Bronze Casting - Finishing Up

Once the bronze is poured you cover the opening of the mold to prevent the bronze from cooling too quickly. Here a brick is being put on top of the opening but you can also cover them with sand. Since you eventually cut off the cup from the statue a bit of sand doesn't do any harm.

These casts would probably take 24 hours to cool (the larger sculpture perhaps 48). When cooling is complete, you break the shell off with a hammer (being careful not to damage the metal), sand blast off excess mold in those hard to reach places, polish, grind, smooth, burnish, and patina. Then voila! You have a bronze statue.