The other day I was in my Sculpture II class looking at a couple of tree branches I had collected. I wanted to use them for my one projects but then someone suggested I cast them in bronze! I had only cast something once before and I didn’t feel like I had much of a hands-on experience, so I got some help making a mold for my tree branches. It took about a week before we could pour the bronze because the mold had to be cooked in a kiln.

Once the mold was done, it was time to pour the bronze. I was really excited because I got the opportunity to be a part of the process. Before we could pour the bronze, we had to dress in protective jackets, pants, and gloves. My teacher and I also wore safety masks just in case the bronze splashed. The bronze was heated inside of a crucible and then carefully placed on stone. My teacher and I worked together using a metal structure to carefully pour the bronze into the mold.

The left over bronze was poured into a rectangle mold so that I could be used again later. After the mold was left to cool for about twenty minutes, we came back and broke it open. The branches came out amazing! The bronze really captured the detail in the branches. I can’t wait to use them in my project. I’m also looking forward to casting again sometime soon.