Institute’s Iron Melt Workshop Amazes
Nashua Telegraph Thursday, September 8, 2011
By JAKE BERRY, Staff Writer
BROOKLINE – High in the hills of Brookline, the
temperatures reached 3,000 degrees last weekend,
but no one seemed to mind.
Sparks flew and a furnace flamed Saturday as
dozens of area residents, visitors and amateur
sculptors gathered for an iron melt workshop at
the Andres Institute of Art.
The workshop, led by sculptor Joseph Montroy,
of Amherst, allowed participants to design and
create their own scratch iron tile. And in doing
so, it helped connect them to one of the world’s
oldest forms of sculpture, Montroy said. Staff Photo by GRANT MORRIS
Iron is poured into sand molds at Andres Institute of Art in
“This process pretty much goes a long, long way,” Brookline, NH
Montroy added as he prepared the molten iron Saturday afternoon.
“Historically, it goes back to 400 or 500 B.C.,” he said. “It’s been used for pots, pans, machine parts. But we’re
using it here for sculpture. … It’s a timeless thing.”
Program participants arrived at the institute early in the afternoon to find much of the prep work already done.
Institute volunteers had shaped the wooden frame, used to hold the tile, and they had mixed the sand-glue
mixture that would become the artists’ tableaus.
To start their piece, the participants, many of whom wandered unknowingly into the workshop, needed only to
develop a design, scraping away the sand using a long nail.
Some artists designed sun and mountain scenes, while others stenciled their names. One participant, Llalania
Ghose, used her iPad tablet computer to pick out a flower design.
“I don’t think they were doing that 300 years ago,” Llalania’s husband, Shuvom Ghose, of Manchester, said as his
wife finished her design. “How’s that for connecting time periods?”
Once the participants were done shaping their designs, it came time to heat the iron.
Montroy, the master sculptor, heated the furnace to 3,000 degrees, he said. And he and two volunteers began to
feed scrap iron pieces into the stove.
After about 15 minutes, the scraps turned to molten iron, and the team proceeded to drip the glowing hot liquid
carefully over the dry sand molds.
Volunteers then used large tongs to dip the molds in cool water. They removed the wooden frames, and within
minutes, the molds had cooled to cast iron tiles.
“We’re always trying to do programs for the public, but people really respond to this one, I think, in part because
they get to take something home,” said Peter Cook, a Brookline resident and member of the institute board of
directors, as he watched the process.
“It’s really amazing to see how the whole thing works,” Conor Sleith, of Harrisville, added, looking over his tile,
which featured a music-note design. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to come out, but it looks really good. … I’ll
have to find some place to put it.”
With their tiles in hand, sweat on their brows and smiles on their faces, participants left the workshop Saturday
debating what to do with their new artwork.
Scott Gray, of Milford, planned to hang his tile, showing a pumpkin, in his home, while Jackie Brown, of Dudley,
Mass., planned to give hers to her father as a gift. “He likes the outdoors. I think he’ll appreciate this,” she said of
her tile, which pictured moose antlers.
Some of the new sculptors had other ideas.
“I think I’ll send mine to the Louvre,” Eric Doberstein, a Merrimack resident and member of the institute board,
said as he finished his tile, featuring a mountain scene.
“They’ve been calling me about it,” he said with a laugh. “It’ll be a nice addition to their collection.”
Jake Berry can be reached at 594-6402 or jberry@nashuatelegraph.com.
Nashua Telegraph Thursday, September 8, 2011
By JAKE BERRY, Staff Writer
BROOKLINE – High in the hills of Brookline, the
temperatures reached 3,000 degrees last weekend,
but no one seemed to mind.
Sparks flew and a furnace flamed Saturday as
dozens of area residents, visitors and amateur
sculptors gathered for an iron melt workshop at
the Andres Institute of Art.
The workshop, led by sculptor Joseph Montroy,
of Amherst, allowed participants to design and
create their own scratch iron tile. And in doing
so, it helped connect them to one of the world’s
oldest forms of sculpture, Montroy said. Staff Photo by GRANT MORRIS
Iron is poured into sand molds at Andres Institute of Art in
“This process pretty much goes a long, long way,” Brookline, NH
Montroy added as he prepared the molten iron Saturday afternoon.
“Historically, it goes back to 400 or 500 B.C.,” he said. “It’s been used for pots, pans, machine parts. But we’re
using it here for sculpture. … It’s a timeless thing.”
Program participants arrived at the institute early in the afternoon to find much of the prep work already done.
Institute volunteers had shaped the wooden frame, used to hold the tile, and they had mixed the sand-glue
mixture that would become the artists’ tableaus.
To start their piece, the participants, many of whom wandered unknowingly into the workshop, needed only to
develop a design, scraping away the sand using a long nail.
Some artists designed sun and mountain scenes, while others stenciled their names. One participant, Llalania
Ghose, used her iPad tablet computer to pick out a flower design.
“I don’t think they were doing that 300 years ago,” Llalania’s husband, Shuvom Ghose, of Manchester, said as his
wife finished her design. “How’s that for connecting time periods?”
Once the participants were done shaping their designs, it came time to heat the iron.
Montroy, the master sculptor, heated the furnace to 3,000 degrees, he said. And he and two volunteers began to
feed scrap iron pieces into the stove.
After about 15 minutes, the scraps turned to molten iron, and the team proceeded to drip the glowing hot liquid
carefully over the dry sand molds.
Volunteers then used large tongs to dip the molds in cool water. They removed the wooden frames, and within
minutes, the molds had cooled to cast iron tiles.
“We’re always trying to do programs for the public, but people really respond to this one, I think, in part because
they get to take something home,” said Peter Cook, a Brookline resident and member of the institute board of
directors, as he watched the process.
“It’s really amazing to see how the whole thing works,” Conor Sleith, of Harrisville, added, looking over his tile,
which featured a music-note design. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to come out, but it looks really good. … I’ll
have to find some place to put it.”
With their tiles in hand, sweat on their brows and smiles on their faces, participants left the workshop Saturday
debating what to do with their new artwork.
Scott Gray, of Milford, planned to hang his tile, showing a pumpkin, in his home, while Jackie Brown, of Dudley,
Mass., planned to give hers to her father as a gift. “He likes the outdoors. I think he’ll appreciate this,” she said of
her tile, which pictured moose antlers.
Some of the new sculptors had other ideas.
“I think I’ll send mine to the Louvre,” Eric Doberstein, a Merrimack resident and member of the institute board,
said as he finished his tile, featuring a mountain scene.
“They’ve been calling me about it,” he said with a laugh. “It’ll be a nice addition to their collection.”
Jake Berry can be reached at 594-6402 or jberry@nashuatelegraph.com.
