UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

COMMEMORATIVE BRONZES

A PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MISSION THAT HONORS OUR USAF HEROS AND  FELLOW BROTHERS IN ARMS

THIS IS A TWO (2) PART MISSION,  (FIRST PART) THE PLAQUES ARE MADE OF CAST BRONZE, ALSO KNOWN AS,"THE ENTERNAL METAL".  LOST WAX BRONZE CASTINGS DATE BACK 6,000 YEARS AGO, TELLING A VISUAL HISTORY OF PAST CULTURES.  THE USAF COMMEMORATIVE PROJECT LEAVES A LEGACY OF OUR BRETHERN FOR CENTURIES TO COME. THE BRONZE PLAQUES ARE TO BE IN PUBLIC PLACES THAT HAVE HEAVY FOOT TRAFFIC I.E. (RIVER WALK, SAN ANTONIO) OR FOR YOU TO PLACE YOUR BRONZE PLAQUE WHERE YOU FEEL IT BEST BELONGS. THE OBJECTIVE IS FOR THE PUBLIC TO SEE FOR CENTURIES THE SERVICES AND SACRIFICES OF OUR AIRMEN.

Bronze  Plaque Honoring USAF Heroes

Bronze Plaque Honoring A Fellow Brother In Arms

SECOND PART;  A Memorial Treasure representing one of the most significant periods of a Cadets' life, never to be forgotten.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY CADET CHAPEL

Limited Edition Bronze Sculpture

Created by Edward Colarik, Master Sculptor.

Only 265 of these bronze art pieces will ever be created.

An Edition of 250 Numbered & Signed Bronzes; Special Edition of 10 Bronzes With Stained Glass Windows & 5 Artist Proofs.

Your Name And The Year You Graduated From The Air Force Academy Shall Be Engraved On a Placard.

 

Endorsed by Brig.General Steve Ritchie, USAF, Ret.

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel Limited Edition Bronze Sculpture

Brig. General Steve Ritchie with the Sculptor, Edward Colarik, of the AFACC Bronze Sculpture.

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel is an extraordinary architectial U.S. National Historic Landmark.

This will show you how your AFACC bronze sculpture was created. Very few people know how much work and skill goes into making a fine art bronze sculpture

Edward Colarik finishing the Master Sculpture

The Master - Front Side View

The Master - Second Front Side View

The Master - Front View

The Master is prepared for the rubber molds

First, the rubber is poured over the Master Chapel

The rubber is poured over the Master BASE

After the rubber drys then additional coats are placed over the Master

Additional coats are placed over the Master

The rubber mold thickness is built up

More rubber is placed on the mold

Wooden blocks help to keep the mold in place

The mold has dried and the blocks are removed

The mold is cut open

The Master is being removed

The Master is completely removed from the mold

The mold is finished and ready for the waxes

Wax is placed into the crevices of the mold

Mold is filled carefully to produce quality details

Crevices are first filled to achieve the details required for a quality bronze

The mold is closed and hot wax is poured into it

The wax is then poured out of the mold,  This is process is repeated, building up layers of waxes.

Starting the pouring of base mold

The mold is closed and hot wax is poured into it

The wax hardens and the mold is undone

The mold is removed from the wooden sides

The mold is opened

The AFACC wax is removed

The AFACC wax is reworked

Red gates are added for reinforcement

Gates are applied to the wax base

AFACC Wax Base is prepared for dipping

The AFACC Wax for the stairs

The Wax is now dipped into glue

The Wax is completely covered by glue

The Wax Base Is removed from the glue

The Base Is now covered with sand

The Chapel is now dipped in glue

The Chapel is completely covered in glue

The Chapel is removed

The  Wax Chapel is ready to be covered in sand

The Wax Chapel is covered in sand

More sand is applied

The glue and sand harden. This process is repeated over several days until the pieces become large rocks strong

enough to hold 2,000 degree bronze. These pieces are known as Investment Molds.

The oven that melts the wax

The molds are placed in the oven

The wax is melted and flows out of the molds. The Lost Wax Process

Blast Furnace melts the metals to 2,000 degrees

The molds are set for pouring

2,000 degree bronze is poured into the molds

The molten bronze cools and hardens

The bronze has hardened and then the

outer shell is smashed leaving the Bronze Chapel

The Bronze Chapel after the shell is broken off

The  bronze has hardened and then the

outer shell is smashed leaving the Bronze Base

The  Bronze Base

The Bronze Chapel placed in a sand blaster

Sand blasting of the Base and Chapel

The remaining shell is sand blasted off

The Chapel is finished being sand blasted

 The bronze gates are cut off

Bronze gates removed

The remaining gates are cut off

The Bronze Chapel is ready for grinding & polishing

The Bronze Stairs

The Bronze Stair gates are cut off

The bottom of the Chapel is ground down

The bottom of the Base is ground down

The Chapel is polished off

More polishing

The AFACC is ready for welding

Welding step 1

The Chapel is welded to the base

Stairs are then welded to the Chapel

A blow torch is used to open the pores of the metal

Chemicals then are added and heated

AFACC Chapel is buffed out

Sections of the Chapel are polished out to a high gloss

The Artist sprays a sealer on the AFACC

A marble base is drilled so the AFACC can be mounted

The AFACC is attached to the marble base

The finishing of the AFACC bronze sculpture

A Memorial Treasure representing one of the most significant

periods of your life, never to be forgotten

Endorsed by Brig.General Steve Ritchie, Ret.

Edward Colarik's Email:   edward@airforcechapel.com

 

 

 

5325 Bent Tree Forest DR. Suite 2219  Dallas, TX 75248

Phone: 323-899-2877