Skip to Content
Sold Out

Handwork in the Foundry: Cast Bronze Bell

Work with master bronze sculptor Jeff Oens and his team to cast your own bell.

Starts
Ends
Add to calendar:
Outlook Google Agenda
Handwork in the Foundry: Cast Bronze Bell

Handwork in the Foundry: Cast Bronze Bell

Work with master bronze sculptor Jeff Oens and his team to cast your own bell.

Pricing
Tuition Assistance and Policies
See more
Cancellation & Other Policies
See more
Sold Out

About

This class will guide you through the process of casting a bronze bell, hanger, and bell clapper. In the first two days, you’ll be using prepared patterns to form molds in green sand (an environmentally safe mixture of fine sand, clay, and water) in which red-hot, molten bronze will be poured.

After the bronze casting cools enough to handle, you’ll breakout the three castings from their molds. What’s revealed as the sand breaks away is how the metal flowed through the sprues and gates, into the mold itself, and then through the vents that passed the hot gasses that were then, too, filled with bronze.

In the third and fourth days, you’ll learn when to strategically remove specific gates and sprues. The team will show you how to finish the casting by grinding, texturing, and polishing the castings to a desired finish. A media-blast cabinet may be used to get the desired texture. It’s also possible some blemishes will need to be filled using a TIG (tungsten inert gas) welder. Don’t worry, our team will guide you through every step.

All three castings will require some machining. You'll use specialty built jigs to securely hold your parts so that holes can be located, drilled, and chamfered with the precision your creation deserves.

Finally, you’ll learn how to apply the patina of your choice to achieve a finished look that appeals to you. The fifth day will be for any additional time you need to finish your project. The foundry team wants to be sure the best thing about this class is that you’ll head home with a lovely bell you can mount most anywhere, indoors or out.

Details

  • Note the casting foundry sessions (Monday/Tuesday) take place at BARN’s foundry, which is off site at 9392 Wardwell Ave. N.E., Bainbridge Island. The casting finishing sessions take place at BARN in Metal-Fabrication’s welding shop.
  • Friday's start/end times may vary depending on how much work time students need.

 

bronze bell 3D model

Materials

A materials fee, included in the price of the class, covers everything you need to complete your bell.

Class Policies

  • Wear natural-fiber clothing, long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes (natural fiber or leather).
  • Stretch fabrics, hoodie ties, or dangling jewelry like bracelets that can get caught in machinery are not allowed.
  • Tie back long hair.
  • Ages 14 and up are welcome. 
Instructor
Jeff Oens

Jeff Oens is a widely renowned sculptor with bronze artwork exhibited in prominent art collections and public displays across the United States and Canada. He 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.

Instructor
Mario Oblak

Mario Oblak honed his passion for casting metal with a BFA (University of Washington) and an MFA (Rhode Island School of Design) 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.

Instructor
Frank Wurden

Frank Wurden earned his BS in electrical engineering at the University of Washington, and a BFA degree with an 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 he's actually done casting, so it’s great fun to get back into it.

Related Events

Check out other events you might be interested in!

See All
Foundry: Bronze Bowl Casting and Finishing
Foundry: Bronze Bowl Casting and Finishing

Cast a bronze bowl and then finish it with a beautiful patina.

October 15, 2026

Foundry: Finishing Your Casting
Foundry: Finishing Your Casting

Learn how to finish your rough casting in this third and final class of our three-part foundry series.

September 24, 2026

Foundry: Metal Casting in the Foundry
Foundry: Metal Casting in the Foundry

Cast a pattern in this introduction to metal casting, the second in our three-class foundry series.

September 17, 2026

-*