WW1 Commemorative piece

[Spasm]

Sculpture of an SMLE and covered helmet propped in a couple of sandbags. It stands just about 11 inches high.

Just have to figure out how to mould and cold cast bronze now.

[Spasm]

Done the moulds (which wasn't simple as I needed to figure out how they were going to be ultimately poured as the rifle and helmet do not have a flat base and are quite detailed). And have done the first couple of casts. 

The cast needs some good plastic primer before painting (fixative or other forms of primer don't really do the job - that's the usual stuff I have hanging around).

But not bad for a first go at something this detailed. 

[Spasm]

Just to complete (someone may have an interest). The very difficult cold cast brass one is done.

[Mike McLellan]

Beautiful!! Do the sandbags provide enough ballast to mitigate the harm caused by a clumsy oaf reaching across his desk for his coffee cup? I speak only for myself, of course. 

Seriously, that is a beautiful piece of work. 

Mike. 

[Tony]

That's bloody good mate.

[peter monahan]

Superb!  But then, we expect nothing les from you.  Are these available for sale/export?

[Spasm]

Thanks very much Gents. A sort of new line for me and am quite pleased how these have turned out.

Mike - I've sorted a stand for them now so even more stable. Funnily enough the brass effect one looks better without a wooden stand.

Peter - I've only cast a few so far as they are proving quite difficult to do. I will have some available for sale once I figure it out . Prices will depend on what one is ordered as the time taken varies quite a lot. Plain white straight from the mould will be the cheapest (they are produced in 3 parts - the sandbags, the rifle and then the helmet which then slot together) then the cold cast bronze, then the hand painted on the stand (which will be quite expensive).

PM me if you are interested.

Thanks again  All

[Stuka f]

Very nice indeed! 

I do understand why they come in 3 parts, very well! 

[Spasm]

Thanks, not only do you have to sculpt it, you have to think how you'll mould it and get the pieces out of the mould. As you understand very well - a whole skill in itself.

As I originally couldn't figure out how to do it (read - couldn't be bothered) I visited a specialist company and got a price from them to mould and produce the casts for me. As they do a lot of this stuff for sculpture artists all over the country, for films, promotions etc etc I also asked them how the finished product should be priced for selling. They recommended that a piece would normally be  priced at 3 to 10 times the cost for casting. For this piece, 3 times the individual cost would be £250. Blimey, and some are charging up to 10 times which would put these at £810 each (would include the jolly nice wooden stand though).  

How many would you like sir?   

[Stuka f]

I know, "been there" as well.

I used to cast as well, not as talented as you, I used existing pieces I could lay hand on.

I know the mind game very well of thinking in the opposite way, in order to deliver a good die. No second chance during the process!

I did mantel pieces, gargoyls, and so on....

[Spasm]

I saw some of your castings, some very large architectural pieces I seem to remember as well. It's certainly a new way to think not only how to make something but how you can mould it and eventually actually get it out of the mould. Air bubbles are also a problem so that needs to be solved as well.

My latest sculpture now moulded, we'll see if I actually get some decent casts from it: 

[Spasm]

Added an EK2 ribbon, bashed up the helmet and painted the lenses

[Spasm]

In the same vein but an M15 French Adrian and wreath

[Spasm]

Another one, obviously German, but don't often see a stirnpanzer

[Stuka f]

Very nice!

[ErwinZ]

Really impressive!

Can you post a photo which shows the scale of these sculptures? Just out of curiosity. 

[Spasm]

Thanks Gents.

A few more photos with them painted and with an EK2 for scale

[Stuka f]

Great job.

Bravo.

[Spasm]

Thanks Geezer, it's appreciated

 

[peter monahan]

On 2/17/2018 at 12:20, Spasm said:

I visited a specialist company and got a price from them to mould and produce the casts for me...  They recommended that a piece would normally be  priced at 3 to 10 times the cost for casting. For this piece, 3 times the individual cost would be £250...

Ouch!  At that rate, I'm afraid I'll have to settle for admiring from afar. 

[Spasm]

Peter,

Yes, that's what I said, (well maybe not those exact words). I couldn't stay long because they were busy and I was laughing too much.

So I've done the moulds myself. Having bought the materials for doing moulds etc I can see why the costs are so high. The silicon mix comes in 2 brightly coloured gallon buckets (small amounts just aren't worth the price). You need to be Charles Atlas to get the lids off and then try to figure out how to get the thick gloopy stuff out in small portions to mix. Because it's so thick and difficult to measure it tends to get stuck all over the place and it can't easily be wiped up.

The casts seem to be coming out ok and the two part mixing of the plastic/resin stuff isn't that bad as it's a bit thinner and easier to handle. Bubbles are an issue and trying to get the casts to look like bronze/brass isn't that easy and seems to depend on luck to get it to come out ok. But I'm getting there.

The whole process isn't like DIY or building. If you need something you can climb down the ladder and go off to the shed to get that hammer, knife, saw, box of screws that you forgot. The moulding/casting thing needs to be organised, you need to have everything to hand, everything happens so quickly there's no time to go get something - especially cleaning up stuff- as a large piece of hard plastic shaped like a puddle in the middle of the carpet doesn't please the Admin Staff much. (Although it did have a nice bronze sheen to it). I'm sure the mould wasn't leaking when I poured it.

They should be a lot cheaper then. Plain white casts should be in the region of £30-50 each and painted ones about £100-150 each with the bronze ones in between somewhere. The painted ones will be very limited editions as I can't see me staying interested enough to paint many.

Steve

 

 

[TacHel]

Is there no limit to your talent...  Marvelous pieces!!