Just got my dream job!

[Shari]

I start tomorrow. I am so excited I could pee.

I am going to be a metal chaser for a bronze casting studio here in town. Its the only lost-wax bronze casting facility in Arizona. We are comissioned to create artist pieces in bronze. I am going to get PAID for melting metal with FIRE.

It's a Monday-Friday job and it pays just 50 cents less than the shitty-ass office job I had. The best, the BEST part about this job is I can literally roll out of bed, brush my teeth and pull on dirty old clothes and NOT get sent home.

I bought some steel-toe Docs and some comfortable jeans from Goodwill and a ton of t-shirts to dirty. No need of makeup, style hair, perfume, high-heeled shoes, dress slacks, NO MORE!

Okay, so the grunge fest really isn't the best part, the absolute BEST part is I can cast my OWN pieces at just the cost of materials. That is fucking awesome since bronzing just a table-top piece can cost hundreds of dollars.

I'll try to let everyone know how it goes and once I get settled I'll post pictures.

[AestheticDeath]

How did you decide on this as a dream job?

[Shari]

I went to college and got my degree in Photography. I lost interest. I took a jewelry class because I thought it would be neat to make my own jewelry and once I realized all the possibilities metal could provide me not just on a jewelry-based level, I was hooked.

I ended up taking two sculpture classes after and asked for an oxygen/acetylene as a graduation present. I just got an anvil for Christmas. I'm facinated by the many different things metal can do, aside from a structural perspective (building, architecture) but on an artistic level. I LOVE the natural oxidation process of metal and I make sure to use different types of metal in all my work to mimic things in nature. (Copper for leaves, since it turns green, steel due to the red-rust hue). I also like the physical properties of metal, watching it turn red-hot and then liquifiying before solidifying again as it cools.

After I got done with school I knew I wanted to do metalsmithing but its not like Arizona is much of an art mecca. :D So I've been casting a line out and patiently trolling for something to come up and it was by pure chance I found this place on jobbing.com as I was trying to find a way out of my boring-ass admin position.

[Artha]

That sounds like an awesome job, congrats.

[Sean of the Thread]

gratz

[Souzy]

Congrats!!! You will be getting paid to do what you enjoy.

[AestheticDeath]

Sounds like you should be pretty happy. I hope it turns out well.

[DCSL]

That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! ...make jewelry for me.

[Stanley Burrell]

That sounds pretty awesome. Like, what kind of stuff are you commissioned to work on (or is it no holds barred smelting of doom?)

Some of the Arizona Native patternings are pretty fly; my ridiculously wealthy aunt collected and donated an assload of bronze effigies of tribal leaders'n'peepz'n'stuff.

We, teh PC, is happy 4 u.

.

No metal wang cast comments from Xyelin. For shame :(

[Snapp]

Sounds like a pretty cool job, congrats Shari.

[Shari]

They will pretty much cast anything that someone wants done. Within reason. They do table-top sizes up to three-times life size. So no jewelry. And its all done in bronze, and occasionally aluminum.

Once I am able to observe enough casting there I'm going to have Scott and I make our own kiln at the house for doing silver-casting for jewelry. So patience, my dear Dex. :D

[Amber]

Awesome! That sounds like wicked fun. I bet unmolding afterwards and seeing the finished pieces is incredible.

[Skeeter]

If it was truly your dream job they would've provided you with an alarm clock.

[DeV]

The lost wax bronze process is fucking cool as hell as far as the finished work goes. I have a couple reproductions on display at home, which were made using that method, but I have no idea how much work goes into making them to be honest. In any case, grats on the new gig, sounds like you maybe found your niche.

[Numbers]

Can you make swords and armor?

[Shari]

Out of bronze, and if someone wanted to front the coin, I assume so. But the armor would have to be hella thick. We wouldn't be able to cast something the thickness of sheet.

[Valthissa]

The lost wax bronze process is fucking cool as hell as far as the finished work goes. I have a couple reproductions on display at home, which were made using that method, but I have no idea how much work goes into making them to be honest. In any case, grats on the new gig, sounds like you maybe found your niche.


Stereolithography changed the world of casting. There was a time not long ago when making the tools and burn-out portion for an investment casting was a real art. With the quickcast systems now matching thermal expansions on most of the interesting metals (inco 718, brass, nickel aluminum bronze, 15-5) the fabrication of the tools has been mechanized. The work part is now in the computer design of the object to be cast and the finish work after the casting is poured (at least in aerospace and marine applications)

oh, and casting, metalworking, welding, forming, and machining metal are fun.

and I hope Shari has fun in her dream job.

C/Valth

[Alfster]

It needs to be repeated.

STOP CHANGING JOBS

but on a different note, congrats!!!!!!

[SpunGirl]

That's awesome times a million. I remember how much I loved metalsmithing and if I had had the guts, I would have changed my major in my junior year. Nice!!

-K

[ElanthianSiren]

Late congrats Shari. Good luck!