Preserving what’s precious to you.
Photos fade, walls crumble, seas dry up, but a moment can be captured and preserved for ever – via a unique and precious replica in metal, a material as expressive and intriguing as it is long-lasting.
Whatever or whoever it is you cherish, revere or hold dear and wish to have preserved for eternity, Mentum Replicas can give you a reproduction of the highest aesthetic and material quality.
From original
to replica.
Working with digital sculptors or 3D scanning specialists, we first produce the three-dimensional models that form the basis of our replicas. The advantage of digital sculpture is that the subject (whether it’s a person, an animal or an object) doesn’t have to be present during modelling; instead we generate computer models from two-dimensional images. The more images we have to work from, be they photos, film footage or drawings, the more accurately we can capture the subject. This method also allows us to produce likenesses of deceased persons or animals as well as of objects not in the client’s possession. For scanning, on the other hand, the subject has to be present. Using either a structured light scanner (for objects) or photogrammetry rig (for living beings), we create an ultra-precise data set that represents an almost exact copy of the original.
Whether the three-dimensional data is generated via manual modelling or via state-of-the-art scanning technology, it is always checked carefully with the client. Only when you are entirely satisfied that the data is right, having previously discussed with us all the details of your replica and received your personal quote, will we start making the replica itself.
The first part of that process revolves around the use of computer-aided production technology. For a bust, up to eight weeks of uninterrupted machining is required to shape the metal as required, with the duration varying according to the complexity, size and specifications of the bust.
Then comes the hand-crafted detail work – such as the fine finishing of facial features, the engraving of the eyes and the polishing of the surface.
Fascinating materials.
Mentum Replicas uses contemporary metals that meet high industrial quality standards. Each material has its own distinct character, a character that is further emphasised by the craftsmanship of our metalworkers. To make metals easier to work with, they are often mixed with other materials, resulting in mixtures known as alloys. At Mentum Replicas, we mostly work in fine stainless steel, expressive bronze, black steel, and eye-catching Corten steel, though cool, elegant titanium can also be used. In addition, we can offer special finishes such as gold- and silver-plating.
Stainless steel.
Be it mirror-polished or satin-finish, stainless steel is a metal that endures, being able to withstand most environmental influences. This high-quality steel offers impressive purity and allows the skilled metalworker to create a replica that is unique in form and character. Stainless steels are used in everything from medical technology to mechanical engineering; they also play an important role in the construction industry.
Bronze.
The classic material for busts, bronze has been used since ancient times for making statues both small and large. The many bronze alloys featuring copper as a key constituent vary in colour from reddish brown to greenish blue. Works in bronze have a particularly warm and classic look.
Corten steel and black steel.
Sculptures in Corten steel or hot-rolled steel boast a rugged to archaic look. Works in these steel are always capable of surprising us, as the effects of the ongoing oxidation process on their appearance cannot be predetermined. Without steel, the world as we know it today would be unthinkable.
Titanium.
As light as aluminium but stronger than steel, titanium, only the purest grades of which can be worked, is an unusual and highly challenging raw material for metalworkers, one that is particularly resistant to machining. Titanium can be shaped with the aid of advanced technology, however, and is used in medical science and in the aerospace industry. Titanium replicas are notable for their cool elegance.
