... and here in less abstract mode...

...and another view of the Iron Spine...

... and finally...

This is a multi-part casting. Each rib was a separate part, cast as a 'set' and linked by sprues. With any enclosed mold, you have to pay attention to both where the molten metal enters the mold and where the hot gases exit. A good cast seems to be 90% about the preparation of the mold, so hats off to the guys who helped me with this, as the number of pieces meant a complex mold. The individual pieces were created out of polysterene using a hot-wire and encased within the mold for a 'lost' pour. Always make sure you've bribed the pour crew with a few beers, as they tend to end up wreathed in noxious smoke when the metal enters the mold!

Cheers to Stuart McWilliams for the photos - and a chance for a quick public plug! - http://www.stuartmcwilliamphotography.co.uk/

... and more still ....

Here's another example of a scratch block... This one was even simpler than the serpent, as it was 'open poured'. The Serpents was carved into the face of one scratch block before having a back attached - that meant that when poured, the finished piece had a nice 'even' overall smooth finish. This one on the otherhand has a rough back to it casued by the iron cooling rapidly in the open air. Some of the 'wrinkles' in the rapidly cooling metal are also visible on the face - but in this instance, I think they actuall add to the finished result...

... and there's more..,.

I'm gonna have a crack at posting some piccies of previous results - here goes!!! (I guess the file sizes might be a bit of an ish, but here's trying...

Ahahahahhahahahaha! It worked! This was the second piece I cast year before last - its what's called a scratch block. Iron molds are usually formed from a resin bonded silica sand - basically forming a medium which is something in consistency like sandstone. Obviously you can use this medium in its 'wet' state (takes about 20 minutes to harden once mixed) to take a mold of a 3 dimensional object... Alternatively, you can set it into a block, and then use an implement to carve a design onto the face. Thats how this one was done, and rather chuffed was I with the results!