How To Create a Large Aluminum Sculpture

Yes, you can.

Bronze sculptures are cast in pieces and welded/brazed together.

Aluminum car bodies, too.

You could do the same with aluminum sheets. Weld seams should not be a problem.

All it takes is money.

Is the shape just a cube or more complex? Do you have a sheetmetal brake?

http://whttp://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/nesting-cubes-

4ww.crinklecrankle.com/products/c-metal-planters-pots

Get some solid wood and paint it in Aluminium color, the cheap option!

Epke has the answer on several levels.

If it works out ok it can become the fianl thing, it may also serve as a model from which you could make a mols nad then a casting. It could also act as a former for applying relatively thin aluminium skin.
Del

(Lets hear it for wood... woo hoo)

Solareagle, it is all curves. If I started with a block, about 90% of it would be eliminated, kinda like the way they make airliner body pieces. Start with a giant hunk of metal and cut away everything that doesn't look like the inside of a wing. I've seen it done on CNC mills bigger than my living room.

Epke, I have it in wood now with paint and it looks crappy.

Del, maybe it could be done in fiberglass and then somehow plated. Apparently this is possible by coating it with conductive paint, then electrodeposition (is that a word?) with the final finish. I've seen chrome on plastic, and a brushed or satin aluminum might be possible. I'm asking chrome platers.

If invisible welding is possible, the joined sections of metal would be most durable. I expect people to touch it.

If fibreglass can be coated and plated, then so can wood... it's all about the time and effort spent in finishing, I don't think fglass will be any better or easier to get a good finish on.

Both will require endless filling and sanding to get a good finish.

Mind welded ali' will still need a fair bit of sanding and polishing to smooth the seams.

Good luck, be sure to post the finished result
Del

Check this guy out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdbFnQLhcKo

I'm wondering...

Can a process like gilding be used here?

Aluminum foil can be easily and cheaply had... maybe a little trial and error?

Great link, Doorman! It led to things I'd never heard of, including a fascinating article on "electrotyping" in Wiki. I'd give a link, but can't remember how to paste in this forum.

You might want to look into a Thermal or Plasma spray technique. These sprays can be applied to all sorts of base material and can vary from aluminum to chrome to many other finishes. I have to imagine that the cost has got to be much less than getting a casting made although it might be practical to do a pattern in styrofoam and have it cast in the full mold (lost foam) process. That is done by investing the styrofoam in sand after coating it with a mold or core refractory (to improve the finish) and then pouring the metal into the mold and the styrofoam burns away allowing the metal to fill the area once occupied by the foam. The downside is that it's a one for one situation and your pattern is consumed. I used to make non-ferrous castings and my neighbor did the flame deposition process. I made bronze castings for him that he would flame coat with all sorts of hard coatings for wear resistance.

Here is a site you may want to check out

http://www.industrialpolymers.com/product-list/styrospray-product-list/styrospray/?gclid=CKeSjJHzp7gCFUVnOgodGUgAHg

Basically you could carve it out of styrofoam, glue up enough blocks for size, and then carve it out with a rotary file on a drill, a Dremel or a die grinder. Then you could spray finish it with one of the coatings they have available.

If it looks crappy it is because of the paints used, what kind of base paints did You use? Oil paints? Acrylic? painted by brush or air brush?

something like this?

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1721621

I would suggest of creating hallow aluminum casting. First make a wooden pattern which is easy to sculpture. Then make a core box for making hallow casting. Cast aluminum casting. give finishing touches by fettling and polishing. In this process you can save lot of money as aluminum is now a days expensive metal also it can be carried easily as being hallow. More over it can be possible to make more of such sculptures.

Spinco, thanks for the great ideas. And thanks to all for the help.

I really like the mold and cast approach. Once the piece is cast in aluminum I can touch it up with grinding and sanding, and then brush it to the finish. Need to find a company that will do a one-time job from my wood/fiberglass master.

This company cast large bronze sculptures designed by Leo Mol. Leo was very particular and this company were able to satisfy him. I think Henry Moore also had a bronze casting done here also. I used Custom Castings to produce cast aluminum moulds for structural foam moulding for a local tractor manufacturer. As you will see from the chart, size is not a limitation for sand casting. Good luck. http://www.customcastings.com/navigation:I+need+an+aluminum+casting

cast it as whole, then polish the aluminum...

aluminum casting