Answers
Answers and frequently asked questions
The seven questions that decide most commissions are whether a piece is bronze or brass, whether cold cast resin counts as bronze, whether 3D printing can replace casting, which metal to choose, how long casting takes and why, whether a design can leak, and who owns the mould. Each has a full answer on its own page.
01 · Seven questions
The seven questions that decide a commission
These are the questions that come up before almost every project. Each one has a full page, written so it can be read on its own.
Is this bronze or brass, and how would I know?
Why the two are so hard to tell apart after patina, what a suspiciously cheap bronze quote usually means, and what to ask for in writing.
Is cold cast or bronze resin actually bronze?
No. What cold cast actually is, how to recognise it, and where it is a legitimate choice.
Can I 3D print this instead of casting it?
Printing can produce a pattern. It cannot produce a bronze. Where printing fits in the workflow and where it stops.
Silicon bronze or brass: which should I cast in?
Same colour range, different metal, different price. How to decide, and when brass is the right answer.
How long does bronze casting take, and why?
Two moulds, a ceramic shell destroyed in every pour, and chasing and welding as the real bottleneck.
Will my design be copied if I send it to a foundry?
What actually creates the risk, what to ask any foundry, and why nothing leaves this building.
Who owns the mould?
The client owns the mould they paid for. What happens to it when an edition closes.
Materials, silicon bronze and brass
What Deco Foundry casts in, how bronze and brass differ, and what a buyer should ask for in writing.
03 · Common questions
Common questions
What method does Deco Foundry use?
Lost wax casting only. Also called investment casting in the engineering trade, though that term usually refers to industrial parts rather than sculpture. We do not do sand casting.
What does Deco Foundry cast?
Sculpture and decorative work in silicon bronze and brass. We do not cast machinery, industrial components or production hardware.
How long has Deco Foundry been operating?
The company was registered on 19 January 1993 and has cast continuously since.
How large is the crucible?
500 kg.
Do you accept a single piece?
Yes. A single piece takes longer than a piece in a batch, because wax burnout and the crucible both run more economically with volume, so a lone casting waits for a run it can join.
What do you need to start a project?
An idea, a drawing or a 3D file, plus the size and how many pieces. Any one of the three inputs is enough. If a client has only a concept, our own designers and sculptors build the master pattern from it.
How much of the work is done in house?
All of it. Design, master pattern, silicone mould, wax, ceramic shell, pour, chasing, welding, patina and packing all happen in our own workshop.
How is a casting priced?
By the difficulty of moulding, casting and chasing the piece. Never by weight. Two pieces of identical weight can differ greatly in price because the work is in the form, not the mass.
What is the largest piece Deco Foundry has made?
A seven metre pagoda, cast in sections and assembled rather than poured in one piece. A work at that scale cannot be poured in one piece today.
Do you ship internationally?
We can arrange shipping of any kind, domestic or international. Prices are quoted Ex Works, meaning the quoted figure covers the finished piece at our gate in Nakhon Pathom and transport is quoted separately on top.
Do you crate, fumigate and handle export documentation?
Yes. Standard pieces go into a carton with bubble wrap, larger pieces into a wooden crate with the timber fumigated and stamped at the foundry and certified for international shipping, and for export orders we handle the documentation with an export partner. Prices are still quoted Ex Works, which describes where the casting price stops rather than where our involvement stops.
How long does each stage take?
Mould 1 to 2 weeks, wax 1 to 2 weeks, chasing 1 to 2 months, patina 1 to 2 weeks, then a sealant and packing. The master pattern stage before all of that depends on the design and on how quickly the client approves adjustments, so it has no fixed length.
What is the lead time?
Three months, starting after the master pattern is approved and the deposit is paid, not from first contact.
When can the design still be changed?
During the master pattern stage. Once the master pattern is approved, the form is fixed.
Can I visit the foundry?
By appointment only. There are no walk-in visits.
What languages do you work in?
Thai and English.
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Get a feasibility estimate
Tell us the idea and the size. We will tell you whether it is castable, in which metal, and roughly what range it sits in.