This page features the other materials I worked with:
Bronze, Filled Resin, and Fibreglass.

The bronzes were made by the lost wax process. Liquid hot metal was cast into refractory moulds. If you are interested in the details of lost wax bronze casting, information is given in the page Technical Details. When I had a stand at Crufts or other dog shows, I made lost wax bronzes of some of the dogs I had on the list. Several were commissioned to serve as trophies - more durable than china models mounted on a plinth or even a silver cup. Unfortunately, I do not have photographs of any of my dog bronzes. Below are four of the cat bronzes:

This Siamese with the flexible neck is regarding with disdain the approaching cat. 82 mm paw to top of ear. Dated 1979.	This domestic cat is concentrating all his attention on getting closer to the Siamese. 90 mm back paw to tip of tail. Dated 1979.
	In a perfect casting, this athletic Foreign Short-hair was leaping to catch a butterfly. This was a very popular bronze, and the only copy I have left is this one, where that part of the mould furthest from the filling hole - the butterfly - did not get filled up with the liquid metal.
Just sitting. Dated 1979.	Without the butterfly, this model is 165 mm floor to paw.

Bronze Door Knockers:

A client with a house that had a name associated with squirrels commissioned this door knocker. In case of accidents in the casting process (with the cat and its missing butterfly, above, in mind) I made two. I find that if I make two, just in case, when I only need one, both come out perfectly. But a fault in the only one can result in panic stations. We have never had a front door stout enough to screw this heavy piece to. The "U" shaped bent branch lifts and drops to make the knocker knock. Made 1981.

I made a door knocker like this with the Keeshond head in the early 1970s when we still had a Keeshond living with us and I was going to Club Shows. Warning Note: If you have a Keeshond in the house, they are guard dogs, and you never need a door knocker! It was sufficiently popular that I commissioned a commercial bronze founder to cast them for me. They used phosphor bronze, and a fine sand casting method which is why this bronze is a different colour to mine.

This door knocker is 7.75 inches top to bottom, 196 mm.

This door knocker is 4.6 inches long, 118 mm.

Filled Resin: Dobermann Pinscher

Filled resin means that the resin (a two part plastic and catalyst) is bulked out with an inert material. Sometimes it is bronze powder (for "Cold Cast Bronze), or powdered aluminium (as in this case). For the sea-horse, see below, I used vermiculite and perlite for lightness with bulk.

Fibre-glass and resin. This model was constructed by building up an armature of wire. Over this a skin of aluminium mesh was stitched. Onto this firm foundation it was possible to place glass fibre matt, which was then wetted with the liquid catalysed resin. Layers of resin and glass mat or tissue are built up to the required thickness. Additional surface modelling may be worked by thickening the resin with powder or other inert filler (vermiculite, perlite) until it is as stiff as putty. In this way it is possible to create large hollow structures or free-form sculptures. The final finish may be metal-filled resin, coloured resin or in the case of the sea-horse, shown right, the finish is partly embedded fine granite grit over a dark green ground.

This piece was conceived as a water-feature for a walled garden. The reservoir is a fifty-gallon drum sunk into the ground containing a recirculating electric pump. The water flows up through a pipe in the backbone of the animal and trickles out through a starfish on the head. The visible part of the sea horse is five foot high. This was a fun project. Most of the time I am making everyday things at twelfth scale (dolls house china). Here I took a five inch sea-horse and made him twelve times the size.