General
Cast plaques are manufactured using sand molds in our state-of-the-art foundry from raw ingot alloyed in the following materials:
Satin Bronze
The Natural metal color with subtle horizontal grain lines meets NAAMM finish designation M33-C11-060.
Satin Aluminum
The natural metal color with subtle horizontal grain lines. Meets NAAMM finish designation AA-M33-C11-R10.
Polished Bronze
The natural metal color buffed to a high gloss, obtained by polishing with successively finer abrasives, then buffing with fine buffing compound. Meets NAAMM finish designation M42-M22-C10-060.
Chrome Plated Bronze
The raised surface of the bronze plaque is polished to meet the polished bronze specifications. The background of the plaque remains in its “natural sandblast” state, providing contrast with the polished raised surface. The entire plaque is then electro-plated using a standard commercial copper/nickel/chrome plating process. Painted color can be applied to the recessed areas.
Random-Orbital (Bronze or Aluminum)
The natural metal color with multi-directional brushed lines, achieved with a random-orbital sander. Meets NAAMM finish designation M35-M4x-C10-O60-ideal surface treatment for cast plaques mounted in a sidewalk subject to pedestrian traffic.
Helpful Hints
- Bronze castings are the material of choice for interior as well as exterior applications. Although the finish of bronze will naturally patina over time, the material itself will not deteriorate. Objects made from bronze have been found submerged in seawater for over 3000 years still in excellent condition.
- The weight of a bronze plaque may be roughly estimated by calculating the plaque’s volume in inches (height x width x depth) x .31. For most smaller plaques (under 36″ x 30″) allow .25″ as the approximate depth. Use .375″ for plaques over 36″ x 30″.
Example: For a 36″ x 24″ plaque calculate 36″ x 24″ x .25″ = 216 cu. inches x .31 = 66.96. The plaque’s estimated weight would be 67 lbs.
- An aluminum plaque is approximately 1/3rd the weight of a comparable sized bronze plaque. In the above example, simply divide the answer by 3. A 36″ x 24″ aluminum plaque weighs approximately 23 lbs.