Metal Finishing

A bronze straight from the shell isn't finished — it's raw. The casting comes out still encased in the ceramic shell, with the sprues that fed the metal still attached and, on multi-part pieces, the seams where separate sections were cast. Metal finishing is where all of that disappears and the sculpture becomes the piece the artist intended. After 30 years finishing work for contemporary artists and sculptors, we bring real care to this stage.

First, the casting is devested — we knock the ceramic investment off the bronze to free the casting. Then we cut away the gating, removing the sprues and channels with a large grinder and cutoff wheel, leaving just the sculpture itself.

Next we sandblast. Clearing every trace of investment from the surface — without scarring the bronze — takes real air power, so we run a 25-horsepower Kaeser industrial compressor through a 3/4-inch line. That capacity means we never run short of air blasting large sections, and our blaster dials down with equal precision for finer passages. For delicate surfaces we switch media entirely, using glass bead where the bronze needs a gentler touch. The goal is a clean, even surface with no investment left behind anywhere.

If your piece was cast in multiple sections, this is where it becomes whole again. We TIG weld the sections together on a high-capacity Miller welder, using Harris rod to match the bronze, carefully aligning each section so the form stays true to your original. Then comes chasing — refining the surface by hand until the welds vanish and the texture reads continuous across the join. Some textures test that skill more than others. We recently cast a totem from a wood original, where matching the grain across a seam is especially unforgiving — so we cut meticulously around the grain and chased it back in by hand until it ran continuous across the join, as if the bronze had never been apart. We chase with Dotco tools that have worked countless bronzes over the years, true generational heirlooms, and finish with Klingspor abrasives from Germany.

This is meticulous, patient work. From our Oxnard foundry just outside Los Angeles, we finish every piece by hand for contemporary artists and sculptors across the LA area. With the surface refined and the form whole, your sculpture is ready for its final step: patina.