Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-07-24
MAKING STATUES.
How Bronze Figures Are Made from
Plaster Of Paris Casts.

arms there and his trunk in another
direction, horses head in one spot
and the rest of his divided-up body
IN as many other places as ii has parts,
are the beglnnings-not the remains
of some noteworthy statues, says
the Providence Journal. There Is
sonnet hing almost grewsome about
the frstsight ofthese sections Of bod
les, apparently thrown carelessly
about the workshop, but as soon as
it is found out that they are early
steps in creation, and not the last
horrors Of death, there is no reason
70 feel alarmed, but strong reason to
be delightedly curious.
These portions Of bodies are parts
OF mods for the bronze statues, the
finished product. The process under
gone from first receiving the plaster
Of paris cast from the sculptor's stu
do TO senoing out the finished me-
mortal is worth while watching. A
mold is first made of the cast and
taken of ia convenient arch-shaped
sections. The inside OF the pieces
are painted with black lead, and then
..ss put together asain to turn out a
second mold, whiehis composed OF
the usual sand mixed with flour paste
and packed in hard This second cast
I'D. Is pared down TO depth equal 10
the desired thickness OF metal in the
planned statue, and with the pairing
over IL Is known as a core. The core
Is placed inside the mold, when the
a. H.. Il
in between the two. getting its out
lines and whatever grace II has from
the inside OF the mold, which becomes
the outside OF the statue
t To carry on the different parts OF
this process there are men at work
at widely varying tasks. Some are
employed over dainty work in sand
that would make the kindergarten
child not little enyious They are
smoothing down long narrow box
full Of what locks like black sod
fresh from the garden. Every now
and then they cut of little black
slip with sharp knife and take up a
pair OF ordinary fireplace bellows and
blow away the last particle Of loose
dirt, or they sprinkle water from their
mouths over their work after the
manner OF Cinnamon sprinkling their
clothes Other workmen are chisel
ing of the rough edges and piping"
which almost cover a statue when il
first comes from the casting
Over by the furnace it is a much
less delicate labor that is being per-
formed There crucbles partly filled
with molten bronze are glowing over
hot fires and men stand round ready
TO help the great electric crane over
head get the metal out from the fur
mace to the ladle. Upon command of
the foreman, who in face Of the great
heat wears an overcoat, two men rap
idly approach the fire and grasp
crucible with pair of fire tongs,
working in that nervous, hurried way
that is usually associated with crit
zeal moments in all forms of en-
deayor, whether in case Of fire or the
weeks baking.
Almost delicately the crane takes
up the crucibes which the motorman,
high up under the ceiling directing
the machinery, can look directly
down into and once out from the fire
everybody rushes around them and
pours them into the great ladle, drops
of suffering bronze flying about in
uncomfortable abundance.
The metal all discharged from the
crucibles, the crane runs along over
head with the ladle, bringing it to
the mouth of the mold on the top of
box built up of iron tiers and so
high that the pourers have to climb
up a step-ladder to undertake their
work of turning the running hot
bronze into the sand form made for
it, When in few hours the metal
cools sufficiently TO be taken out il
is completely covered with long pipes
that run across an ear or even hide
an arm, and to the inexperienced Wis
itor make the casting look like ri
diculous failure.
But these ugly arteries, left by the
running bronze that had access to the
mold from every direction, and sud
denly cooled off in the intervening
sand, are part Of THE process and are
removed by delicate work without
INV in iury IN tho statua allowin % 4 no