Process: Brass Casting

Process: Brass Casting - Osei – Duro

Lost-wax brass casting was developed by the Asante people in Ghana to make objects for gold transactions, such as weights and canisters. Like their forefathers, Ghana’s brass casters begin the process of making metal articles by sculpting in beeswax. The wax form is then painted with a paste of fine charcoal and water and covered in a mold of coarse palm fibers and clay. This porous mixture permits the necessary release of hot air and gases as the mold is baked, giving the final product a smooth finish. Finally, the wax is poured out and replaced by molten brass. The finished brass piece is polished with palm nut fibers and sand over several days.

All Osei-Duro brass jewelry is created in collaboration with traditional casters in the Asante region of Ghana.

Two artisans working on brass castings at a cluttered outdoor workshop

 

Individual sitting at a wooden table, working with tools and materials, with buildings in the background.
Person’s hands threading small objects resembling African masks, on a wooden table.

 

Individual holding a large, irregularly shaped brown object, possibly a rock or mineral specimen, in an outdoor workshop with tables and tools.
Individual wearing a yellow t-shirt with a starfish design, standing in front of a building with a window.
Hand holding plant roots, over disturbed soil with varying moisture levels. Bracelet with dark beads visible.
Individual holding a dark, round object, wearing a yellow garment and bracelets, in an outdoor setting.
Spherical objects arranged on a concrete slab with a pile of elongated sticks behind, near a body of water.

 

Person mixing a dark substance in a bucket, with formed shapes of the same material on the ground nearby.
Individual squatting in front of cone-shaped objects on a flat surface, with sticks piled behind and a bucket nearby.
Lost wax cast forge made from mud or clay, with two elongated channels and a central pit.

 

Person’s hand holding wet clay or mud, with pots or containers made of similar material in the background.
Person holding a round, rough-textured clay artifact, over a white cloth.
Person’s hands working with a clay mixture near handmade clay objects resembling pots.
Outdoor setting with numerous clay pots spread on the ground, a person interacting with one, and buildings in the background.
Collection of clay pots placed upside down in rows on a flat surface, viewed from above.
Collection of numerous clay pots laid out on the ground in an outdoor setting, with a person standing nearby.
Person holding a large clay pot with both hands, wearing a yellow t-shirt, in an outdoor setting with wooden structures and debris.
Individual standing in a workshop with various handcrafted goods on shelves, wearing a yellow t-shirt.