The majority of Virginia Metalcrafters products are made by the process of sand casting. Sand casting is a 10,000 year old process and art that involves creating a cavity in damp sand and then filling that cavity with molten metal. After cooling the sand is broken away to reveal the rough casting.

Because each sand mold must be destroyed in order to remove the casting, each casting is unique. The process begins with a hand carved pattern (called a "design"). A tool maker mounts the pattern on a metal plate which is then used to make each sand mold.

The metal plate, containing the pattern plus the channels that carry molten metal from an opening in the mold to the pattern, is placed between the two halves of a metal box called a flask. Both ends of this "box" are open so that sand can be packed against each side of the pattern. After the sand is tightly packed so that it holds its shape, the two halves of the mold are pulled away from the pattern plate, the pattern plate is removed, and the mold halves, which now have a hollow area which reproduces the pattern and the channels to carry the metal (called "gates"), are put together. As sand was poured into one side of the mold, a channel is created so that the molten metal can be poured into the mold, through the gates and into the pattern.

The many variables in sand casting make the process part science and engineering, and part craft skill; plus a little magic. The sand must have precisely the correct amount of moisture, the opening into which the metal is poured must be the correct diameter and the channels that carry the metal to the pattern ("gates") must be the correct length and shape.

The mold itself must be correctly made, a challenge in itself because molders are lifting and rotating molds that weigh from 75 to over 100 pounds and make 60 to 70 molds an hour. The metal must be poured at precisely the correct temperature and the craftsperson who pours the metal can not pour it too slowly or too quickly.

And if everything is done correctly, external variables such as heat and humidity can still cause a defective casting. Performing such a demanding craft process in a modern production environment requires a unique combination of skill, strength and commitment.

After a casting has been allowed to cool, the sand is broken away, the casting is removed and cleaned of lose sand. Sand molds can not be reused. A new mold is made for each and every casting. Next, the casting is cleaned, the gates are cut away with a band saw and any rough edges are ground away by hand with an abrasive wheel. From this point, the casting moves to many different finishing operations depending on its shape.

Any flashing must be ground off with a de-burring tool. Pieces that are partly or completely round are processed on a lathe. Although electric lathes are a modern convenience, the process of spinning a casting and cutting a design into the surface with a sharp tool is many centuries old and in colonial times was called "skiving."

Putting a highly polished finish on a brass casting can be likened to finishing a hard wood floor. The piece is sanded ( called polishing ) with abrasive belts of increasingly finer grit with the final process using from 280 to 600 grit material. Once the piece has been prepared in this way, it is ready to be buffed.

Buffing is done by hand or by specially designed machines. Spinning cotton wheels and a polishing compound are used to polish out marks from the sanding process and produce the soft, hand made finish that is so much a pert of the Virginia Metalcrafters product. After cleaning, a second buffing operation is performed, using a jewelers rouge, to produce the final, beautifully gleaming finish.

After an inspection step, which may send small defects back to be corrected, brass products are lacquered for years of care-free enjoyment. Our iron and aluminum products, many of which are found in our garden collection, are cast in the same manner, but require less rigorous finishing operations. Once the surface is smoothed, a hand applied finish is baked onto the casting. Most of our iron and aluminum products are designed for outdoor use.

A final inspection follows the painting processes, after which the product is packaged.