Filling the Orders

 

The Patina is Added

    

Here on the left of each sculpture is the casting fresh out of the mold. 

 

It cures for a day and then I apply the Patina, or color. 

 

I start by rubbing the piece with steel wool 0000. Then I apply the patina color, black, wait 102 minutes then rub off what I want as the highlights. It cures for a few days then I apply a sealing wax to set the color.

 

And The Results Are ...TADA

 

They are perfect. A little rough but this is what they look like fresh out of the molds. 

Tomorrow I will clean them up, then rough them up with steel wool to bring out the highlights and then work on the patina, or color to finish them off.

A good days work. Now to clean up the mess.

The First Casts

 

These are the first pours of the first castings. I don't usually do three at once, in case there is a problem with the chemicals or temperature I would loose three instead of one. But the chemicals are new and it is morning so I am confident. I did this once before pouring multiple molds at once some some chemicals that were previously opened, and I lost all three castings. The castings never hardened. After two years, I can still bend and twist them. 

The resin I am using is Easy-Flo Clear, equal parts of A & B. I mix a brown dye to part B, stir, add 1lb. of Bronze powder, stir until mixed together, add A to it, stir for 30 secs., I then have max two minutes to paint on the first coat and pour in and slush around the balance of the solution before it sets up. I then mix another batch and fill up the balance of the mold. 

Each mold takes 32oz of resin and 2 lbs. of bronze powder. Then I wait for about 30 mins before I can demold and see if the casting is good. I want to make sure every minute detail is in the final.

Once the casting is out of the mold, it cures for 24 hours and then I do the patina to make it look finished.

Ghosts...The Test Subjects

 

These are the product of the final tests to check the molds. 

I have only poured the areas of the molds where I have a concern and to make sure the details are all there. 

Success.

They do look a bit like ghosts, only partially there and whispy.

After they hardened and I checked them over, it is time to clean up the molds and make sure they are super clean with no clay or resin residue in the folds and cracks. That will take the rest of the day. 

I will make the  first casts on Monday. Happy weekend.

Oooops. One Bad One

After everything cured until Monday, I started to make test castings. Just to make sure that the molds were good. All of the texture was picked up and the detail was there.

I have one bad mold.

I will spend some time to see if I can save it. Then make another test cast.

If not good, I will have to start over and make the new mold.

Step 2B

 

 

 

All of the coats of rubber mold have been applied and next I mix up and apply the hard plaster shell. Both of these the rubber mold and the plaster shell make up the "Mother Mold"

 

With the Mother Mold, I then cast all of my pieces. This mold should stand up to about 500 resin castings before I have to make another. Because of the rubber I use, I can use this mold for lost wax bronze casting, metal castings like aluminum, steel, gold, silver and of course plaster. Very versatile.

 

I have poured the hard shells, wait 90 mins. then I an de-mold the pieces. Separate the hard shell from the rubber mold and separate the rubber mold from the original clay piece. Very carefully so I don't damage the original.

 

Everything cures until Monday when I pour a test casting in plaster to see if the molds are good. If not, I start all over.

 

Step 2 - Mix and Pour and Wait and Mix and Pour and Wait

 Now I start the rubber mold making.

First I mix the two mold chemicals together in equal parts, and I now have 8-10 mins to paint it on the clay original before it becomes too thick.

 

 

 

This is the first coat of six. It is important to smear the rubber over the entire surface and with the brush ...  scrub it over every surface, and into every crack and crevice. This first coat picks up every little mark, and in my case fingerprints. This sets the surface texture of the final casting. 

If this coat does not set correctly, I will have to start over but I wont know until the entire mold is done, the ceramic shell is made and I cast my test piece.

Now I wait 90 mins. and add the second coat, wait 90 mins. next coat, etc. until all six coats are done. 

I am doing a single piece first just to get the timing correct with the mixing and coating times, as it is all according to room temp. and humidity. 

Note to other sculptors
No one told me when I was in high school that I should pay more attention in chemistry and geometry and physics classes because as a sculptor I would need to know what chemicals to mix for the molds, castings ... what chemicals to use and in what amount for color patinas and timing of the coats ... how much clay, metal and foam I will need for a piece based on size and shape ... for large sculptures indoors weight of the piece based on lbs./cu foot of the materials bronze vs. marble vs. granite... and the load limit of the floors it is sitting on ... outdoors I need to be aware of temperature extremes to determine which patina chemicals to use ... wind directions and speeds in a normal year for how much torque the sculpture will take and where and how many holes I need to have for the wind to go through ... if in a rainy and snowy environment I can't have areas where the water or snow will collect but will run off...

Tomorrow I will do the other two sculptures together if this one works out well.

And Now Making The Molds - Step 1

 

 First step in making the molds is actually reworking the original clay pieces, filling in all of the holes and cleaning up the undercuts. All of which makes it easier to cast the final piece. This part of it took me almost 3 days, but it will save me a lot of time and trouble later.

Next I make a box around the pieces to hold the rubber mold and the plaster shell. I am dealing with liquids, which means of there is a hole in my box, the mold materials will leak. Not a pretty site, very messy and a lot of work to clean up.

The mold material is plastic when it dries, so I can use cardboard as my box as the plastic will not stick. Below are the chemicals I use to make the rubber molds (top row), the plaster shell (boxes) and the bronze cold castings (the jugs). Each is a combination of mixing two chemicals together. Temp. and humidity is critical +- 5degrees. 

I had to postpone my first round of making molds because the smoke from the forest fires around us made it impossible for me to open the windows for ventilation. So today I can work.

The 3 Are Finished in Clay Ready to be Cast

As a fine artist telling people the “back story” of a painting or sculpture is as enjoyable as creating the work. It enables me to share my thought processes, research and maybe even a bit of my soul. People may not agree with my end product but by telling the story of the piece they come away more knowledgeable and less intimidated. 

The Woman Patriot

 

 

 

First was the question of what type of woman was she? 

She was the woman left behind as her husband went to war; to raise the family, work the farm, run the store, teach children, be the politician at social events, work in the shops, be the lady of the house, make the decisions to keep a roof over her family’s head and food on the table. She was capable, hardworking and proud.

How did she participate in the war effort? 

She participated by boycotting British goods, producing goods for soldiers, spying on the British, and serving in the armed forces disguised as men, served on the battlefield as nurses, water bearers, cooks, launderers and saboteurs.

What did she wear in the 1770’s? 

I looked at paintings, read journals and books on the fashions of the time from 1770-1790. She dressed depending on her station in life. They all wore the same basic articles of clothing, but it was about the quality, fashion, and materials. Her gown could have been wool or cotton or silk, and her undergarments were linen.

The question was who was the Woman Patriot in my mind? 

I had the image of a woman who was not the farm girl, but slightly better dressed and who could be a camp follower and yet pass herself off as a educated lady when it became necessary. Not a socialite but working class like a teacher or shop keeper.

She is wearing a typical fitted long full dress and an over skirt with a tight waist, 3/4 length sleeves and a shawl over her shoulders. Her cap is a cloth cap that covers the top of her head and ties so that the edges scallop. In her left hand she carries a basket of vegetables or flowers.

Through my research, I found a lady that was the persona I wanted.

Mercy Otis Warren. An avid patriot, Warren began writing political dramas that denounced British policies. Her 1772 satire, “The Adulator", criticized the British colonial governor’s policies a full four years before Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Warren also published two additional plays skewering British colonial leaders, Defeat (1773) and The Group (1775.) She supported the Boston Tea Party, boycotts of British imports and urged other women to follow suit.

 This then is the back story of the Woman Patriot and why I have created her as I did.

 The Black soldier of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment.

The 1st Rhode Island Regiment became known as the “Black Regiment” due to its allowing the recruitment of African Americans in 1778.  This decision, designed to help fill dwindling ranks among the Rhode Island regiments, is regarded as having produced the first African American military regiment.  This is incorrect, however, since its ranks were never exclusively African American. 

 

 The 1st Rhode Island Regiment eventually totaled around 225 men including 140 who were African Americans, by far the largest percentage of blacks in an integrated military unit during the American Revolution.  Although the 1st Rhode Island Regiment initially placed its African American soldiers in separate companies within the regiment, this process eventually gave way once more African Americans were no longer recruited.  Slowly the entire regiment became fully integrated.

 

Interestingly enough, the uniform for this regiment consists of white overalls (pants with gaiters attached), a white shirt and black neck sock, white vest and a short white rifleman coat with small fringe.

His cover (or hat), is very unique to them. The front panel is teardrop shaped, black with white piping and a white anchor on the face. Behind the face panel they have red and black feathers.

Along with this uniform, they also carry a canteen and a cartridge bag slung across their chest that hang to the back.

The Oneida Warrior

I contacted the Oneida Indian Nation asking for what they consider the clothing of the Oneida warrior during the American Revolutionary War. They were very gracious by responding with not only an illustration of the warrior, but also a story about their partnership with the Patriots. This story will be engraved into the red granite Memorial walls (see below colored text).

 

Long pants, probably deerskin, and around the knees wool garters tied to hang down the outside of the leg, a loincloth over the top. On top of that is a patterned long sleeved cloth shirt tied at the waist with a wide woolen sash. Around the arms are silver armbands and they have a lot of silver bracelets.

 

Around his neck is a silver gorget and he has earrings that are   two round discs tied together. His face is not painted. The top of his head has a painted skull cap, they would have worn red paint during an attack and black during defensive action. He is bald except for a back circle of hair where he adds feathers that stick up. 

 

I have deleted the red and blue blanket over his left shoulder and over the arm.

He is carrying a short barrelled rifle and a very distinctly shaped tomahawk.

The Oneida Indian Nation – America’s First Allies

The Oneida Indian Nation’s legacy of supporting the United States military dates back to the Revolutionary War, when Oneidas fought alongside the colonists in the battle against the British. Having fought valiantly in several key battles of the American War for Independence including the battles of Oriskany, and Saratoga, the Oneida Indian Nation, the only member of the Six Nation Haudenosaunee Confederacy to side with the Americans, became known as the United State’s first allies.

Since the American Revolution, Oneidas have fought in every American military conflict, memorializing their longstanding support, friendship and reverence for the United States and the values it holds.