What is the difference between lost-wax casting and sand casting?

Sand casting uses a packed sand mould pressed with a master pattern. It is faster and less expensive, but the mould surface is grainy and dimensional accuracy is lower. Lost-wax casting uses a ceramic shell investment taken from a wax replica, capturing far finer surface detail. For decorative sculpture and figurative work where texture, expression, and edge sharpness matter, lost-wax is the correct process. Sand casting is appropriate for mechanical and architectural components where precision of detail is secondary.

What is the difference between lost-wax bronze and cold-cast bronze?

Lost-wax casting produces an object made entirely of metal alloy. Cold-cast bronze is a different process: polyester resin mixed with bronze powder, moulded at room temperature. Cold-cast pieces are not metal castings — they are resin composites with a metallic appearance. They are lighter, less durable, and do not develop a true patina over time. Classic Art Collection produces only true lost-wax cast bronze and brass.

How long does the lost-wax casting process take?

For a standard small-to-medium piece, the full cycle from wax pattern to finished, patinated bronze takes approximately three to five weeks. The ceramic shell must be built over multiple days with drying time between coats. Chasing time scales with the surface area and detail complexity of the piece. Custom commissions beginning from a new original model add the time required for sculpting, mould-making, and client approval at the wax stage before casting begins.

Why is cast bronze expensive?

Every step in the lost-wax process is labour-intensive and cannot be significantly accelerated. The ceramic shell is built by hand, one coat at a time. Chasing — the most skilled stage — is performed entirely by hand and takes longer than casting. The metal itself is not cheap, and the choice of alloy affects price: silicon bronze (used for museum editions, collector pieces, and artist projects) commands a premium over brass (used for functional objects, hobbyist editions, and real estate installations). The process also generates unavoidable waste: sprues, failed shells, and pieces that do not pass inspection.

Can lost-wax casting reproduce fine detail accurately?

Yes — this is one of the defining characteristics of the process. The wax pattern picks up every detail from the rubber mould, including the original sculptor's tool marks, fingerprints in the clay, and surface transitions measured in fractions of a millimetre. The ceramic shell captures these from the wax. The poured bronze inherits them. The limiting factor on fine detail is not the casting process — it is the chasing and patination stages. At Classic Art, preserving the sculptor's surface is the first standard against which chasing is judged.

How to Commission a Bronze or Brass Casting: Process, Lead Times and Payment

classicartcollection
17 hours ago
6 min read

Most people who contact us have never commissioned a casting before. This page sets out how the process actually works, from the first email through to finished pieces leaving the foundry: what we need from you, how a quotation is structured, how long each stage takes, and how payment is handled.

Classic Art Collection is a family owned bronze and brass foundry in Bangkok, Thailand. Peera Lertsukittipongsa is the second generation owner. We have been casting for artists, collectors and museums for more than thirty years, and every stage happens in house.

Which metal you get

We cast in two metals. Silicon bronze is used for artists, collectors and museum pieces. Brass is used for hobbyist pieces, functional objects, and hotel or real estate projects.

Both reach a very similar finish and patina. Brass is more approachable in price. Bronze carries the premium feel that collectors tend to prefer. We tell every client which one they are getting. Some suppliers describe brass as bronze. We do not.

What you send us

We can begin from a finished physical master, a 3D file, a photograph that our team builds into a 3D file, or an existing mould.

If you are supplying a 3D print, castable resin of the type used in jewellery is our first preference, because it casts cleanly. PLA is workable, but the printed surface needs hand detailing afterwards, particularly on the edges. Print supports must be resolved before casting, because they interfere with the way the metal flows.

Very smooth, untextured patterns cannot always be cast hollow, and casting solid carries a risk of warping and shrinkage in some areas. We advise per design rather than by rule.

How the lost-wax process runs

1. A silicone mould is made from your master.

2. A wax piece is pulled from that mould, identical to your master.

3. A second mould is built around the wax, either plaster or ceramic shell, depending on the casting choice.

4. The wax is burned out, leaving a hollow cavity. This is the lost wax.

5. Molten silicon bronze or brass is poured into the cavity.

6. The raw cast is chased by hand, then patinated.

How a quotation is built

Every commission is quoted in three separate parts, and you approve and pay each one in turn.

The master. A one time cost per design. This is minimal or unnecessary if you already have a physical master or a usable 3D file.

The mould. A one time cost per design. When your edition is complete the mould is yours. We can ship it to you or destroy it, whichever you prefer.

The cast. Priced per piece, depending on the metal, the size, and the amount of hand finishing the design needs.

We do not publish a price list, because the honest answer depends on size, metal, finishing and quantity. Send us the design and you will get a real number, broken into the three parts above, so you can see what you are paying for at each stage.

Minimum order quantity runs at roughly twenty pieces for small items and ten for larger ones. It is set per design rather than by a blanket rule.

Before you compare quotations, ask what the metal is

Two quotations can be far apart and both be completely fair. Very often they are quoting different metals.

Bronze and brass are both copper alloys. Once a piece has been chased and patinated, the two can look almost the same, and unless you handle both regularly the finish will not tell you which is which. They do not cost the same. That gap is about the metal, not about the workmanship behind it.

Bronze and brass have been cast side by side for centuries, and in everyday conversation the word bronze often covers both. That is why the question is worth putting in writing to every foundry you approach, including us.

Four questions to send before you compare a single number:

1. What is the alloy? Ask for the composition in writing, not just the word bronze. We cast silicon bronze for artists, collectors and museum pieces, and brass for hobbyist pieces, functional objects and hotel or property projects. We tell every client which one they are getting.

2. What does the quoted price cover? Making the master, making the mould and casting the metal are three separate costs. One quotation may include all three. Another may include only the cast.

3. Is there a minimum order quantity? This changes the real cost per piece more than most buyers expect.

4. Are chasing and patina included? Finishing takes real hours. Confirm it sits inside the quoted price rather than arriving later.

Ask all four of every foundry and the quotations become comparable. Ask none and you are comparing numbers that were never measuring the same thing.

Lead times

Preparing a 3D printed pattern for moulding takes about two weeks. The mould itself takes one to two weeks. Casting through to finished patina takes two to three months.

For a small quantity order we hold the total to within three months, measured from the point the mould is finished and the first wax piece is approved. A repeat order from an existing mould runs to within two months.

Four to five weeks for a first time commission is not achievable. We will tell you that rather than agree to a date we cannot hold.

The order process, step by step

1. You enquire by email with photos, drawings, files, or a description.

2. Peera replies personally with the casting approach, a metal recommendation, and any technical concerns about your pattern.

3. We quote the master, mould and cast separately once we have seen the actual design, with the lead time alongside.

4. Patina and finish are chosen. We send colour samples. The standard range is the metal's own natural oxidised colours, and specific colours can be discussed.

5. A purchase order is issued listing each design, quantity, metal and price. You sign and return it. We need your full name and address for documentation, and your gallery's details if the shipment should go under a gallery name.

6. You pay the casting deposit. Casting does not begin until it clears. The master and mould fees are settled at their own stages, before this.

7. We produce, and you approve as we go. Photos and videos are sent at each stage, and the first wax piece must be approved before the edition is cast.

8. We invoice the balance once the pieces are finished and ready to leave.

9. We quote shipping, normally FOB first with an air freight estimate alongside.

10. We pack and ship once the balance clears, and send you the tracking details.

Payment

Currency: USD or Thai Baht. Either is fine.

Method: international bank transfer. Clients have used Wise and Payoneer without difficulty. Account details are issued with the invoice.

Structure: the master fee and the mould fee are one time payments, settled as each stage is reached. Casting is then split in two, with a deposit of fifty percent of the casting cost to begin production, and the remaining fifty percent once the pieces are finished, before they leave the foundry. Splitting it this way means you approve and release each stage in turn rather than paying for the whole commission up front.

Every payment is issued against a numbered purchase order or invoice, with a packing list for the shipment.

Shipping

We have shipped to every continent. Air freight is standard, and sea freight is used for large or heavy consignments. Shipments can be consigned to you directly or to your gallery.

We quote FOB first so the goods cost is clear, then add a freight estimate. Freight rates to the United States and Europe have been volatile, so we re-quote rather than guess. Thai customs requires formal export documentation above a set shipment value, which we handle from our side.

Confidentiality

Client designs are confidential by default. Everything we produce is treated as subject to non-disclosure whether or not a formal agreement has been signed. Keeping a client's design secret is a core part of how this foundry operates, and production staying in house from sculpting through to packing is what makes that possible.

Visiting the foundry

Clients travelling to Bangkok are welcome to tour the foundry in person. It is about an hour from the city, and mornings work best.

Why is one foundry's bronze casting quote so much cheaper than another's?

Often because the two quotations are not for the same metal. Bronze and brass are different copper alloys at different costs, and after chasing and patination they look very similar, so the difference is easy to miss. The word bronze is also used broadly for cast copper alloys in general. Ask each foundry to state the alloy in writing, then check what the price covers, since the master, the mould, the casting and the finishing are separate costs. Once both quotations describe the same metal and the same scope, the numbers can be compared.

Contact

Email classicartcollection@gmail.com, or call +66 2213 1960. Our office is at 1802/8 Worarat Center, Thanurat Road, Thung Wat Don, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand. Enquiries are answered by Peera, the owner, in most cases personally.