Casting After the wax is burned out, molten bronze, heated in a crucible at 2200 F, is poured into the ceramic shell. The molten metal is poured into the cup, running through the spruing system and into the cavity that forms the artwork. Several casting shells can usually be poured from one crucible of molten metal. When the bronze has hardened, the shell is carefully broken away and cleaned from the casting. The sprues are cut off the artwork and all parts are sandblasted to prepare for reassembly.
Molten bronze is poured into the empty ceramic shell.
The ceramic shell is chipped away. Welding and tooling Most sculptures are cast in a number of sections then reassembled by welding the parts together. Smaller sculptures typically are assembled from five to ten different cast components while monumental size sculptures can be made up of dozens of panels which are barely recognizable until they are pieced together. The resulting weld lines are ground down and textured to match the surrounding surfaces. This makes the numerous seams unnoticeable.