: I learned bronze casting from sculptors and a professional casting artisan in
: college.

: Casting is certainly a lot of fun AND a lot of very hard dangerous work.

: The silicon bronze we used melts at 2100°. Molds and all work surfaces MUST
: be bone dry because the metal at this temperature will vaporize ANY
: moisture EXPLOSIVELY!

: I've seen dime and nickel sized drops of molten bronze bounce like Crazy©
: balls as vaporized moisture in the concrete floor launched the drops into
: the air. I was doing an amusing dance to avoid having one land on my foot.

: You certainly can do this at home. I have a set up I've used with a small
: crucible and tongs, a simple furnace of fire bricks, fired with coke and a
: vacuum cleaner blower.

: You need serious body protection, at least leather, at best special casting
: suits and a specialized face shield is a must.

: BUT! This is NOT the kind of technique you learn from a book without a very
: high potentual for doing serious injury to yourself and maybe burning your
: house down.

: I have thought of making my own cast hardware. I have not, because I KNOW how
: much work it is.

: Not only must you learn casting, you must learn how to sculpt your master
: pattern, how to copy it, mold making, casting plumbing and if 70% of you
: castings work you then must clean, chase and polish the hardware. AND
: unless you can chrome plate the hardware, or coat and recoat it with
: lacquer, it will corrode.

: So learn to cast if you like, but be prepared for a long wait for that deck
: hardware.

: All the best,

: Rob Macks
: Laughing Loon CC&K
: www.LaughingLoon.com

Hi Rob,

I've been thinking of doing this for a long time but am concerned about the dangers, and wouldn't even think about trying it withhout having all the proper protective gear. I wouldn't try it near anything that I dont want to burn down, such as my house, garage etc. That leaves trying it in the back yard, If the neigbours see me in all the safety gear in the backyard they might get a little freaked out, maybe even call the EPA or local council and report me. A hassle that I really don't need.

If anyone who read my previous post feels like giving it a try, PLEASE PUT SAFETY AS YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY! I wouldn't want to introduce anyone to something that will end up damaging them horribly.

I've had a bit of a hankering to try my hand at clay sculpture and casting in bronze. My wife is an amatuer artist and she showed me a book on Rodin, That just about got me hooked. So when I have time I'll probably sign-up for some classes and learn the right way, rather than from a book. Though, I don't expect to do anything as good as Rodin did

BTW, I still haven't seen a pic of your new kayak (disko bay?) when are you adding it to your website?

Cheers,

Paul