To see more about the bronze casting process visit: www.lockbundsculpturefoundry.com
step
four
Once they are cast in bronze, I return to the foundry to patina them. Patination involves heating the bronze cast up using a blow torch, and painting on chemicals which turn the bronze either a light or dark brown, a pale gold, a browny yellow or bluish green depending on your preference.
step
five
The final stage is to engrave the pieces, usually with the name and age of the child, or the date the mould was taken. Or something else if you prefer!