Also called: Bronze Caster, Foundry Patineur, Fine Art Foundry Worker
Turns artists' clay and wax sculptures into bronze by making molds, pouring molten metal, and finishing the surface.
At a fine art foundry the day might start by dipping a wax sculpture in ceramic slurry, then pouring 2,000-degree bronze into the hardened shell with a crew. Later you grind and weld the cast pieces together and brush chemicals onto the hot metal to create a patina in greens, browns, or blues.
Approximate; similar to foundry and metal-finishing wages. Patina specialists and foundry managers earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. Learned on the job at a foundry; sculpture or metals classes help.
Ways in: On-the-job training, 4-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Sculpture, Metalsmithing.
Growing slowly. A small number of fine art foundries serve sculptors and public art programs.
Low risk for 10 years. 3D-printed molds speed some steps; pouring bronze, chasing and patinas at one-off scale stay hot, hands-on work.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to art foundries for shop helper jobs; they train you
Classes: Welding or metals CTE, Chemistry, Art 3-D Design.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.