The Dayton Daily News published a nice article about the progress that we’ve made on the Lincoln Statue. There’s also a nice video interview with sculptor Mike Major.
And, Mike sent some photos of the sculpture being disassembled for shipment to the foundry.
He also sent a description of what will happen next in the process:
The figure is now in two parts to allow it to fit in the truck. The process of making molds of the Lincoln figure and chair is next. There will be a latex layer applied to all of the surfaces. Once the latex is layered to the appropriate thickness, plaster and rebar will be applied to the outside of the latex to hold the shape. Once the molds are opened, molten wax will be applied inside to a thickness of 1/2 inch. The wax version of the sculpture will then be cut into several pieces and each piece dipped in ceramic. Dipping and drying takes several weeks to build up about 2 inches of “shell”. This ceramic shell is then heated to burn out the wax. Bronze will be poured into the void. After cooling, the shell is chipped off and the bronze pieces are sandblasted to clean the surfaces. Next the pieces are welded together. Then the welds are sculpted with power tools to blend in. Finally the patina is added. the Lincoln monument will then be brought back to store until installation and dedication.
