Burton Belt Buckle

Custom Works & Private Commissions

an artist-run foundry on Salt Spring Island, dedicated to sculptural bronze art

FINE ART BRONZE CASTING

Founded in 2005, Burton Bronze Foundry is a fine-art bronze foundry on beautiful Salt Spring Island, B.C.

Jacob Burton and his team pursue the highest quality in their castings and in their client relations, and prioritize deadlines. The foundry casts original fine-art sculptures into texture-perfect bronze works, from tiny maquettes to large-scale public installations. Original materials vary: yellow cedar, soapstone, clay, plaster, and living humans have all been cast into bronze by the foundry.

Jacob taught himself the ancient technique of lost-wax bronze casting in Emily Carr’s foundry while majoring in sculpture there (grad. 1999). He worked part-time as the monitor and casting helper for then metal shop and foundry technician Ken Oliver. Following art school, Jacob worked in the Vancouver film industry for six years as a sculptor and mold-maker for Pro Model Makers, gathering technical experience. He lived and sculpted at the “Arc,” a cornerstone of the local art community, before returning to Salt Spring to fulfill his dream of building his own studio and foundry.

Jacob Burton Head

THE PROCESS

Lost-wax bronze casting is a five-step process.

It is an ancient technique and is the most precise and popular method of art reproduction in bronze, creating a hollow sculpture that minimizes weight and therefore expense.

Lost-wax bronze casting was used in ancient Egypt, China, and Greece. Contemporary casting remains faithful to traditional lost-wax techniques, using modern components. Pieces can be one of a kind, or can be in limited editions as determined by the artist and inscribed in each casting.

LOST WAX BRONZE CASTING

Silicone or poly-urethane rubbers, plasters, and fibreglass.

Casting, chasing, and spruing of wax positives, using pure casting wax, sculpting wax, sprue wax, and recycled foundry wax.

  • Monuments, limited edition sculptures, and custom works, using Evedure silicon bronze, a copper alloy of copper, manganese, and silicon (the best choice for sculpture).
  • Bell investment casting with tin bronze.
  • Aluminum investment casting.
  • Forge and heat-treating.
  • Life-casting using skin-safe silicone products.

  • Fabrication and chasing of bronze, aluminum, stainless steel, and carbon steel.
  • Tig/Mig welding.
  • Plasma-cutting.

  • Grinding, texturing, polishing, sand-blasting, and glass-bead blasting.
  • Patination and sealants, including nitric acid, sulfuric acid, nitrate crystals, oxide washes, permalac, tree wax, and Renaissance wax.

Custom installation of bases and mounting devices, as required.

Available by request.

HISTORY

Burton Bronze Foundry was established in 2005 by Jacob Burton. Graduating from Emily Carr in 1999 with a major in sculpture, he spent his creative time in the school foundry and metal shop. During this time, he also worked part-time as the monitor and casting helper for the metal shop/foundry technician, Ken Oliver.

He spent the next six years in Vancouver gathering technical experience. This included working in the Vancouver film industry as a sculptor/mold-maker, for a model-making company, Pro Model Makers, and renting an art studio at the “Arc” where he was able to create his own sculptures and be involved with the local art community.

Jacob moved back to Salt Spring Island to fulfill his dream of building his own studio/foundry. While he initially set up the foundry to manifest his own sculptural dreams, he realized the need for a small foundry where artists can work one-on-one with the technician through the varying stages of production.