The Brief
Ad Astra Art Bronze is a small foundry located just outside Lawrence KS. We mostly work with bronze and specialize in the Lost Wax Method of metal casting. Most members of our crew have been with us for many years leading to a team experienced in the Lost Wax Method.
Without our experienced team, none of what we do would be possible. When we recruited Heartlands employees, we got the best and brightest. {Ode to crew?}
Services
{…}
History
Eric Schweppe started Ad Astra Art Bronze in 1994 with {NAME} as a two man foundry. Over time the business evolved, and when the founder of Heartland Foundry decided to close down his business Ad Astra Art Bronze moved in, taking over the both the location and many of Heartlands employees. To this day, Ad Astra Art Bronze still operates in the old Heartland Foundry.
When we first started out, we were only equipped to cast smaller pieces for local artist. As time went on and after we took over Heartlands space, our tools, techniques, and crew evolved leading us to be comfortably capable taking on larger than life pieces for artists across the states.
Our work can be seen at the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence KS, {…more examples proving the claim..}
The Lost Wax Method
We specialize in the Lost Wax Method of bronze casting. First, an artist creates a piece and a clay mold to go with it. Once we get our hands on the mold, we create a wax positive. The positive goes through an iterative process of dipping, sanding, and drying until a sturdy ceramic mold forms around the wax. The wax is then melted out, leaving a ceramic negative ready for molten bronze. We pour the bronze into the shell and once it cools, the ceramic is broken off leaving us with a positive of the piece. With a little detailing from our crew, the piece is then completed. {What part of this is reusable?}