|
The original design is engraved into a heat-tolerant
plastic.
This design is placed between two pieces of rubber
in an 'oven' under intense pressure for roughly
2 hours (vulcanizing.) The rubber forms around
the design and takes its shape. The original is
removed.
A brick of pewter is melted in a pot. Liquid
metal is ladeled into the prepared rubber mold
(at about 550 F) (see photo above). After the
metal cools and the pieces of rubber are separated,
there is a rough casting of the design.
Each piece is ground down and cleaned by hand.
The recessed areas are blackened, cleaned and
tumbled. A buffing wheel is used to give a final
satin finish to the front and sides. The piece
is hung on a cord, and packaged.
|