Hi everyone, I am interested in your opinions regarding how antique bronze lamp shades were cast (?) or created. I want to try to create a 6 part bronze lampshade similar to slag glass lamps of the 1920s. Before I begin to purchase the equipment for lost wax casting listed on this website ( https://github.com/01binary/investment-casting ) I would like your opinion if investment/lost wax casting would be the proper approach to making something like this out of bronze (see attached images). Thank you in advance!
lol... You have no idea what you are in for! Run, RUN REALLY FAST FAR FAR AWAY FROM HERE! Seriously, if you intend to do ONE, go to firstdibs.com and spend 3grand on a lamp and take up golf. If you are dead serious about this lamp thing and more, you'll need to learn my name. That's a nice lamp btw, it's not bronze, it's spelter.
Hi Jason, I have read every post already about how you made your lamp, made notes, and bookmarked the valuable links you've included. Thank you!! Your lamp reminded me a little of the lamp photo i have, but your lampshade is more complex. My dream is to make my own lamp(s) from my 3d printed designs. Buying doesn't satisfy me enough.
If you read my stuff, then you know I'm jerking your chain! That's a cool piece. I love doing the lamp thing, trouble is, people today are CHEAP. To protect yourself from massive lo$$,, I suggest you set about building your furnace first. I recommend buying an A20 crucible off fleabay and build a furnace to use that in. I know sounds like cart before horse, but you'll need the crucible to size the furnace. Decide on how you want to fuel it. Propane or oil burner. Build your lifting tools, pouring shank etc.... How are you at welding???? Now is a great time to learn! You WILL NEED TO LEARN TO WELD, PERIOD! Castings do not come out perfect and will require welding. So I suggest buying a TIG welder! You can use it to build your furnace, but it's slow. NONE of this stuff happens fast! Now for your method, welcome to lost wax ceramic shell. That is the only way you can pull this off. We can discuss Ransom & Randolph later for your slurry and silicas. You being in NC, you can get this stuff, not locally, but Ohio isn't far and shipping is reasonable. You will need a kiln for burnout, craigslist is the order for that. Big cheap old pottery kiln will make your life easier. Wax comes from online and is brown microcrystalline. Don't try candles or I won't be happy with you! How is your sculpting skills? I suck, but I'm getting better. Make peace with working wax and you'll go far. Fight it and it will be your enemy. I often don't bother with silicone molds to save a few bucks and I don't create editions. After one piece, I'm bored stiff and never want to do it again. (my wife is lucky she's still around) That's about it in a nutshell. So how is your skills? The process is the easy part.
I took a 2 day welding class before but never used a Tig welder. I have a chepo 200$ welding unit that uses rods and destroys anything thinner than an inch. My skill is newb poor. I made a propane furnace before (to melt aluminum cans) out of a metal barrel that i lined with concrete that fell apart after a few uses. I also used iron tubes that i welded on the bottom as crucibles that also failed after a few uses. This time i want to start off properly. I tried candle wax for sculpting and then used regular plaster of paris to make molds with limited success, using the furnace to burn out the wax (which usually cracked the mold). In other words i did things in a non professional way and the results were crappy looking.
Tig is actually really easy and kinda relaxing once you get the hang of it. I've gotten several people started TIG welding even over the PHONE! First you learn to just light up, hold an arc, make a puddle and get it to solidify. After that, you practice driving the puddle in a straight line. Then it's time to learn to add filler. (spot weld) Ya get a puddle, make ONE DAB and stop. Next it's time to drive a puddle and add a dip of filler as you go. That's literally all there is to it. Holding the torch a steady height is the hardest part for most. Once you learn how to move slow, smooth and steady, the hard part is done. A good helmet is really important. I knew learning how to do this was going to be a challenge for me so I ponied up the big bucks for a kick ass machine. Last thing I wanted to do was fight some substandard shit welder. My time is more valuable than that and made the machine worth every penny! You wouldn't think there is a difference, but total arc smoothness is an amazing experience! Lincoln owners will never get it and I didn't believe it myself until I felt it first hand! Bronze TIG is kind of a different animal. Unless I'm making structural joints, I seldom have to melt the parent metal. For cosmetic welds, it's really TIG BRAZING! You get the parent metal hot, but not melting. A dip of filler will then stick to the area. That's brazing! Add filler, then work it back to blend the repair. Easy!
Welcome to the forum, meishern. I'm pretty sure 01binary, the author of the page you linked above, is also a member here. There are plenty of great homemade furnace and foundry equipment build threads here to get good ideas from, as well as people's diy solutions and methods for making good castings within a hobbyist's budget. Dig around a bit to see what people here have already done, what worled well, and what didn't. You'll soon have an idea of what kind of furnace and burner you want to build that suits your needs, available work space, and habits. I like those lamps too. Definitely not Walmart! You came to the right place to figure out how to make stuff like that, and how not to. Jeff
