Materials and methods - StatuesMost of the statues at Tibet Shop are made of copper using the ancient lost-wax method. Everything is hand made. All statues that look golden are gold plated, except if the title says they are brass. Other materials are solid silver, silver plating, and copper-silver alloy. If a silver statue, or part of it, is solid silver, it is mentioned in the description. Others are silver plated copper. There are varying proportions of other metals, like tin, in the copper, so it may be difficult to say if a statue is actually bronze or copper. Special herb baths are used to fine tune the color of the gold. The most usual ornaments are turqoise and coral. The blue in the hair and the orange in some statues is paint. The original model of a statue is first made in bee-wax. A large portion of this precious substance is lost in the process of melting it out of the mold, hence the name lost-wax method. After the statue has been taken out of the mold, starts the long phase of carving and finishing all the fine details on the statue with a chisel and a hammer. Finally comes the gold plating, herb baths, painting, and decorations. |
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