Art Applications

The foundry community is a world to itself.  Any of us in this community understand that it takes a special breed to work with molten metal.  This being the case, it is not surprising when industrial foundrymen find themselves in the art foundry field.  The only thing different is the shape of the end products being made.  Frequently, the art field requires the same precision and speed that is demanded in the industrial sectors.  This is where Unicast came in.

Over time, as certain people who used the process in industrial applications transitioned over to the art field, they would find that the traditional art products such as plaster gave them the detail they were looking for, but restricted them to low melting alloys and were a hassle due to the importance of making sure the moisture was out of the mold.  Investment casting is usually the next logical step when plaster does not give you what you want.  However, those who had used the Unicast process for former industrial applications, knew that they could get an edge by applying the process in the art field, and could save a bundle of money and time.

The Unicast process is ideal for short runs and one of a kind castings.  This is because there are NO WAX patterns to work with.  The process works with a pattern of virtually any material, and this pattern is removed from the mold prior to casting so that it can either be used again, or in the case of many art pieces, put back on display to be enjoyed.  Historical replica work is a large application.  This allows for investment quality work to be done in a fraction of the time and without the need for specialized equipment.

Another application is in core work.  A Unicast core fully sets in minutes, with no need for multiple layers and no exothermic reaction, so it works great with wax shells.  Just cut a hole in your wax, pour in ALL the ceramic in one shot and it will be set in just a few minutes.

Still have questions, please contact us here.

The infamous foundryman bust.  This bust is actually molded right from the head of one of our customers.  While we do not advise this practice, it does demonstrate the capabilities of the process and just what can be done if you put your head to it.

After waxing himself up with petroleum jelly, he mixed up some slurry and placed his head into it half way.  After the ceramic set a minute later, he removed his head from the mold, waxed up the mold, put more jelly on his head and put it back in the mold.  The second half of the mold was poured around his head and existing mold.  Once this pour had set, the mold was separated they were left with a complete, perfectly molded replica of his head.  Ready to cast in virtually any alloy, in this case - bronze.

Aluminum, copper, and bronze coming together in one piece.  A unique application of the process, where three different melts were done using Unicast ceramic to make each mold using the previous casting and the artists hands for each mold.  Notice that every detail of the hands has been transmitted into the final casting, including fingerprints.  This artist resides in the Chicago area.  Please contact us for more information.