Jeff Koons LLC is sculpting a life-size recreation of the Liberty Bell. Jeff Koons has been described as the most successful American Artist since Warhol. When he needed a block of American Elm that is 10.5" thick by 25" wide by 100" long dried, he turned to PCS VacDry Vacuum Kilns to dry this piece of timber timber. We dried the block to under 20% moisture content in 30 days. The block will now go to a CNC mill to be machined into the yoke for the Liberty Bell replica. And the PCS drying process did not introduce a single new surface or end check.
From Vanity Fair:
"For the bell’s wooden yoke, Dan Terbovich, of Horizon Wood, harvested and dried red elm, which the Walla Wall Foundry then milled to create a replica according to Direct Dimension’s scan data. Eighteenth century wood finishing experts Olaf Unsoeld and Cornelius van Horne created a patina to match the original."
Note that the yoke described in the article is the prototype yoke.
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