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working small, working in the negative, a tutorial

7/7/2014

 
I often have to work quite small, with geometric shapes. If I'm to do this cheaply, I'll do it by hand, if possible. I worked for decades before CAD and CNC, so this is a trick learned over some time.

This custom hardware was commissioned by a homeowner who was building an elaborate wine cellar. These were his own bronze door latch and hinge elements. I got started in wood and wax, roughing in the details. Then I took carveable plastic moulds and carved them, in the negative. Here's the final casting:
Picture
Bronze door hardware cast in lost wax at Artcast in Georgetown, Ontario.
Here is a series of renderings that show the steps taken to get this fine detail that 'pops' off the surface.

I started with the shape of the final object and took a mould off it in plastic (fast-cast polyurethane, fairly carveable):
Picture
Then I put a small round cutter in my Dremel and cut little half-round holes into the surface of the plastic to form the grapes:
Picture
I press clay into the surface to check my shape, refining as I go. I carved stems and other lines at the same time.  When I was happy, I waxed the surface to release the final plastic copy. I mixed more plastic and poured it into the cavity, and here's what I got:
Picture
The dark blue is the final plastic copy from the intermediate plastic mould that I was carving.
I'm often done at this point, though I can continue carving into the new surface to refine detail if necessary.

Cool, huh? Thinking negatively is good sometimes...

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    stewart smith

    I'm a woodcarver, turned sculptor, and morphed into a pattern-maker for cast metals. These days I hesitate to define my work, avoiding words like 'artist' or 'craftsman'. I just love designing and making things, keeping a bit of time free to downhill ski, paddle my kayak, and sing with my fellow choristers.

    Stewart Smith
    Stewart Patterns
    New Hamburg, On 
    email stewsnews@gmail.com

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