Work in Progress: Cast Zinc Mantle, Floating Table
In between some of the larger projects we have scheduled, we’ve been working on a series of accent pieces for the Southern show house we plan on opening in Beaufort, SC, later in the year. This week’s projects included an ornate cast zinc mantle and a floating table with a tin top.
The mantle was cast from an antique carved hardwood mantle in zinc with a dark patina and minimal polishing.
Nothin too unusual about the rosette and acanthus scrollwork elements, you see similar designs in production today by a few high-end architectural woodwork firms today. But the patinated zinc gives them a whole new look thats simultaneously much older, more substantial, and brighter:
A companion piece for the same room is this “floating table” with zinc-coated forged steel legs and a top shelf in cast tin. One of our first experiments in casting tin, this is a very attractive look for surfaces which will not be getting heavy use. Solid tin, a much softer metal than zinc or alloys such as pewter or bronze, has an subtle gold glow to it, and a surprisingly soft and tactile feel. The forged steel scrollwork legs of the table bolt to the wall, giving the shelf its floating appearance.
One more piece we’ve been working on, a card table in very rough zinc with a brown patina and bronze fleur-de-lis ornaments in the corners:
We will be posting updates about this showhouse. Located just outside of Savannah, GA, we will be furnishing this house entirely in our custom metal offerings.
| Comments: 
7.25.09 at 2:34 pm
How did you cast the mantle? It looks too intricate for sand casting?
Beautiful!
Dave D
7.27.09 at 1:15 pm
Its slip-casting, essentially the same process we use on our countertops.
Using a positive mold (in this case, the antique hardwood mantle itself), as opposed to the negative space used in sand-casting, we’re applying repeated paper-thin coats of vaporized metal until a thick enough coat is built up to polish back. The trick comes in applying thin enough coats of zinc that it can harden without burning the mold underneath. Works best with metals such as pewter, which have a very low melting point, although we can successfully cast alloys with a much higher melting point using the same technique.
Thanks for the compliments! Nice stuff on your e-zine by the way, I just signed up…