Metal Casting and Moisture

[Fender]

We all know what happens when there is excessive moisture in green sand when the metal is poured. So have a look at this video showing a bronze (?) medallion being cast in a bucket of water :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGMj7o6AwnM

This is a copper/silver/gold/lead alloy. (The casting part starts at about 3:00 into the video.)

This guy has way to much patience for me. I would be using my mill to do as much of the work as possible.

[steamin10]

I had heard of this, but have never seen it. At least he shows the smoothing, the removal of oxide layer, and anneal process too. This guy is a hand artist. Machines could do the job now in minutes, but they sterilize the piece, without The human variations that make the art worthwhile in my book. After all, it is a lump of metal, beaten and scratched at, but valued for the visual result. Most people never shaped metal with a hammer. Try making a WOK or a Gong out of a disc of steel about 14 inches across. Fun! It is more than wearing out a hammer. There is a definite process hidden there. A good student can learn much by just trying it once.

The Chinese have been casting, and water casting since the Bronze age. Mystic fire and water.

Cymbals, like Ziljan, are cast and rolled and hammered, and are known for their toughness and playability. It is interesting to me how such primitive methods of beating, and process, are mechanized for the same results.