FIGUREHEAD: GOLD OR CHROME ?
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The 'Queen of the Nile' is a figurehead designed to be mounted on the Elizabeth Swann, hydrogen and solar powered trimaran. She is also a statue above the Fountain of Youth, in Sussex, England.
In July 2024 we are considering the options to really make her shine. We could give her a coat of paint, or cover her in gold leaf. Or, we could chrome plate this amazing work of art. Or, chrome and then gold electroplate the Southern Woman (Woman of the South).
1:20 STUDY - This is the original sculpture that we are basing our Queen of the Nile concept on. The figurehead based on Cleopatra was hand carved in metal and composites, where the very first attempt was made of paper and wheat flour dough reinforced with PVA adhesive, but was all but eaten by a hungry mouse over a very cold winter period, including the acrylic paint and PVA that we would have thought indigestible. This sculpture is about 300mm high.
The burning question
in our minds at one point concerned the possibility and practicality
of chrome plating large statues and where might such a service be
located in or near to the United
Kingdom. A big question?
Douglas Metal Finishing Limited: Known for their high standards and wide range of finishes, they cater to various industries and can handle major projects [2].
Broadway Brass: They offer consistent and perfect finishes for all metal types, including large
items [3].
It
would make sense to chrome plate first, to see how effective
that might be as the final treatment.
Chrome Plating: The statue would first be chrome plated to provide a durable and corrosion-resistant base layer.
Copper, Nickel, then chrome plating tends to fill in small
irregularities.
For a project of this scale,
we'd need to consult with companies that specialize in both chrome and gold plating for large items. Some companies in the UK that might be able to help include:
STUNNING - This artwork is just to show how awesome a figurehead would look, either gold or chrome electroplated.
The
Cleopatra Queen of the
Nile figurehead sculpture is a striking piece, often associated with the grandeur and elegance of ancient Egyptian art. This type of figurehead will make a stunning centerpiece if chrome plated and/or then gold plated.
-
Preparation and Cleaning: The condition of the sculpture and the amount of preparation required can affect the price.
At
approximately 36ft2 square feet the cost of chrome plating
would be between £720 - £1,800 pounds. Gold plating would
then be between £1800 - £5400 pounds. Such finish could make
a big difference in terms of public appreciation.
Elizabeth Taylor on set applying makeup to clay face models. 1963 film: Cleopatra.
MAY 2024 SCULPTING - The polyurethane foam is stabilized with two coats of tough gold paint over a white base coat, prior to being coated in a clay like filler that is easy to sculpt and shape, but not strong enough without a composite skin to stand up to harsh weather over many years as a fountain feature and the figurehead of a ship. This sequence of photographs shows the development stages as a guide to artists and sculptors.
MAY 2024 PRIMED - Not yet ready for gold leaf, but well on the way to a second coat of composite resin and filler, to rid us of the smaller irregularities in the sculpture. We are even contemplating chrome or gold plating, where gold leaf may not give the lustrous shine of the original 20th scale study. The problem being a bath big enough to take a 3 meter statue.
BACK AND HAUNCHES - The gold paint is over-coated with a lightweight plaster that does not shrink and may be sanded. We treated it like clay. The pitted foam is filled in to give a far smoother finish. But, nowhere near silky enough for plating.
SHOULDERS - The alloy wings are blended into the body sculpture. This will be shaped, primed and painted, and then reinforced with carbon fibre and epoxy resin. After which the whole will be coated in a special flexible polyester resin filler, and sanded to a super smooth finish. Hence, still quite a long way to go before electroplating in chrome or gold.
The aluminum and composite wings are blended onto the wooden frame with more clay and lots of time sculpting.
[LEFT] Flooding gold over white primer paint. [RIGHT] Back of the legs coated in lightweight plaster, ready for shaping.
Miss Ocean (art student) learning how to apply plaster and shape it roughly.
We ran out of workshop space, leaving the statue in the great outdoors, in need of protection from the elements. We used an etch primer on the aluminium parts, and white primer to seal the clay.
Cleopatra as Isis reborn is symbolic of life and regeneration, the relationship between air, earth and water and the cradle of life, being an angel that nurtures our hopes for the future, giving life to our next generations and looking over us, so perpetuating the youth of the human race in a continuous cycle.
In harmony with the life force that has seen us populate our glorious Blue Planet, is the desire to maintain a balance in life that mankind is prone to disregard as we use our ingenuity to harness nature in disproportion to species distribution, that prior to the Industrial Revolution and population expansion, coupled with the ease of food production and transportation that we presently enjoy, has upset yesteryear's precious equilibrium.
https://www.chrome-platers.com/ https://www.chrome-platers.com/
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