Our customers present our external co-workers. We are the tools of the author, but we also perform some overall solutions. Innovativeness, a healthy mind, courage and unity are a guarantee for a superior performance of projects.
Address
Livartis, umetniško ustvarjanje d.o.o.
Volavlje 13, Volavlje
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
Contacts
e-mail: info@livartis.si
mobile: 00386-41-662-934 (Borut Kamšek)
mobile: 00386-41-542-436 (Mira Kamšek)
fax: 00386-1-366-0008
Location
GPS position of the Livartis art centre
46° 01´ 58˝ N
014° 43´ 02˝ E
If you come:
From the direction of Ljubljana
Driving on the Ljubljana bypass take the exit Ljubljana-Polje and continue driving along Zaloška cesta in the direction of Zalog. Once you arrive to the crossroads in Zalog go straight ahead following the railway tracks. As you arrive to Podgrad turn right at the Pecelj pub and pass under the railway underpass. Continue driving in the valley of Besnica for approximately 10km. After you see the sign and a corn-rack on the left hand side take a sharp turn left and go up the hill. When you see the whole village of Volavlje ahead, look for the house with sun collectors on the roof and drive to it.
From the direction of Litija
In Litija follow the signs towards Šmartno pri Litiji. In Šmartno you turn left towards Zavrstnik and past Štangarske Poljane to Malo Trebeljevo, where you turn right towards Prežganje. From Prežganje you will already see the village of Volavlje in the distance. Continue driving down the main road and follow the sign with Atelje Kamšek written on it.
The Composition Procedures
After the original model has been done we first have to make a mould for the composition of the wax model.
Materials for the creation of moulds
A mould can be made of more materials. The first coats include two-component silicon material with minimum shrinkage after the coagulation. We also use the polyurethane, gelatine and gel, which however has a higher melting point. The flexible coating is followed by the solid cover of plaster or polyester. Moulds are preserved in the storehouse, except of those made of gelatine and gel which are not so durable. A mould is a precise record of an artist’s work, thus it is necessary to handle it in the same way as the model.
Wax models
Wax models are produced in such manner that hollow products identical to the original models are created. A wax model also needs to be retouched with moulding tools and fingers so as to eliminate the imperfections that might have been created in the production process. A mixture of clay and plaster is then poured into the wax models, thus they become more solid and it is possible to put them in a place. The models are protected from the direct sunlight, since it might cause melting and deformations.
Foundry system
The foundry system is set up using the tubes that have been created by pouring the wax into aluminium tools. The process also includes venting the core and setting up the separating or connecting sprues between the core and the external material. The foundry system contains the gates and vents at the top, and – if it is necessary - also elsewhere. The person who sets the gates has to understand the procedure perfectly. Suffusing or investment with a mixture of clay and plaster is performed in a place specially designed for this purpose so as to prevent any unwanted plastering of the workshop equipment.
Investment
In the beginning some slurry is applied with a brush onto the surface of the wax model in order to avoid the creation of unwanted bubbles. The latter present a danger since they can be cast into bronze and then have to be cut off or chopped off, which is a time consuming process. The model is plastered first with slurry and then with a thicker mixture of clay and plaster. This kind of work usually requires two workers - one mixes the slurry, plaster and sand with water, the other one invests. They both have to be careful to be synchronised. Namely, the plaster coagulation time is short and plastering is performed in layers, thus the plaster should not harden on the figure between the applications of layers.
Suffusing
Suffusing is performed in a similar way. The mould in this case is not invested but an angular panel is set around it (most of the time, however, it is round) and appropriately thick mixture of clay and plaster is poured in until it covers the mould up to the top of the foundry system. The plaster is not aggressive and we can work with it even without gloves.
Drying the mould
The plastered model is called a mould. These are set into a kiln. A kiln is a place where we reach up to 900°C. The moulds are here dried so long until they are completely dry and do not contain either wax or water.
The pour
Bronze cannot be poured into the moulds in an open space, that is why the moulds are set into frames and foundry sand is driven around them in order to hold them together. The moulds are covered so that we prevent the sand from breaking into the gates designed for pouring in bronze. Bronze is poured by instinct, thus the process requires long years of experience. Bronze is melted in furnaces with crucibles. The crucibles are made of graphite.
There are more kinds of bronze; from red and soft to yellow-white and hard. The melting points are also different.
Devesting
Devesting of the moulds is performed using a drilling machine, picks and small hammers which are used in such manner that vibrations are caused and the bronze in sandblasted. Larger bronzes are treated similarly but using larger tools. We do not hammer on the surfaces of the pieces but choose the gating and other areas where no damage can be done.
