CREATING A BRONZE
It was a true honor to work on the Johnny Mercer sculpture for my hometown of Savannah, GA. Johnny Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer who co-founded Capitol Records. He is best known as a Tin Pan Alley lyricist; he composed music and was a famous singer who recorded his songs and songs written by others from the mid-1930s. Mercer's music was among the most successful hits of the time, including "Moon River," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Autumn Leaves," and "Hooray for Hollywood." Join me on my journey to create a Savannah Landmark.
To see Johnny in person, visit him in Ellis Square in Savannah's Historic Downtown district.
THE PROCESS STEP-BY-STEP
1. A sculpture starts with an armature made of PVC pipe with foam added to shape the form
2.Clay is added and sculpted to the final sculpture
3. Several coats of rubber are brushed on the original sculpture to reach a
thickness of about ¼ “, forming the flexible mold
4. Plaster is applied over the rubber surface to form the rigid “mother” mold
5. The molds are removed from the clay and hot wax is poured in and out of the mold
repeatedly until the desired thickness is formed. Once the wax is cooled, the mother
mold and the rubber are removed..
6.The wax is now a hollow replica of the original sculpture.
7. The wax sculpture is dipped into a ceramic shell slurry (investment) from six to ten times (allowing each coat to air dry) building up a layer of about 3/8 inch around the
wax.
8. The investment-covered wax is placed in a “burn-out” kiln where the wax is rapidly
melted out and the investment becomes a hard shell. The shell is then able to
withstand the pressure of the molten metal.
9. The bronze is heated to 2000°F and poured into the ceramic shell.
10. When the shell is cool (several hours to overnight) the cast is removed from the
investment (ceramic shell). All the bronze pieces then must be welded back together.
11. The bronze sculpture is heated, and a patina is obtained by applying various
chemicals. An even coat of wax is brushed over the entire hot bronze. It is then cooled to room temperature and buffed with a soft cloth.
The bronze sculpture is now complete!