About
Rescheduled to Thursday, June 30th. Please click here to register.
In this class you’ll learn how to finish your casting as it came from the mold by safely removing all the unwanted gates, sprues, and runners. You’ll then finish the casting by grinding, machining if needed, texturing, and polishing to a desired finish. As time permits, application of a patina may be applied to the finished casting.
Finishing the Casting is the third of three basic steps of the Foundry Art:
1. Make the Pattern,
2. Form the Mold and pour metal to create the Casting, and
3. Finish the Casting
BARN offers related casting classes including “The Basics of Metal Casting” (an online event), “Pattern-Making for Casting in the Foundry” where you learn how to make patterns used to produce a working mold, and “Metal Casting in the Foundry” where you make molds from patterns and pour molten metal into the mold to form the casting. An ongoing Advanced Casting (in an Open Studio format) event will also be offered to those with demonstrated competency in the foundry. Stay tuned and sign up for the Metal Fabrication newsletter to receive information when these events are offered.
Details:
Instructor Bios:
Jeff Oens - is a widely renowned sculptor with his bronze artwork exhibited in prominent art collections and public displays across the United States and Canada. Jeff is best known for his outstanding wildlife sculptures, but his portfolio also includes human figures, mythical creatures, and other diverse subjects, ranging in size from miniature to monumental. Many of Jeff’s sculptures can be seen around the industrial park on Three Tree Lane.
Frank Wurden - While getting his BS Electrical Engineering degree at University of Washington, Frank also obtained a BFA degree with emphasis in life drawing, sculpting and foundry art working with green sand, CO2 sand casting, investment casting, and ceramic shell casting. Sculpture materials were clay, foam, wood, or wax for the patterns, and casting in aluminum, bronze and stainless steel. Frank says it’s been many years since actually casting, so it’s great fun to get back into it! “I totally enjoy the entire process and look forward to helping other people do the same.”
Mario Oblak - Mario honed his passion for casting metal with BFA (UofW) and MFA (Rhode Island School of Design) degrees in Sculpture. Creating, designing and building in different materials and mediums is a joy, but working in liquid metal is “it” for him. Mario feels “Casting is a magical process that requires patience, skill, labor and teamwork, with the results both satisfying and permanent.” By sharing his knowledge and experience, Mario wants to help others explore, learn, and develop skills so they can see their ideas come to life.
