Lost Wax Cast Brass Elephant Keyring

Tender’s elephant is lost wax cast in England from solid brass. It is fitted onto a brass-plated steel keyring.

The elephant illustration woven into Tender’s clothes labels is taken from a 19th Century American advertisement encouraging prospectors to hurry to America where they would find unparalleled wealth. This gold rush coincided with, and arguably caused, the development of jeans. The elephant wears a smart set of boots and wears a blanket- this casting is modelled on the original advertisement. The Plautus face logo is impressed into the belt under the elephants tummy, and the boots are complete with hobnails and tassels.

To produce the elephant, first Tender’s jeweler made a master pattern with hand tools, using hard jeweller’s resin. This master is then used to make a rubber mould, into which casting wax is poured. The wax is packed in plaster, and molten brass is run in, melting away the wax and hardening inside the plaster. The plaster is then broken away and the piece is filed and cleaned up. The elephant is polished in a vibrating tub of marble chips, but is not varnished or lacquered, so will patinate and develop even more character over time.