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Creating an MK Shannon Custom AwardEach MK Shannon custom award is a work of art in every sense—in its meticulous creation, as well as its finished beauty. We work hand-in-hand with the Baker Art Foundry to produce your unique MK Shannon handcrafted awards. It's a labor-intensive process which we'll try to describe here. | ||
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USING QUALITY PEWTER FOR AWARDS It all starts at the Baker Art Foundry by using the highest quality pewter to cast your sculpture by experienced artisans. The pewter ingots used by the Baker Art Foundry contain no lead which is commonly used in sculptures of lesser quality. |
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STARTING WITH THE WAX MODEL TO CREATE A MOLD The finished model is taken to the art foundry where a silicone mold is meticulously made around the wax or clay model. This is the first step in casting your sculptured custom award. A wax model of a commissioned piece called Stellar is shown here. |
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POURING THE MOLD BY HAND Hot melted pewter is poured by hand into a blue silicone mold for each piece. Some awards require individual molds of its individual pieces (such as stars, heads, etc.). A "spinner mold" is sometimes created to hold several pieces which can be poured at one time. When the pewter cools, the mold is removed from the piece, and then each separate piece is ready for finishing by hand. |
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REMOVING THE SILICONE MOLD Stellar is shown here ready to be removed from its mold. Notice the head and the star must be molded separately in this piece. |
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This is a "spinner mold" which holds multiple pieces of a particular design. Once cooled, each piece is removed from its "gate" (the tunnel into which the hot pewter is poured) by cutting it away. These pieces can then be sanded and polished smooth. | |
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Stellar is being cut away from its gate. This finishing is one of the most important steps in the casting process and each award can take hours to finish so it looks perfectly beautiful and just the way MK designed it. Each award requires individual hand cutting, filing, sanding, and polishing. The artisans in the foundry have years of experience to create that hand-finished look. | |
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If you have chosen to have your award plated in either gold or silver, the sculpture is sent to the plating company for a copper finish over the pewter. This is required for the gold or silver plating to adhere to the pewter. After the copper plate is applied, it is hand-finished again at the foundry. It is then sent back to the plating company for the final plating, and once again hand-finished at the foundry. Each award is then mounted onto its marble base and the bottom of the base is finished with felt. If engraved plates have been requested, they are mounted to the marble base. |
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PRESENTATION PACKAGING FOR AWARDS Each award is signed and placed in a protective cloth bag for presentation to your honorees. A Certificate of Authenticity is packed with each piece of sculpture signifying that it is a handcrafted work of fine art. Care instructions are also included along with our newest brochure. Your awards are then carefully packed and shipped to your destination. |
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