< RECONSTRUCTING CAST SECTIONS
FIXTURES & FITTINGS
The majority of art and design castings require some type of fixture which can be used to secure the finished artwork to a base, wall or other feature. Fixings and fittngs for casts are normally supplied and fitted by the founder. In most cases the fixings used are of a straightforward nature, simple both to attach to the cast itself and then secure it to a mount. Occasionally the size, design or positioning of a sculpture requires a more elaborate or substantial fixing to be specified and fitted.
STANDARD FIXTURES & FITTINGS (FOR BASES & PLINTHS)
Foundries have evolved various systems for securely fixing common types of art casts (heads, busts, figures etc), to bases, plinths and other items. The simplest method usually involves the supply of a threaded STUD or BOLT, which is accommodated on the sculpture by a tapped FLANGE or BOSS added to the cast. One end of the stud can be screwed into the cast’s flange/boss, the other end is inserted into the CLEARANCE HOLE drilled into the mount, this end is then secured either with a nut and washer from under the mount, or permanently fixed using a suitable resin capsule or injected 'chemset' compound.
Flange and boss plates for the cast can be created in wax, then attached to a convenient point on the sculpture, usually on the inside of the WAX PATTERN during the wax’s preparation for INVESTMENT. The flange then becomes an integral part of the cast’s fabric. Alternatively, the founder will weld a pre-cast metal plate onto the finished cast before patination. The metal flange or boss may then be drilled and tapped with a suitable THREAD for locating a stud fixing. Where available, WHITWORTH (BSW) threaded studs are preferred over METRIC (M) for use with relatively soft alloys like gunmetal, the coarse pitched BSW thread is less likely to be stripped or pulled out of place under load.
Once the flange has been tapped, a TEMPLATE can then be made to accurately describe the position of the fixing(s) on the sculpture. The template can then be used to locate the position of clearance holes on remotely situated plinths and bases, in advance of the finished work’s delivery and installation.
Under normal circumstances, the price quoted by an art founder for the cast will include the fitting of a flange to the cast and the supply of a standard type stud fixing. In the vast majority of cases the founder’s standard fixing will be more than satisfactory and perfectly adequate to securely mount and support the finished work. The founder will also be able to supply information about the fixing (stud diameters, thread types, positional templates etc), these details will enable installation contractors to prepare in advance a plinth or any other feature designed to receive the cast.
JOINING & CUTTING
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