Lost Wax-cast Brass Plautus Keyring

Tender’s key ring is made from a Plautus face jeans button, hand cast from solid brass in England, using the lost wax method. The button is mounted on a stainless steel split keyring.

To casT the button, an original master is used to make a mould, into which 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 button is filed and cleaned up.

Titus Maccius Plautus was a Roman playwright (254-184BC) whose work included translating and adapting Greek comedies for a Roman audience. Sometimes considered the first plagiarist, he can also be seen as part of an oral tradition which allowed stories to develop and evolve. This makes a nice parallel with the manner in which jeans and workwear came into their current forms.

The polished finished brass is not sealed or varnished, so will patinate and darken over time, to become more and more unique and personal as it is worn. The keyring is also available rusted, bringing out the copper verdigris from the brass, turning it green.