All Boaz Vaadia's bronze sculptures are cast using
the "lost wax" method. This is the most precise casting technique in existence,
insuring accurate reproduction of the original stone sculpture and exquisite
detail of the stone texture. Lost wax casting dates back thousands of years
and it is a fascinating process. While modern methods and materials have
improved the technique, it is still an extremely labor intensive and expensive
process.
After Vaadia sculpts the original stone sculpture,
a rubber mold is made from it. Molten wax is then poured into the mold creating
a hollow wax copy of the original. This wax is then worked on for detail
finishing, to prepare it for casting. This wax is then dipped into liquid
ceramic. When the ceramic is fired in a kiln it makes a hard shell. The
heat from the kiln melts the wax away and it disappears. Hence the name
"lost wax."
Molten bronze is poured into the ceramic shell at the
foundry. At last the ceramic is broken away to reveal the bronze sculpture.
The ceramic shell can be used only one time as it destroyed in the process.
Gating structural elements that are required
for correct casting is cut away and small bubbles and imperfections in
the bronze are filed and removed. The piece is also sandblasted to eliminate
any remaining particles from the ceramic shell. Finally, a patina is applied
to the bronze to chemically change it do the desired color.
Every piece of an edition is custom fitted to a hand-carved
stone base by Vaadia that is then signed and numbered. Although part of
a series, each finished bronze sculpture is a unique and individual piece.
Each individual bronze sculpture that Vaadia produces
must go through this extensive process.
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