plastic resin, or if shrinkage of the recasted pieces is considered to be a risk, a 3-D scan is made of the piece to create a model on a computer,” Abriata said. “Patterns can then be printed or cut on a computer numerical control machine.” Before the pattern can be made,
Workers at Historical Arts & Casting, Inc., West Jordan, Utah, pour molten iron into molds to make castings for the U.S. Capitol Dome.
more than 10 layers of paint must be removed to reveal the original details on the 150-year-old casting. Each cast iron part is made in a nobake sand mold. Te original iron from the damaged castings is reclaimed and remelted to produce the new pieces. “Pieces that can’t be repaired will be melted, re-alloyed and poured into the new castings, so the origi- nal pieces will remain part of the
Using an existing rosette ornament, Historical Arts & Casting produced a negative of the piece to create the pattern used to make the mold.
An automated cutter carves out the details for a wood pattern based on data gathered with 3-D scanners.
Historical Arts & Casting made a pattern out of rubber (left) from an existing lambs tongue ornament. Good pieces, along with broken castings, were taken from the Dome to create the newly cast ornaments (right).
26 | MODERN CASTING June 2015
Photo provided by: Architect of the Capitol Photo provided by: Architect of the Capitol
Photo provided by: Architect of the Capitol Photo provided by: Architect of the Capitol
Photo provided by: Architect of the Capitol
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