Lost wax metal casting craftcanvas 2017

Lost Wax Metal Casting www.craftcanvas.com

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Table of Contents • About Us • Introduction • Mythology • Materials Used

• Process of Lost Wax Metal Casting • Products • Additional References • Image Source

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About Us CraftCanvas is a link between rural artisan communities and the urban customer, translating an ages old craft into something that is relevant today. It is based on the idea of contemporizing Indian Handicrafts through a common platform and canvas where stake holders of the craft community like artisans, designers, craft practitioners, etc can come together to create unique products and experiences suited to modern day living.

India has a rich handicraft heritage and we owe this to generations of artisans who have blended tradition, religion, social norms and functionality to bring craft where it is today. However, there has been a significant shift in sensibilities of present-day craft patrons thereby highlighting a need for Handicrafts to adapt to these changes.

We believe that there is a place for India’s traditional crafts even in the most modern of spaces and this process of evolution is what CraftCanvas facilitates.

Handicraft patrons like you can express your requirements ranging from wall murals, soft furnishings, paintings, furniture and lighting among many others.

Our team will assist you in transforming their ideas and aesthetic preferences to final products with a high level of artistry.

On the other end, we are constantly forming collaborations between the craft and design community through which an interesting blend of experiences and products are developed. Working with designers, traditional artisans are trained to adapt to this new design scenario. For designers, it gives them an opportunity to create solutions that embody the essence of the craft. Subsequently, these innovations are marketed by CraftCanvas through channels like online store, workshops, exhibitions etc.

Please feel free to browse through our site for specific information on our various initiatives and we look forward to welcoming you to our world of crafts.

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Introduction

Lost wax metal casted Buddha statue

Himachal Pradesh is renowned for the Buddhist and Hindu copper alloy statues produced during the medieval period. The iconography of these statues is complex, and craftsmanship excellent. During the medieval period, the area surrounding the Chamba valley was an important political and artistic center.

Although archaeological evidence concerning metal casting and artistic production there is scanty, some art work of the period still remains in the local temples, and a number of statues in museum and private collections are attributed on a stylistic basis to Himachal Pradesh and Chamba.

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Mythology

Lost wax metal statue

Both technically and stylistically, museum statues attributed to medieval Chamba and nearby areas of Himachal Pradesh are very similar to objects produced in the major casting workshops of medieval Kashmir. Links with the nearby Kashmir valley were strong during this period, both politically and culturally. In the 11th century, Chamba was invaded by Kashmir and remained dependent upon it for many years. There were inter marriages between the ruling families of each state as well as exchanges of royal visit and other interactions.

A small group of large-sized copper alloy statues still in use in temples of Chamba district have Sanskrit inscription on the base identifying the patron as Meru Varman, a Chamba king who ruled the area in the early part of the 8th century. The statues range up to 5 feet in height, and show a high degree of sophistication in metal technology.

Additional evidence of the occurrence of medieval period casting in the area is the presence of now abandoned copper mines near several small villages in the hills outside the town. www.craftcanvas.com

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Materials Used

Tools and materials used

Tools Metal burner, metal cutter, metal bender, metal roller, drill presses, lathes, hammer, chisel and pipe products.

Materials Metals—silver, brass, bronze, mercury, copper, iron, tin and bell metal Clay and bees wax are used in the process

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Process of Lost Wax Metal Casting

Diagram explaining the process

Preparing for Casting The majority of the statues made in the Chamba are produced by lost wax casting.

• The first step in producing a statue is usually to model a clay core. A system of iron rods or wires is needed to support the core. This system will usually include a large central armature, and other smaller ones going into the arms and legs. Sometimes grass is wrapped around the iron armature, and the clay packed over that • The next step is to form the wax model over the clay. If the statue is to be solid, a wax model with no clay core is carved instead • A channel for pouring the metal in to the mould and another for release of gases are attached to the wax model • The wax is then covered by several layers of clay which reproduces an exact imprint of the wax image on the inner surface • Iron nails may be used to help hold the wax-mould assembly together • When the assembly of clay core, wax model and inner clay is complete, it is placed in a fire to melt the wax • The wax is poured out of the mould leaving a cavity for the molten metal www.craftcanvas.com

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Casting the Statue • The metal to be used for the casting is prepared for melting • When the metal is molten, the mould assembly is turned up-side down and the metal is poured in, displacing air which escapes • The poured metal will take the shape of the imprint which has been formed in the clay mold by the wax model • Cold water is sprinkled over the inside clay to speed the metal solidification process • After the metal has completely solidified the clay investment is broken away and the channels are cut off

Finishing and Decorating • Some decorative features may be carved into the wax model prior to casting.

These decorations are usually further refined by chiseling, chasing and engraving after casting has been completed • Copper, silver, stones, or glass may then be inlaid to pre cast cavities, depending upon the wishes of the patron • Only pure copper and silver are used for inlay pieces, since they soften more easily than an alloy and are easier to work with

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Products

Metal casted products

The various metal products made using the lost wax metal casting process at Chamba are Mohra (votive masks), idols, figurines and bells. The tradition of lost wax bronze casting is believed to have been brought to Chamba by immigrant Kashmiri artisans who found patronage at the courts of the Pahari Kings. Over time, the Kashmiri idiom, which these craftsmen were trained in, was infused with some local stylistic elements and a number of metal ware products catering to the religious, ritual and domestic needs of the populace were introduced in Pahari states. The idols in this fusion style generally stand in tribhanga mudra and wear three-pronged crowns, and heavy ornaments and a cummerbund; the torna (background) is embellished in the Pahari style as are the goddesses with long tapering eyes draped in sari, the chou (pleats) of which are executed with great care. The metal used is usually an alloy of brass with 65% copper and 35% zinc.

Silver is also included in the casting in a proportion of 10 gm of silver to 1gm of copper; it is also occasionally used to inlay the figurines eyes.

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Additional References • • • •

http://ncert.nic.in/NCERTS/l/kehc104.pdf http://www.cohands.in/handmadepages/pdf/46.pdf http://madhuinvention.weebly.com/art--craft.html http://penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/293/Modern.pdf • http://ncert.nic.in/NCERTS/l/kefa107.pdf Image Source • http://www.indiantravelportal.com/himachal/arts-crafts/handicraft.html • http://penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/293/Modern.pdf • http://www.cohands.in/handmadepages/pdf/46.pdf

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Designed by Surpritkaur Dang www.craftcanvas.com

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