Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/51766
CELEBRATING THE CRAFT hold the molten bronze inside. When the metal gets inside the ceramic mold, it is leſt to solidify for a few hours. Once the metal sets, the mold is broken. That allows the foundry craſtspeople to develop the image. The process involves sandblasting, tooling, grinding, polishing and metal chasing. The distinctive blue- green patina is achieved through chemical oxidation, a natural process that can be sped up with a blowtorch. Aſter adding the base and a final quality control check, each statuette gets a stamp with a unique serial number. Screen HOW IT'S DONE 4) The surfaces on the statuette are polished to a high sheen. 4 5) Joaquin Quintero uses a blowtorch to speed the chemical oxidation. 5 6) With the base added, Angel Meza shows the statuette in its final form. 6 Actors Guild will not know how many Actor statuettes it will need until the awards presenters open the envelopes on January 29. Though the number of categories and special awards is known ahead of time, the possibility of multiple recipients sharing awards in the Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Motion Picture, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series categories makes the total number of statuettes that will be awarded unpredictable. Any surplus Actor statuettes will find a home in the Guild's vault until next year. So far, the Foundry has produced 733 Actor statuettes, each looking alike, and yet each an individual work of art. The first statuette cast is on display at Screen Actors Guild headquarters in Los Angeles, and 708 statuettes have been awarded since the first Actors were presented in 1995. Whose names will be engraved on the brass plates that adorn these treasures? You'll have to tune in on January 29 to find out! Ryan Born/WireImage.com Maury Phillips/WireImage.com Eric Williamson/SAG