Pendants

From the desk of Benji Welner in Mexico City. Casting six aluminum statues was among the most challening things I have ever done. So, looking to take it easy the following quarter, I took a course all about casting: DESIGN223. Silver Pendant was a fun jaunt through an unusual sort of making and a great hack for sourcing unique graduation presents. Investment casting—the process used in DESIGN223—differs from sand casting—the process I had become familiar with—in numerous ways. When sand casting, you pour metal into a mold and lift a finished part out. This makes considering gravity and avoiding disturbances in the fragile sand of prime importance. But with investment casting, these factors matter less: you zorp metal into the mold with a vacuum and then shatter the plaster to get your parts out.1 Plus, the molds are made from wax, a phenomenally malleable material with a low melting point that I found both fun and forgiving. In all, there’s a bit more freedom in the world of…