Ruminating on Molds and Copies
We did pewter casting months ago in plaster molds, but I realized that Smooth-On has a molding material (Mold Max 60) that is rated for high-temperatures. So I wanted to try it out, and decided to cast a few little ingots with a decorative bee on top, as a little gift for my brother and sis-in-law who keep bees in their backyard. (The originals I copied were from Bees Are Life on St. Clair Avenue.) I heated up the molds a bit in our toaster oven, to help in the casting of the metal. And then melted the pewter on a hotplate, which took no time at all. The casting worked out quite well. Here they are, after some buffing and polishing. But the whole process got me thinking about this thing of making copies. Nowadays, being original is what is prized most of all, at least in our culture. An original thinker, an original piece of art, an original point of view, etc. But maybe being one-of-a-kind isn’t really so special after all, not compar...