Casting Restoration

Foundry Bronze family hand casting restored from a DIY Kit

We are not against DIY kits, in quick and emergency circumstances, where time is of the essence and a professional can't be found. These are a fantastic way to have fun and capture a moment before it's gone.

However the quality of the materials supplied within these kits, is usually very poor and they can be subject to missing fingers, air bubbles, flat or missed sections. Without appropriate care instruction, they are alsoto be prone to mould or continue to absorb moisture over time. This can lead to salty layers and powdery residues that can deter detail over time. As such, we regularly get asked to fix, repair or turn a DIY casting into a longer lasting material sculpture.

We will always try to do this, in the least invasive way possible, to retain the very best detail for you.

Below you can see the original images of the plaster casting prior to the touch ups we made before it's final bronze casting outcome.

Building up the fingertips and some of the palms of the hand. But being careful not to loose palm and finger print detail on the thumb

Removing the powdery residue from unsealed plaster whilst retaining the detail, filling air bubbles and levelling the bottom. Sculpting back in missing thumb nails.

Re-adding the tops of the finger tips and levelling out the overflow and ends of the hands

Now with the careful additions to preserve what was originally captured. This casting was then moulded and cast into Foundry bronze metal. This is the strongest of all the materials we offer and is most regularly chosen for memorial castings. With any cast that we make, you are always welcome to keep the mould. We will only store memorial moulds or small jewellery moulds. All other moulds are recycled unless otherwise requested.

Foundry bronze is a beautiful material but because of the extra processes, it is also the most expensive material. There are many other materials to choose from which can be more budget friendly. Each finish has it's own style, handling properties and strength. I will outline these in another blog post.

Thanks for reading!