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The pour
The industrial component of making the coat of arms is evident in this picture, which shows the molten bronze about to be poured through a funnel into the hollowed interior of the mould. The bronze is a copper alloy, with proportions of silicon and manganese added as the alloying elements.
The pouring process is shown in this picture, with the liquid bronze reaching a temperature of about 1200 degrees celsius. It takes about 90 minutes to reach the melting point, and the pouring must then be completed in less than a minute before the liquid begins to set. A characteristic of using bronze is that as it sets it expands to fill the smallest spaces in a mould.
Once the pour has been completed, the mould is left to sit for a day before it can be opened up by removing the two halves to reveal the newly formed coat of arms inside.
Image source: Ian Mitchell, Phoenix Foundry
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