The Production of The Figures
All the moulds are crafted in heavy brass and many are over fifty years old, several over seventy. The process is known as "drop-casting" from a ladle in the old-fashioned style. The moulds can be very
temperamental and it requires much patience and skill to use them successfully.
A high quality leadless pewter is used for all the castings, which produces a hard, well defined, low tarnish finish making our knights’ armour look especially realistic.
This traditional method of casting however produces a considerable amount of ‘flash’ around the figure and requires a lot of cutting and fettling before the
painting can begin. The H13A shown below left, when finished, complete with rider, armour and weapons will consist of 18 separate castings!
Click on any image to enlarge.
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Casting of the H13A horse, showing the amount of ‘flash’ that has to be removed
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The Scotsman with Axe Left fresh from the mould, right the finished Knight
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Gilly carries out all the casting, assembly, animation and basic colouring before the works are passed to Peter for the heraldry painting and fine detailing. Peter specializes in the heraldry of the
mediaeval period. Today the work commands the highest prices per capita at auctions throughout the world.
Click on any image to enlarge.
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A completed H12A Jean, Vicomte Rochechouart
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Robert de Lorris & Jean le Clerc de Luzarche
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Current production times are available on request. Please note that all figures are produced to individual commission, we do not supply from stock and regret that we do not supply unpainted castings.
However occasionally Gilly and Peter do produce some special one-off figures made from parts of spare castings in the studio, also from time to time other collector figures may by available.
These figures are offered on the Sale Room page which is updated frequently.
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