The Iron Maidens were cast in 2004 at the first iron pour I had ever participated in. It was a lot of fun and hard work. The original form was made using oil-based clay. I was not sure what I wanted to cast but I knew I wanted it to look like I had dug it up in the yard. At this point in my work I had never had to create an armature for a small piece. This was learning experience for me as usual.
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The original form
Another Silicone Mold:
After I made the original form I had to create a mold. This is another silicone mold that was made using 100 percent silicone from the hardware store. At some point I will have to document how to do this because it really comes in handy and is cheap and easy.
Once the mold is made you have to make a wax cast from the mold. I did not get pictures of the wax cast but I will the next time I do an iron pour. Wax gates have to be attached for the metal to go in and come out. Once the gates are attached you have to make a box and mix the sand, etc. to make a sand mold. There is a lot of mixing and team work involved in making the molds. When the the sand mold has hardened the wood box is removed and it is put in the kiln so that the wax can melt out (this is a lost wax mold). After this has been done your mold is ready to pour.
Things are Starting to Heat Up:
Before you can get to this stage you have to break up scrap pieces of iron into quarter sized pieces. I did this with my classmates with sledge hammers. Some wonderful person donated a ton of old radiators from an abandoned house and that is what this piece is made from. It is hot hard work.
Please remember to wear safety glasses, knee pads, gloves, and protective clothing. The iron bounces up off the ground when you are demolishing it into quarter size pieces and it can cut or injure you if your not careful. Why do I know this? Because it happened to me. I got a good size chunk in my knee and a pretty scar as proof that I am often less than graceful. On a positive note, if your really mad at someone that day it’s a great way to get rid of your frustrations. You also have to sort and size the coke and get the area ready with lots and lots of sand.
All Dressed Up and Ready to Go:
This stuff is really hot and can burn a hole through you so safety is extremely important. After the radiator incident I really didn’t want to take any more chances.
Team Pouring:
Iron is very heavy and very hot. It takes everybody to to manage carrying and pouring the iron into the sand molds. The entire crew is ready with sand and shovels to douse out any of the iron that drips down the side and erupts into flames.
Pouring Baby Heads:
Erik Johnson makes iron baby heads. These are his molds. A close up of how hot this stuff really is.
Smoking Molds:
The molds have to sit for hours to cool down after the pour. While they are cooling it’s time to clean the place up. Lots and lots of sand has to be shoveled back into a pile. The area has to be swept and cleaned up. Then it’s Miller Time!
When the molds have finally cooled down they can be opened. It’s best to wait a day before you work with the piece and remove the iron gates. These have to be cut off and filed. The piece also has to be sandblasted to remove sand from the mold and the debris from the pour. Since I wanted this piece to look like I could have dug it out of the yard I kept a lot of the texture from the pour. The end result were these two lovely Iron Maidens.
“Iron Maidens”
Cast Iron Sculpture
7” H x 4” W x 6” D
2004
