As a fellow of Merrill College and founding member of the Art Department, he was hired to set up the first sculpture studios, which were metalworking and figure modeling.



The foundry was first located in the old Blacksmith Barn where there was no burn-out kiln, so the wax was evacuated from the plaster and sand investment molds by using steam and reclaiming the wax for use again. There was one small gas-fired melt furnace to heat the metal up to 2000 degrees F. The entire class met as a team to unload the kiln and ram the molds into the dirt floor prior to pouring the bronze.



In 1975, he received a capital improvement grant to build the present foundry which was and still is a state of the art facility, with overhead crane, two furnaces and a burn-out kiln for evacuation of the wax. The kiln space accommodates all the works for a class of 25 students in one firing.

This course is offered throughout the year and is open to students who have satisfied requirements in beginning figure sculpture. Students explore the versatility of microchrystalline wax by working directly with this material, applying proper tool applications and modeling techniques learned in figure sculpture. At the end of the quarter, each student is required to have completed a bronze piece from wax through the patina finishing process, to be presented for the Open Studios display of student work.



This foundry offers solid mold investing, as well as ceramic shell. It is the last operating foundry in the U.C. system, and offers undergraduate students a unique sculptural experience.