DiResta: Thinker Lamp

In each episode of DiResta, artist and master builder Jimmy DiResta (Dirty Money, Hammered, Against the Grain, Trash for Cash) lets us into his workshop, to look over his shoulder while he builds whatever strikes his fancy. On this episode of DiResta, Jimmy whips up a mold for a Rodin “Thinker” statue he picked up to make a lamp. Bright idea!–Stett Holbrook

Tools:
Hot Glue gun
X-Acto Knife
Mixing buckets
Throw-away brush
Band saw
Drill with long bit

Jimmy’s Notes:
On a recent road trip passing through Alabama, I found this plaster casting of Rodin’s “The Thinker” for $1 at a thrift shop. The moment I saw it I pictured it with a light bulb above its head. When I returned to the shop I began to make a mold in silicone. In the video, you see me make a common mistake: the mold box is too big for the amount of silicone I had. The quick fix is to add a “filler” to the mold in this case I grabbed a few pieces of MDF. In the rush to fix the mold I didn’t paint or seal the open grain of the filler pieces and as a result I struggled to remove them from the mold. I was able to recover and make a successful mold without having to get more silicone. If you have an old mold of the same type of silicone you can cut it up and use a filler. This works best if necessary. I molded the figures with SmoothCast 320 and painted it with Montana brand spray paint. I like this paint because of the variety of colors. I used a brown and gold to achieve the bronze look.