Bronze and brass casting for sculptors and designers
Updated: 7 days ago
Short answer: Yes, you can have your sculpture cast overseas without visiting the foundry. Classic Art Collection is a family-owned lost-wax foundry in Bangkok, Thailand, casting in bronze and brass since 1991. You send a sculpture, a 3D file, a drawing or an existing piece. We quote it, you approve each stage from photographs and video, and we ship the finished metal to you anywhere in the world.
Every stage happens under our own roof: sculpting, moulding, wax, casting, chasing, patina and packing. Nothing is subcontracted. And we never publish client work or client names. Not on our website, not on social media, not anywhere.
At a glance
Method: lost-wax casting only
Metals: silicon bronze for art, brass for objects
Start from: a physical master, a 3D file, drawings or photographs, or an existing mould
Size: from small objects up to monumental work; our largest piece stands 7 metres high
Lead time: 2 to 3 months for a custom commission; 3 to 5 weeks for our own designs or stock on hand
Pricing: quoted per commission in three parts (master, mould, cast); no price list
Payment: master in full up front; then mould in full plus half the casting; balance two weeks before pickup
Minimum order: custom work, set per design (around twenty small, ten larger); wholesale of our own designs, 20 pieces per order
Shipping: worldwide, by air or sea, in a wooden crate
Confidentiality: client designs and names are never published; we will sign an NDA
Can an overseas foundry cast my sculpture?
Yes. Most of the artists and designers we cast for live outside Thailand and never need to visit. You send the design, we quote it, and you approve each stage from photographs and video before we move on. The finished pieces travel to you by air or sea.
Can I visit the foundry?
Foundry tours are by arrangement. Peera drives you to the foundry and shows you round himself. Book through WhatsApp on 089 984 7055. From outside Thailand, dial +66 89 984 7055. Our Bangkok office handles correspondence only and does not receive visitors.
What can you cast?
We cast original designs in two metals, by the lost-wax method only.
Sculpture and limited editions for artists, galleries and collectors
Museum pieces
Designed objects for product and furniture designers
Functional and architectural pieces for hotels, interiors and real estate projects
How big can you go? Our largest piece so far stands 7 metres high. Large pieces are always cast in several sections and joined, so size is limited by planning, not by the furnace. One recent 4 metre sculpture was installed on the tenth floor of a finished building. Welding on site was not possible there, so we cast it in sections and assembled it on site with a mechanical locking system.
Lost-wax casting picks up every detail of the original: tool marks, textures, even fingerprints in the clay. That is why sculptors choose it. To see how it works stage by stage, read the master, the mould and the wax: how a bronze begins, then ceramic shell, burnout and the bronze pour.
Bronze or brass: which one should I choose?
Choose silicon bronze for art, and brass for objects. That is the simple version, and it is how we advise every client.
Silicon bronze is what we cast for artists, collectors and museum pieces. It carries the weight and the associations collectors expect from a bronze.
Brass is what we cast for hobbyist pieces, functional objects, and hotel and real estate projects. It is the more approachable of the two in price.
Once a piece has been chased and patinated, the two can look almost the same. They do not cost the same. So we always tell you, in writing, which metal you are getting. Some suppliers describe brass as bronze. We do not.
Before you approve a quotation, check which metal it names. "Bronze" covers several different alloys, brass is a different metal again, and some products sold as bronze are resin. The alloy decides the colour of the raw metal, how your patina will take, and how the piece ages, so it is worth having it written into the quotation. We explain what to ask in What Is Real Bronze? Why You Should Ask Your Foundry for the Alloy Percentage.
What do I need to send a foundry?
Send us whatever you have. We can start from any of these:
A finished sculpture or physical master. You ship it to us, and we make the mould directly from it. This is the simplest start.
A 3D file. Send the file itself, not a render. STL or a similar format is normal. Tell us the finished size, because a file has no scale until someone gives it one. Many overseas clients start here, and we print the master in Bangkok.
A drawing or photographs. Our sculpting team can build the 3D model from them. You review and approve the model before anything is moulded.
An existing piece or an existing mould. Send photographs first so we can judge whether it will still give you the detail you want.
If you are printing the master yourself, castable resin is our first preference. PLA works, but the surface needs hand detailing afterwards. Please remove print supports before you send it.
In your first email, include:
Photos, drawings or the file
The finished size
How many pieces you want
What the piece is for
The finish you have in mind
Where it is going
Your real deadline
For what happens after that first email, read how to commission a bronze or brass casting.
How much does bronze casting cost, and how does a quote work?
Every commission is quoted individually, after we have seen your design. We do not publish prices and we do not have a price list. The honest number depends on four things: the size, the metal, the amount of hand finishing and the quantity. A figure published without those four would be wrong for most people who read it.
Your quotation comes in three parts, so you can see exactly what you pay for:
The master. One time, per design. Small or waived if you already have a physical master or a usable 3D file.
The mould. One time, per design.
The cast. Per piece. This is the only part that repeats on a reorder.
For custom work cast from your own design, the minimum is set per design, not by a blanket rule. As a guide, it runs around twenty pieces per design for small items and around ten for larger ones. This is separate from the wholesale minimum of 20 pieces per order, which applies only when traders buy from our own designs.
How is payment structured? Payment comes in three steps. First, the master is paid in full, up front. Second, the mould is paid in full together with half of the casting cost, as one payment, and casting begins once it clears. Third, the balance, the remaining half of the casting cost, is due two weeks before the pieces are ready for pickup. We accept USD or Thai Baht by international bank transfer.
A quotation covers the stages it names, through to finished patina. It does not normally include freight, insurance, or import duty at your end. We quote those separately. For how quotation, approval and payment run step by step, read our commissioning guide: process, lead times and payment.
Can I order a single prototype first?
Yes. We can cast a single piece or prototype before you commit to an edition. It is quoted on its own, because one piece still needs a master and a mould.
Plan for a longer wait. A single piece has to queue for space in a furnace run alongside larger orders, so it can take up to about 3 months.
Who owns the mould, and how are editions handled?
The mould is yours. You pay for it once. When your edition is finished, we return the mould to you with the order, or destroy it, whichever you prefer.
Your design is cast only for you. We never cast beyond your edition and never reproduce a client's design for anyone else. That is a promise we make to every client.
Edition numbers are stamped only on your instruction. We never mark a piece without the client's consent. If you want an edition number on each piece, tell us how you want it and we follow it.
Our foundry mark is optional. We add it only if you ask, and it is never placed where it can be seen from the outside.
Each piece in an edition starts as its own wax, and you approve the first wax before the rest of the edition is cast. That is the last moment when a change is cheap.
How long does bronze casting take?
A custom commission, cast from your own design, takes 2 to 3 months. That is most of our work, and it is a real working time, not a best-case promise.
What you order | Lead time |
A custom commission from your own design | 2 to 3 months |
A single piece or prototype | up to about 3 months (it queues for furnace space) |
Our own designs, or pieces we have in stock | 3 to 5 weeks |
Ordering more at once is faster overall. Pieces cast together go through as one run and skip the queue. For an edition of 99, for example, ordering 20 at a time is far quicker than ordering one or two at a time.
Three to five weeks is only possible for our own designs or stock on hand. For a custom commission we will tell you that up front rather than agree to a date we cannot hold. To see why the work cannot be rushed, read why lost-wax bronze casting cannot be automated or rushed and why bronze sculpture takes time to make.
Are you a trader or retailer?
You can also order from our own collection of designs to sell on. The wholesale minimum is 20 pieces per order, which is separate from the per design minimum for custom work, and our own designs or stock on hand ship in 3 to 5 weeks. Send us the designs you are interested in and the quantities, and we will quote them.
How is each piece finished?
After the pour, every piece is chased by hand to clean and refine the surface, then patinated. We send colour samples before you decide. Our standard range is the metal's own natural colours, not paint, and specific colours can be discussed. A protective lacquer is available after patina if you want one.
Chasing is the most skilled stage of the whole process, and the one you notice least when it is done well. Read more in chasing and patination, the hand-finishing of bronze.
How do you pack and ship overseas?
We have shipped to every continent. Air freight is standard. Sea freight is used for large or heavy consignments. Shipments can go to you directly or to your gallery.
Every piece is packed by our own team, in house. A standard open wooden crate is included, to keep the piece stable in transit. A fully closed crate is available at extra cost. We handle the Thai export paperwork from our side, and every shipment comes with a numbered invoice and a packing list. We quote the goods cost first (FOB), then add a freight estimate, because freight rates change and we would rather re-quote than guess.
Will my design stay confidential?
Yes. Client designs are confidential by default, and everything we make is treated as subject to non-disclosure whether or not you sign an agreement. We are glad to sign an NDA as well.
We never publish client work or client names. That is a promise we make to every client, and it is why our portfolio shows only our own designs. Keeping production entirely in house, from sculpting to packing, is what lets us keep that promise.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my sculpture cast in bronze overseas without visiting the foundry?
Yes. You send a 3D file, a physical master, or drawings and photographs. We quote it, you approve each stage from photographs and video, and we ship the finished pieces to you by air or sea.
Do you cast designs that aren't yours?
Yes. Casting other people's designs is most of our work. We cast for artists, designers, galleries and museums, and we keep every one of those designs confidential.
Are you a real foundry or a trading company?
A real foundry. We are a family-owned manufacturer in Bangkok, casting since 1991, and every stage, from sculpting to packing, happens in our own workshop. Nothing is subcontracted.
Can I see examples of work you have cast for other artists?
No, and that is deliberate. We never publish client work or client names, so the only pieces we show are our own designs. You can see those on our website. Your design gets the same protection.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. Your design is confidential by default even without one, and we are happy to sign one too.
Will you ever cast more than my edition?
No. We never cast beyond your edition and never reproduce a client's design for anyone else.
How large a sculpture can you cast?
Our largest piece so far stands 7 metres high. Large pieces are always cast in several sections and joined. Where welding on site is not possible, sections can be assembled on site with a mechanical locking system.
What is your minimum order?
There are two different minimums. For custom work cast from your own design, it is set per design: as a guide, around twenty pieces for small items and around ten for larger ones. For wholesale orders of our own designs, the minimum is 20 pieces per order.
How is payment structured?
Payment comes in three steps. First, the master is paid in full, up front. Second, the mould is paid in full together with half of the casting cost, as one payment, and casting begins once it clears. Third, the balance, the remaining half of the casting cost, is due two weeks before the pieces are ready for pickup.
Can you make a single prototype before a full edition?
Yes. A single piece or prototype is quoted on its own, because it still needs a master and a mould. It queues for furnace space, so allow up to about 3 months.
How long does a bronze casting take?
A custom commission from your own design takes 2 to 3 months. Our own designs or stock on hand take 3 to 5 weeks. Ordering more pieces at once is faster overall, because they are cast together and skip the queue.
How much does it cost to cast a sculpture in bronze?
It depends on the size, the metal, the hand finishing and the quantity, so every commission is quoted individually. We do not publish a price list. Send us the design and you will get a real quotation in three parts: master, mould and cast.
Should I choose bronze or brass?
Silicon bronze for art, collectors and museum pieces. Brass for functional objects, hobbyist pieces, and hotel and real estate projects. We always state in writing which metal you are getting.
Why does the alloy percentage matter?
Because the mix of metals decides how a casting looks, takes a patina, holds up outdoors and keeps its value. Two pieces can look identical on day one and age differently if the alloys differ. Ask any foundry to name the alloy and its main metals in writing. Read more.
Who owns the mould?
You do. When your edition is finished, we return the mould to you with the order or destroy it, whichever you prefer.
Do you put a foundry mark on the piece?
Only if you ask. When we do, it is never placed where it can be seen from the outside.
What finishes do you offer?
Hand chasing on every piece, then patina in the metal's own natural colours. We send colour samples before you choose. A protective lacquer is available.
Do you ship worldwide?
Yes, to every continent, by air or by sea, to you or to your gallery. A standard open wooden crate is included; a fully closed crate costs extra. We handle the export paperwork on the Thai side.
Can I visit the foundry?
Foundry tours are by arrangement. Peera drives you to the foundry and shows you round himself. Book through WhatsApp on 089 984 7055. Our Bangkok office does not receive visitors.
Start your commission
Send us photographs, drawings or a 3D file. Tell us the finished size, how many you want, and where they are going. You will get a straight answer on whether your piece is castable, which metal suits it, and what the stages are, before any question of money comes up. Enquiries are answered by the owner, in most cases personally.
Email: classicartcollection@gmail.com
Phone and WhatsApp: 089 984 7055 (from outside Thailand: +66 89 984 7055)
Office (correspondence only, no visitors): 1802/8 Worarat Center, Thanurat Road, Thung Wat Don, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
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