Here we have a shot of a crucible that is around 1200 degrees celsius. We know the temperature without the use of a thermometer (which of course had not been invented in the 1st century AD) due to the red glowing colour of the crucible and the yellow deposits that form as the bronze heats up and releases its sulphur content.

Five more minutes of hard work on the cylinder bellows from the point where we are at in this picture brought the bronze to melting point (around 1370 deg C). The crucible is then removed from the firebox and the molten bronze poured into the moulds. This is when you keep your fingers and everything else crossed in he hope that the mould has held together and that you had calculated the quantity of metal correctly to fill the mould. It can be a bit hit and miss, particularly when we are doing this out in the field at shows.

When we have cast bronze successfully at shows we have been asked how much items would cost and have received many variations on the ‘Oh that is very expensive for that little thing’ theme. However, this is not an easy thing to do out in the field using historically accurate equipment and no electric just muscle power. First of all there is the making of the moulds, then a good 45 minutes of hard work on the cylinder bellows whilst sat next to a hot fire usually in hot weather, with the final stage being the pouring of the metal and hoping that it has all gone to plan.

Hopefully this has provided a little insight into how the casting is done and why our prices are as they are.