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Griffin Finial Project
The brief
Our client, a luxury hotel, approached Haddonstone to replace one of their two highly decorative Griffin entrance pier finials, which was damaged in an accident.
It was vitally important that our team could accurately replicate the surviving finial to ensure that both the replacement and the original Griffins perfectly matched.
This was an interesting project for our team and it took approximately three months from start to finish.
Before production
Our experienced studio team transported the surviving Griffin to our Northamptonshire manufactory. This meant they were able to produce an exact replica, in terms of design, scale, colour and even texture.
Before commencing work on producing the replacement Griffin, our team meticulously prepared the original finial. This involved removing layers of moss, dirt and lichen that had built up on the stone over the years. Once clean, this enabled the team to replicate the original Griffin’s intricate design.
The team also used salvaged pieces of stone from the damaged Griffin, to profile the replacement finial. They also used pieces of the original Griffin to colour match the cast stone mix for the replacement.
Luckily, the surviving Griffin was very much in tact, meaning that our team did not need to do a lot of restoration work to it beforehand.
Fibreglass production
A fibreglass mould was produced by firstly painting the original Griffin with a protective layer of silicone rubber.
To ensure a successful casting process was achieved, some of the deeper recesses as part of the design were filled in with additional wax. This included, for example, the Griffin’s beak.
Once dry, wooden shuttering was constructed around the Griffin, before a 1/4″ thick layer of perfectly level clay was applied to one section.
This was followed by several coats of fibreglass, which created the first part of the master mould.
When dry, the fibreglass is completely inflexible, therefore the team created it in eight adjoining sections, allowing them to remove the case easily when dry. The fibreglass case was then opened and the layer of clay from inside was completely removed.
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Mould completion and casting process
Finally, rubber was gravity fed into the void left by the clay. The model was reassembled inside the fibreglass case, leaving a cavity to pour a specially developed rubber, taking the exact shape of the original design.
Once cured, the bespoke, colour-matched stone mixture was packed into the mould. Once dry, the mould was removed and the finial was left for two days to cure.
The intricate design of the Griffin meant that it was quite a difficult piece to cast. Particular care was taken when removing the rubber mould from the wings, ears and beak, to prevent damage.
Click on the images below to expand for more detail.
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Our experienced team has assisted in the renovation and restoration of many properties worldwide, including listed buildings. Regardless of style, size or age, we can work with you to bring any structure back to life.
Whether the restoration work required is structural or purely cosmetic, we can supply the high specification stonework necessary.
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