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In 1977, when Angel Rodriquez
was 16 he met and was befriended by then an old Bennie Goldberg
who was already in his 70's. Bennie had lived in the Bronx for 71
years. Angel was a gang member back then, almost illiterate and
going no where in life and Bennie was the oldest resident of 149th
street in the south Bronx. Bennie also owned a small junk yard and
an even smaller casting company- the only one left in the boro.
They teamed up and the kid even moved into Mr. Goldberg's basement,
got his GED and started running Ben's little casting business. He
made bronze saints, statues of Mary, an occasional Jesus and small
bronze jewelry for those who could not afford gold jewelry.
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At
that time the Bronx was going down hill in a hurry. But when Bennie
was younger the Bronx's Grand Concourse looked like the main thoroughfare
in Paris and was the most beautiful road in the city. The Bronx once
had doormen buildings and some of the most successful people. What
was also great then, was how Italian merchants, Jewish businessman,
Puerto Ricans, Blacks, West Indians, the rich and the poor all lived
side by side if not exactly together. The Bronx was a place for mansions,
gangs, gambling and secret venues. Bronxites even invented the Doo
Wop music of the 50's. It could be a great place to be a smart tough
kid. But if you were poor it was a dead end. |
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That's where they met. Angel asked Mr. Goldberg to make them all a symbol or badge to go with the gang's colors. He made them all a pin in the shape of a spider which they wore on their bandanas. He said that when he was oversees in China that spiders had a special symbolic meaning. That they were survivors like Angel and the boys. They liked that. | |||
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In summer the guys with long hair wore it in their hair . Over some time the gang started disappearing from incarceration, overdoses, and violence. Bennie passed away years ago but Angel took over the casting. I met Angel when I moved to Bainbridge, 8 years ago. He showed me the old gang's clips. I liked them and we have been selling them to the people in the Bronx Barrio for years. Guys and girls in the Bronx love 'em. We want to sell it to the world now, anything is possible, even the Bronx is finally coming back now, so anything is possible. | |||
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From a Master made of metal or Wax,
a rubber or Silicon mold is made and then hot melted wax is injected
into the mold. After a cooling period the mold can be opened and the
hardened wax is removed. This is a wax duplicate of the original master.
Wax duplicates can be made from one to many depending on size and
shape. They are then attached to a wax rod (called a tree) with hot
wax. The rod is mounted on a base so that it stands upright. When
the Tree is finished, it is ready for investing. A steel cylinder
is placed over the tree and attached to the base. A material called
investment is poured into the cylinder. Investment is like plaster
of Paris mixed in a liquid form. It is poured into the cylinder covering
the tree and then allowed to harden for about 2 hours. |
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| Now various cylinders (flasks) are steamed and then burned out to melt the wax and cure the investment. This leaves a mold of the tree. The burnout period lasts about 12 hours. The temperature of the oven has to go to 1350 F. for 5 hours and then is allowed to lower to casting temperature (1000 to 1200 F depending on the metal to be cast). | ||||
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metal is now heated until it becomes liquid and then is poured into
the investment mold. After cooling the mold is quenched in water
which causes the investment to break up. From the mold we now have
a metal tree. The pieces are clipped from the tree. The sprues ground
off and then the pieces are tumbled in various media to provide
the proper finish. Then its about ready after polishing. The end. |
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A Floog is handcrafted and constructed of both base and precious metals and inspired by a gothic hair styles and alternative hairstyles. It is hair Jewelry and is in the hair accessories category as well. They are used by ponytail wearing men and women with long hair styles and possess the advantages of a hair clip, barrette, or hair band. The Floog can make men's hairstyles, women's hairstyles and long hairstyles more beautiful. This hair accessory item is perfect for all long hair style weirdoes. Our hair jewelry will be available at beauty salons and hair salons. Hair accessories are not just for women's hairstyles but are also important for men's hairstyles. If you are going to have long hair then holding your long hair styles together with a mere rubber band is not cool. If you are a fashion conscious guy, if you want the girls to notice you, then you have to stand out in everything, including your hair. Use Hair jewelry that is as masculine as your bulky watch. Most of our Floog wearers are fans of Motorcycle accessories, its one of the ways Floogs became popular. Our bronze makers made floogs for two South Bronx Motorcycle gangs and the rest is history. You can use our floogs for many different hairstyles, long hair styles, men's hairstyles and women's hairstyles. Use our big spider hair accessories for ponytail holders, gothic hair styles and as motorcycle accessories. Use our fashionable hair jewelry and gothic accessories with all your Rave hair styles or night club apparel. The Spider Legs keep the hair together so you can get together. |
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