Papers Concerning Robertson's Colony in Texas, Volume 11, July 26 through October 14, 1835, Nashville-on-the-Brazos Page: 24
666 : ill., maps, ports. (some col.) ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
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McLean, PAPERS CONCERNING ROBERTSON'S COLONY IN TEXAS, Volume XI
24
Next comes one of the most crucial phases of the foundry
process: actually casting molten bronze into the mold. Ingots of
"silicon bronze" alloy are melted in a furnace, and the molten metal is
poured into the casting mold. (The silicon bronze used for the
Robertson sculpture was an alloy of copper, tin, lead, zinc, iron,
nickel, manganese, and silicon.) Once the bronze has cooled, the mold
is broken away.
At this point a bronze casting still does not look like a
finished sculpture. There are tiny pits and cracks which must be
repaired by hours of skilled welding and grinding. The color of the
sculpture in this stage is that of the bronze alloy. To obtain the
desired "patina" (color) the sculpture is treated with various acids.
This simply artificially "ages" the bronze. Different types of acids
create different color patinas. The sculptor works with the foundry to
obtain the patina which he desires.
Creating a bronze sculpture such as that of Sterling C.
Robertson involves many people. The staff of Schaefer Art Bronze
Casting worked with great skill and dedication on each phase of the
casting process. I am grateful to them. Also, I want to express my
appreciation to those at UTA who made this commission possible: to Mr.
John Hudson for giving me the commission, to Dr. W. A. Baker for
approving the funds, to Dr. Charles Colley for encouragement from a
fellow artist, and to Dr. and Mrs. Malcolm McLean for their constant,
generous support.
The great sculptor Michelangelo saw his sculptures as his
"children".* Like children they go out into the world to develop lives
of their own. We who create them must, eventually, entrust them to the
care of others. They have their effect upon the lives of those who see
them, and they carry with them some element of the life of each person
who participated in their creation.
Larry D. Crowder, sculptor
April 16, 1984
*Robert J. Clements, Micheangelo: A Self-Portra[it (New York:
New York University Press, London: University of London Press Limited,
1968), p. 102.
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McLean, Malcolm Dallas, 1913-. Papers Concerning Robertson's Colony in Texas, Volume 11, July 26 through October 14, 1835, Nashville-on-the-Brazos, book, 1984; Arlington, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91048/m1/28/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .