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The way I did my bronze casting was to create the original work in clay, then make a cast of that in plaster.
Once the plaster set up, I made a wax casting from the plaster mold. As long as you're careful, you can make an infinite number of wax casts from this mold.
After getting the wax bit cleaned up, you start to layer the casting material over the wax, encasing it.
Once thats done, there's a few modifications to do, but you're ready to burn the wax out (hence the reason its called the "lost wax" method). Basically the shop will place the casting mold into a kiln at about 1000F and let the wax burn off, as well as getting the rest of the moisture out of the mold.
With the wax burned out, its ready to cast! After casting (and depending on the success of the cast) all there really is to do is break out the metal, wire brush any silica that may be stuck, and cut off the pour points.
If the mold popped while pouring the metal, there is significantly more cleanup (mine took another 50 hours with a grinder), but a professional shop shouldn't have this problem.
And finally, the piece is sandblasted, and if so desired, a patina is applied. Patina's come in red, black, and green for the most part, and prevents the bronze from naturally oxidizing.
Ok, sorry about the length, hope I've answered all your questions!
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