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After the commission is agreed between Charlie and the client, an original clay sculpture is made of the subject

Once complete, the original clay is taken to the foundry where a rubber mould is taken. This picks up all the detail of the original and consists of different sections, each contained in their own plaster jacket

The two halves of the rubber mould are separated, and the original plasticine portrait is then removed from inside. Then the mould is put together, and wax poured in to give an even thin coating of wax a quarter of an inch thick. After the wax has cooled, the rubber mould is separated, leaving the wax cast from each half. Then the wax is removed from the rubber mould and seamlines removed. Charlie then works the original wax to add make any further adjustments to the sculpture and sign the work.

Wax sprues are added to the sculpture and a large cup is attached at one end which will receive the molten bronze when poured. The placement of the sprues allows the molten bronze to flow through these areas once the pour is made

A secondary mould is taken around the wax, by dipping the wax in a liquid binder solution, called "slurry". In addition to the outside coat, the wax is also filled in with a ceramic core to allow the final cast to be hollow. After this, a very fine silica sand is coated onto the slurry, creating a ceramic shell around the wax.