I had the honor of interviewing Stephanie Hunter, an EOD Wife of 17 years, discussing her experience creating the sculpture to be unveiled at the EOD Memorial expansion.
🦀BEHIND THE SCENES: THE CREATION OF THE BOMB TECH SCULPTURE🦀
💣ABOUT THE SCULPTOR
In 2019 Stephanie E L Hunter Sculptor (www.custombronzeportraits.com) and her EOD Tech husband Stephen Hunter approached the EOD Warrior Foundation with an idea. In honor of EOD Tech's who have been lost due to non-service related and invisible wounds, the pair was prepared to donate a sculpture representing these Technicians. The Hunter family donated resources, time, and expertise, which culminated into years of planning to bring this vision to reality.
Stephanie’s generosity stems from a desire to give back, sharing that many people in the EOD community have helped their family, “It’s a calling. We’ve had great friends we’ve lost, it’s our honor to give back.”
Stephanie is thrilled that people will be bringing items to remember their family. She sees The Bomb Tech as a guardian; someone taking the watch for them. An honor to EOD.
💣THE MAKING OF "THE BOMB TECH" SCULPTURE
Stephanie originally created a 17” model statue. This was then increased with foam to be about 7 1/2ft andwas then covered in a special oil-based clay. In total, 60lbs of Clay was used to sculpt “The Bomb Tech”.
Stephanie sculpted the piece completely by hand using small specialty instruments, like dental tools, to incorporate fine details.
For the subject, Stephanie took several photos of EOD Techs wearing the bomb suit while holding a flag to help her see fine details, like how the suit folds and creases. She had an actual bomb suit hanging in her living room to reference for the bomb suit’s physical details, textures, and sizing. The most challenging part? Stephanie says perfecting all the symmetrical pieces, like the helmet, was the most difficult component of the process.
The sculpture was created in the Hunter’s living room. Stephanie joked with the family that it was like having another person in the home not paying rent but taking up a whole lot of space!
The entire Hunter family pitched in to help. Stephanie says that one of her favorite memories during the creation of “The Bomb Tech” was having the opportunity to do various parts with her 4 children and husband.
In the countless hours of stillness observing and understanding each detailed piece of the EOD bomb suit, Stephanie says she found new appreciation for the suit. She shared she really enjoyed making the flag and developing the texture of the suit to make it look imperfect and authentic.
💣THE PROCESS
1. The 17” molded statue is created.
2. The Foundry produced a 7.5 foot 3D Enlargement made of foam.
3. Clay is used around the foam enlargement to create the sculpture.
4. The sculpture is taken back to the Foundry to create the mold of the sculpture. This was done for three parts:
a. The helmet
b. The chest area
c. The legs
5. The wax is melted from inside the mold.
6. Melted Bronze is poured into the shell and left to cool.
7. Once cooled, the shell is hammered away gently to reveal the Bronzed figure.
8. Pieces are welded together and dremel tools are used to touch up and sand areas to make a smooth seamless surface.
9. Patina polish is applied.
You can check out more of Stephanie's work and information about commissions on her website:
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