Who owns the mould?
Who owns the mould?
The client owns the mould they paid for. It can stay in storage at the foundry or be taken away, whichever the client prefers. For a limited edition, the mould is destroyed or returned to the client once the edition closes, because an edition is only genuinely closed when the means of making another one no longer exists.
01 · The short version
The short version
The client owns the mould they paid for.
The mould is a separate line on the quotation. It is bought outright, and it belongs to the person who bought it. It is not held as leverage and it is not treated as ours because it happens to be sitting on our shelf.
02 · Which mould
Which mould this refers to
Lost wax casting involves two moulds, and only one of them is a lasting object. This trips people up, so it is worth being precise.
The silicone mould. Taken from the approved master pattern. It is what every wax comes out of, and it is reusable. This is the mould you own.
The ceramic shell. Built around each individual wax and destroyed in every pour. It exists for one casting and never survives it. There is nothing to own.
The full explanation is on how long does bronze casting take and on the process page.
03 · Storage
Storage
Two options, and both are normal.
Leave it here. Most clients do. If you are likely to want another casting, the mould stays available and the master pattern stage never has to happen again.
Take it away. Also fine. Say so and it is prepared for collection.
Either way it remains your property, and we do not cast from it without your instruction.
04 · Limited editions
Limited editions
This is the part that matters to sculptors, galleries and collectors, and it is the reason this page exists.
When a limited edition closes, the mould is destroyed or returned to the client.
The client chooses which. What is not on the table is quietly keeping it.
The reason is simple. An edition of twelve is worth what it is worth because there will not be a thirteenth. If the mould survives in a working state, in someone else's building, the edition is closed by promise rather than by fact. Collectors and galleries understand that distinction and they price it.
Destroying a working mould feels wasteful the first time you watch it. It is the entire point.
05 · Agree at the start
What to agree at the start
Settle these before the mould is made, not afterwards:
- the edition size, if the work is editioned
- whether the mould is destroyed or returned at edition close
- who has authority to instruct a further casting
- where the mould is stored in the meantime
All of it belongs in writing on the quotation, which is where we put it.
06 · Mould life
Mould life
Silicone moulds wear. How many waxes one will yield depends on the complexity of the form and how much fine detail it has to reproduce, and a mould that has been pushed too far starts to show it in the wax long before it fails outright.
If an edition is planned, say the edition size at the start. It changes how the mould is specified, and it is much cheaper to plan for than to discover halfway through.
07 · Mould and design
Owning the mould is not owning the design
They are separate, and confusing them causes real disputes.
The mould is a physical object you paid for. Rights in the sculpture itself sit with whoever holds them under whatever agreement exists between you and the person who created the design. If you are a gallery commissioning an artist, or a developer commissioning a sculptor, settle that between yourselves before the mould exists. A foundry cannot resolve it for you, and it is much easier to agree while everyone is still happy.
Our related commitment, on keeping the work inside one building, is on will my design be copied.
09 · Common questions
Common questions
Who owns the mould after a casting job?
The client who paid for it. The mould is a line on the quotation, it is bought outright, and it belongs to the person who bought it.
Can I take the mould away with me?
Yes. You can collect it, or leave it in storage here, whichever suits. It is your property either way.
What happens to the mould when a limited edition closes?
It is destroyed, or returned to the client, at the client's instruction. An edition is only genuinely closed when the means of making another casting no longer exists.
How long does a silicone mould last?
Silicone moulds wear with use and they do not last indefinitely. How many waxes a mould yields depends on the complexity of the form and how much detail it has to hold. If an edition is planned, tell us the edition size at the start so the mould can be specified for it.
Can you cast from my mould again without asking me?
No. It is your mould, and casting from it is your decision.
Does owning the mould mean I own the design?
They are separate things. The mould is a physical object you bought. Rights in the sculpture itself are governed by whatever agreement exists between you and whoever created the design. If you are commissioning work from an artist, settle that between you before the mould is made.
Why does this matter for an edition?
Because edition integrity is what a collector, a gallery and a future buyer are paying for. An edition of twelve means something only if a thirteenth cannot appear later.
10 · Related answers
Last reviewed:
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.