Aluminum Bonsai casting on walnut/maple base.

Sorry about the bad images. I took them with my cell phone. I am taking a metal foundry class at the U of Mn this semester. THis aluminum casting was for my first project. Bonsai tree. Aluminum with copper plating. I spent only a few hours on the casting but put a good ten hours into the board I mounted it on. Board is Walnut and maple with the maple being the thin strips running through it. They are glued in at different levels to add depth.

Process..
Step 1 Pick out one nasty looking walnut not sure how its cured or milled board from the stack and pay $3 for it.
Step 2 Attack with Joiner/planer to get a straight edge. OY.
Step 3 Tablesaw for a second edge
Step 4 Run it through the planer repeatedly to get a flat face on the board
Step 5 More Planing.
Step 6 Bansaw in long curved cuts dividing board into 3 freeform sections
Step 7 Use tablesaw to cut 3 long thin strips of hard maple aprox 1/8”thick.
Step 8 Assure shop attendant you have not gone insane and do know what you are doing. Steal their glue and go hide in foundry
Step 9 USing 7 pipe clamps glue up all the boards. Thin strips of maple go between walnut. Strips are thin enough to bend along the sawn curves.
Step 10 Hope it holds and go play with the electroplater in the next room while waiting for glue to set.
Step 11 Unclamp, take it home, once again reassure (this time the boyfriend) that you have not gone insane.
Sand through two movies and get rid of all remains of glue.
Step 12 Stain, Dry, Sand, Repeat. 4 times.
Step 13 Drill a hole to mount the casting via the sprue (chunk of metal sticking off back) and hang piece on wall of critique room
Step 14 Have it get critiqued by advanced art students looking for meaning when really all you sought to do was create an appealing restful piece mounted on one dang purty board.

• if anyone is interested the bonsai was created by carving the negative image of the bonsai into one side of a block of sand (The mold) The block was then glued back together, drilled for vents, and sprued to allow for the metal to be poured in. We melted the aluminum in an induction furnace. USed two person lifts to raise and pour the metal out of the crucible into the mold. Fun stuff. Bronze lost wax method is next.

-- ~too many hobbies, not enough free time.