I have begun to cast another of my PKKing resin kit models, Nu Wa.

This casting is as significant as my previous Baphomet sculpture and Yan Wu sculpture, both also created by PKKing. These also go with my Sturgeon King resin model that I created in 2011when I purchased all my other PKKing kits.

Nu Wa is the Mother Goddess who created all of humankind. She is part-woman and part-beast with the head of a woman and the body of a serpent. PKKing created this resin kit in 2011. I received his signed and numbered kit 4.

I cast the body and head on May 13, 2024. The body required 1630 grams of bronze, over a kilogram and a half of metal. This is the maximum I can melt and pour with my jewellery casting equipment in any one cast.

The moulds for these parts were large. The silicone or urethane rubber costs to replicate the resin parts in wax are perhaps the most significant expense in creating any bronze casting that uses the lost wax process.

In the above picture I have also cast the wings for one of the figures in the model. I cast these wings in silicone bronze, but seeing the picture of PKKing’s finished resin kit I may recast these in white bronze so as to distinguish them from the natural bronze of the figure. Or, I may use a bismuth nitrate patina on the wings to provide a white color patina.

The resin kit has 13 hair fronds that are attached to the back of the head. The 13 hair fronds are mostly numbered and referenced in PKKing’s assembly instructions. Not all of the parts are identified, so there is a bit of a puzzle to solve when I come to assemble this. I have just finished casting all 13 of these parts in white bronze. I am now at the point where I am considering how to solder or braze these parts to the head.

The white bronze is cast at 1020 degrees Centigrade. The other bronze I use is cast at 1070 degrees Centigrade. In past I have problems soldering the white bronze as I can melt it with my torch before the solder will flow.

Nu Wa’s head required 600 grams of bronze to cast and is a large piece of metal to heat up to solder temperature. I am considering cutting the head into two parts for later reassembly so that I can more easily manage my heat when brazing the 13 hair fronds to the head. That is why I have created a new wax copy of the head.

I have cast the primary head frond and side pieces and forehead plate in yellow brass. This is to provide an accent color for this part of the sculpture.

My next posting will show the finished head once assembled.