GEDDY FOUNDRY

Many of the artifacts displayed in the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum were once crafted by founders like those working at Colonial Williamsburg. Using painstaking processes, these skilled and stalwart tradespeople pour molten 1,900-degree alloys into sand-cast molds to form ornate candlesticks, shoe buckles, sword hilts, harness fittings, bells and other objects both beautiful and functional.

The founder’s craft is one of heat, patience and endurance. Patterns are carved by hand in wood or soft metal for objects that will ultimately be crafted of brass, bronze or silver. Then the moldmaker packs a fine sand and clay mixture over the pattern in halves so that each pattern piece—once its shape is molded into the sand—can be used again. The founder carves the molds with channels and gates that allow molten metal to flow into the detailed patterns. After heating the metal in a crucible, the smith pulls it with tongs from the white-hot flame and pours it into the mold as smoke fills the shop.

Initially bearing little resemblance to their final glory, the cast pieces are filed, scraped, polished, fitted and soldered together. Many hours later, the end result is a work of art—one built with skill, strong arms and steady nerves.

For inquiries or purchases please contact Prentis Store at 757-229-1000, Extension 2117 or prentis@cwf.org.