Ancient Brass Casting Technique, Ghana Part II

When Angelina was at the University of Michigan, she worked with one of her history of art professors to prepare and design an exhibit on the Ashanti Brass Casters of Ghana. Since we began planning this trip, Angelina has made it a goal to visit these artisans in the village of Krofrom just outside of Kumasi.

We had an incredible experience, seeing every step of the process from the forming of the mold to the actual casting. I’m going to try to recount the process and when I have good internet access I’ll include pictures.

First a wax mold is made using bees’ wax collected from bee keepers in the north of the country. Some molds are already made with cement and wood to help give the wax basic form or Ashanti symbols. These casters were working on a frogs and bottle openers with faces on them.

Next, a milky clay made with charcoal powder is used to cover the wax. It’s left in the sun to dry and then shortly after covered with another layer of the same type of clay. When these molds are dry, they put layer of thick mud clay mixed with palm tree fiber in them, leaving strings of wax that connect to the outside.

After the molds are dried, they are held over the fire. The wax melts out; following the paths made by the wax strings, and shortly after the brass is poured into the mold.

After the cast has cooled, they start chipping away at the mud and the charcoal clay until you arrive at the final product, which in our case was a porcupine, apparently the symbol of the Ashanti Kingdom.

This process can take over days and the product can vary from small things such as intricate brass beads (the mold made with wax strings wrapped around cow poop) to big things such as candle holders, masks, and statues. It was a once in a life time experience! As soon as possible I’ll add lots of pictures.