Casting Alan Cottrill's Equestrian Statue of Major General
William Starke Rosecrans

to be Placed on
Sunbury Village Square

Dedication Saturday, September 28

Workshop of Coppermill Bronze Works

Clay Sculpture
of Boney's Head

After four months of work, Alan Cottrill's clay statue is cast into bronze.  The process is not a quick job but slowly worked on a little piece at a time.  The larger than life equestrian statue is carefully reduced to hundreds of small pieces which will each be cast then welded together to form the statue which will stand on Sunbury Village Square.  We saw 5 pieces cast using 300 pounds of bronze.

Horse Assembled

  Clay of Major General Rosecrans with wax on his head

Making Mold over the Rubber for Casting the Bronze

Wax covered mold is dipped into ceramic slurry to make the mold for casting These are hung on hooks to dry Molds going into the Kiln to melt wax
 

Bronze heating in furnace

  Checking
temperature
of bronze
 

Molds from the Kiln - after 2 hours at 1500 degrees

Molds
ready
for
casting

Fitting molds into casting box of sand

Casting box
filled
with sand

Crucible of Hot Bronze Removed from Furnace - Pouring Begins

Opening the furnace Moving crucible toward molds Skimming impurities  

             
     
 

After 300 pounds of
bronze poured
Returning Crucible to furnace

 

 

Placing ingots in crucible
to melt for next casting

 

Removing Castings in the Molds to the Yard to Complete Cooling

   

 

Mold broken away

Buttons on jacket and cuff  

Inside of back legs

After cast is broken from bronze

Pieces are welded together

Inside of front legs

Thanks to Charles Leasure and his Crew for showing Janet MacKenzie
and
Polly
Horn
the process

 

Photos by Bill Comisford and Polly Horn

 

Statue Committee:  Chairman Bill Comisford, Treasurer Hon. Henry Shaw, jr.
Sue Comisford, Rick Helwig, Janet MacKenzie and Polly Horn

Return to Statue
Return to Big Walnut Area Historical Society
 

(9-16-2013)