CALECO MAKES ART THAT WILL LAST.

The foundry began in 1978 where they did industrial work, casting aluminum light fixtures for oil fields.  When the oil boom busted in the mid-80's they made their transition into art.  Owner Bucky Hall, along with the staff of 16, create bronzes using the lost wax process.  A rubber mold filled with wax produces a red wax replica of the artist’s original sculpture.  The work is immersed in silica sand and water slurry up to 12 times to build up a ceramic shell.  The piece is then kiln-fired to harden the shell and melt the wax out.

Gas-fired furnaces melt the bronze at a temperature of 2,200 degrees.  The molten metal is then poured into the ceramic shell and left to cool. After the bronze cools, workers break off the shell.

Next, the staff finishes the piece to match the artist’s technique and style.  The sculpture can then be painted, a chemical and heat process that results in a variety of different colors, or painted and finished however the artist desires.

Large works are poured in pieces and the staff uses a fine welding process to assemble the sections, leaving virtually no seams.  Caleco’s largest monument to date was the Mammoth which is now being displayed at the University of Nebraska.  The statue is 15 feet, 7 inches high and weighs 5,000 pounds.  (Insert picture Mammoth).  One of our most recent monuments was sculpted by Chris Navarro, Casper, WY and is simply referred to as “Mustang Pride” (insert picture).  It stands 12 feet tall and will be on display at Natrona High School in Casper, WY.