Is it possible to ship clay sculptures to my foundry?

[shape]

My wife and I have been planning for some time to sell our house and travel in the RV for a couple years. I am still relatively new to the sculpture world, and all of my work has been in wood till now. However, I am finishing a clay bust with the intent of having a foundry in Dallas mold it and turn it ino a bronze soon.

It occurred to me that all the time I have spent preparing for doing my wood sculpture on the road does not apply to clay sculpture. How can I possibly ship a clay sculpture to my foundry without some type of damage occurring? I am using Klean-clay. It is either oil or wax based, it doesn't dry out. But it is easily scratched, and the slightest bump will cause dents. Can I use a protective spray coating, like shellac on Klean-clay?

Do I have to make my own molds while we are on the road?

[Blake]

I have successfully shipped clay but the interior armature was very well made with a number of "butterfiies" to help keep the clay from falling. The sculpture fit into a wooden cover that screwed to the base upon which the armature was fastened. This prevented anything from touching the clay and the protrait did survive the trip. The problem is viberation, which will eventually distroy the work little by little. I would suggest you mold the piece along the way and keep your interior armatures very robust.

[shape]

Thank you for the advice. But I think that this would just become a new stress point that I don't want or need.

I really have a desire to learn moldmaking, I think it is a valuable skill for being a good sculptor. Perhaps that is the best way to go. If I can skip the moldmaking process at the foundry, I can better learn to reuse parts of my sculptures. The wax models, already cleaned up should ship much better than a clay model will.

Thank you again.

[Blake]

Dear Shape
Mold making is a very useful tool and you can save some money by doing it yourself. I agree with you that it is bette to ship the wax after you have retouched it so that the cast will be exactly as you want it, just pack it very well as wax is fragile.
Blake