Large castings; Design and supply of bronze ornaments.
This is a design and production details case study of a bronze sculpture of a robot bronze object de art. A piece that is a bigger scale that we normally work to.
This is design and production details case study of a bronze sculpture of a robot at a bigger scale that we normally work to.
We have had some success with the smaller robot design, at the scale for cufflinks and charms. We wanted to test our capabilities and see what this would look like at a larger scale. The original casting for the robot was done in brass material. We used lost wax casting method. The scale was 15 mm tall.
The little robot had character and we wanted to use the same design influence on the larger version, to make a much bigger heavier version. The robot style is influenced by retro futurism, the vision of a future as projected by the 1950’s films and magazines.
The larger size of this new robot leant is self to a bronze ornament or desk decorative piece.
To start with we needed to make a pattern for the casting. In this case we made the pattern in our UK workshop by hand. We selected aluminium as that is a light weight material.
Each part of the robot had its own special look. The head and body of the robot are the same square in profile. Adding a nut for a neck was need to separate the body from the head. Tubes were for the legs and around the eyes. The chest plate was detailed with screw heads. We used a screw thread detail for the mouth and bolts that we cut into form the hands. We used a circle punch to suggest small rivets around the body. All these little touches made the robot look mechanical.
The domed eyes and clear mechanisms speak to the nostalgic vision of “the future” that we wanted given the retro futurism theme.
Once the pattern is complete the mould is taken. This allows the lost was casting process to be completed. The final robot becomes a bronze statue. Since the robot was on a larger scale, we cast it in brass, which is strong and heavy.
When you create a bronze sculpture in this way, there is always some deviation from the pattern. The final statue is smaller and less perfectly straight in places. This way often you will see that these bronze ornaments reflect organic pieces. There will also always be some imperfections and irregularities. In this case the imperfections in these robot ornaments somewhat adds to the retro futurism charm.
Once completed the castings are dressed and lightly polished. Each bronze is decorated and finished using the traditional method of patination, to give the robot a dark bronze effect.
The final result is a Robust Robot ornament which is heavy, and made solid from foundry bronze (not hollow). The bronze patina gives it a wonderful look. the finished size is 64mm tall and 185 g
These were sold in a shop in London as a limited run and are no longer available for sale.
Do you have a big idea for something amazing? Get in touch with us today, and let’s bring it to life!