Pewter Smith Project: Replica Arrowhead Pendant
A client commissioned me to sculpt and cast a replica of an arrowhead pendant dear to them, that had been damaged after the chain broke.
The starting sculpt (that actually had to be entirely re-done, because I was silly and didn't realize I could just sculpt a thin second back and laminate them together to preserve full details... so they got smushed too much when I sculpted the back-side D: I did the lamination method for the resculpt, and it worked like a charm.)
Here's the finished cast after being touched up by sanding, dremel, and hammering to really bring out the knapped-stone texture
-Most- of the pewter I make is done via a disc-shaped mold pressed between weights in a centrifuge we hand-pour the pewter into, then remove the casts and inspect and pull them off the sprew before they go through sanding and polishing and any further finishing steps; this one is unique, because it's a single-pour mold without centrifuge spinning. Everything my mom and I do is hand-done with the aide of powertools like the sanding machine, the tumblr, the centrifuge, etc-- but this one has even more fussy work to it.
I was expecting to get a lot more bubbles and pitting and to have issues with the two 'arms' of the arrowhead not filling in, or the corners of the lower arrowhead part, due to air bubbles-- I am so pleasantly thrilled the tiny mold cast darn near flawlessly! I made three casts, and chose this one as the best of them.
Next step is an acid bath and polishing it up pretty, then stringing it into a necklace, and sending it off to its new home :D
I really hope they like it. I like to think they will but dangit i never know until they has it