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Advice On Casting Complex Figures Into Terracotta


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I'm a figure sculptor who has worked in the past in direct-terracotta (http://haneebirch.org/artwork). I have a new body of work I am in the process of putting together, and for practical/economic reasons I am going down the road of mold-making and casting instead of direct work. Unfortunately, this usually means moving from terracotta to plaster (or worse, plastics and the like). I don't mind plaster but it's hard to touch up and doesn't have much value to most people -- ends up needing a patina, etc.

 

So...

 

What I'd like to do is find out how to cast terracotta figures as was commonly done in the 17th and 18th century. All my catalogues of figure work from that time period always refer to cast-terracotta being fairly common. But, nowhere in modern method books have I ever run across anyone who seems to see such an undertaking as even conceivable. Take this figure by Clodion for example, in the Met's collection:

 

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/200559

 

So, I do have some experience with mold making, but I've never been the greatest mold making. I seem to be competent at waste molding (except I've never gotten a great release agent recipe that really works consistently, seems like sometimes I get lucky and have perfect release, other times something in my application process must fail), and am capable though not exactly confident with my brushed on silicone molds. In my limited mold knowledge I am guessing this peice by Clodion was press-molded, in a multi-part piece mold. Still, it's hard to comprehend how exactly that would have been done, with the bird wings and many undercuts. For myself, my figures are fairly unadorned but the poses are still complex. I can imagine that I could ignore many of the undercuts, cast a rough form, and then I could easily clean it up, add depth, put the undercuts back in. But still the piece mold for a basic figure of non-trivial pose (say, http://haneebirch.org/artwork/chair-no-1 seems beyond my comprehension). Even chopping the figure into separate parts and re-attaching doesn't simplify it all that much, and I'm unclear on how exactly that would be done anyway.

 

So is there anyone who would know of any book or person that could describe all the technique needed to press-mold or slip mold that Clodion figure or the figure I referenced of my own? Is there some alternative technique that I am not aware of that makes this all a simpler proposition than I thought? I have tried press-molding in a silicon mold, and, to some degree, it worked, but how to cleanly joint the pieces and how to control for moderately even drying seemed unclear (though perhaps with enough experimentation). Anyhow, before trying to blaze my own path with modern materials, I'd really ideally like to find a source who can make entirely clear how exactly this was commonly done in the 18th century.

 

Thanks in advance for any information.

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That is a complete shape for making a mold. Good luck. I was going to say the piece mold approach but that too, as you said, doesn't simplify the problem. I'd look for an older book. Don Frith's perhaps, on mold making. I sold mine in Oct. as I downsized my library.

The Bacchus example did not say cast. Maybe it was a one of a kind. That was really complex.

 

Best wishes to you on this endeavor.

Marcia

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My best suggestion is to find someone/somewhere that does slip-casting.  Look for the most complicated sculpture they have, and study the way the mould is made from a number of pieces.

 

Some people are very good at looking at negative space and shadows, and that is the skill you need to make moulds.

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@Marcia Selsor -- Thanks for the book reference. Books are usually how I learn these things. Correct, the Bacchus I believe is a unique original. Most the works by the bigger names in that period are, but books always mention lesser works that were mass produced and a few are specifically credited as cast.

 

@Sputty -- Wow, thanks for that video. Extremely helpful. I am curious since you seem to have some historical knowledge on this: many of my books seem to indicate press molds were used rather than slip cast molds. Slip cast seems like it would be far easier (since you can cast enclosed forms without having to later joint them). Is there any reason that a press mold would be avantageous (I can only think of disadvantages) or is the slip technique just historically more recent?

 

I am still debating just how worth-it doing terracotta casts would be -- obviously it would be a labor of love; I'm not sure if the market will really care to make as much of a distinction as I do between some fake-bronze resin cast from silicone and a ceramic piece assembled and hand-finished from piece molds. Anyhow, your video is an invaluable aid as far as some directions on how to go about it, if I do decide to for some of the simpler figures. I do believe silicone could work for press-molding if done just right and it would allow a two or three peice mold in most cases -- but obviously it wont work for slip casting. I will have to experiment to see which method, all said and done, is the lowest labor for equal results. The purist in me would prefer a plaster mold, if I can acquire the requisite skill. Thanks again for the video link.

 

@Chilly -- I only know of one places that I believe might do slip cast lawn-figures and the like, but it is about three hours away. I will ask to take a peek the next time I am near.

 

 

Overall, it seems a good first step would be to chose one of my simpler figures and mold a version in which most of the smaller, more complicated undercuts are filled in to reduce the total number of pieces needed to piece mold, then cast, and rework the undercuts and complex areas. As my molding capability increased I could mold more pieces accurately and re-work less. Obviously this is a very hard-won additional skill and it would be better to take it slow and steady in terms of increasing complexity if I'm going to rely on it as a primary tool of production.

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