The Process of Die-Making: A Series Showing the Making of the First Plaskon-Cabinet Scale Die
The Toledo Plaskon Duple Scale
When we look at our ordinary household objects we seldom appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into making them. Even our seemingly mass-produced goods begin with a designer's sketch and a sculptor's cut into metal. In the 1930's Toledo Scale introduced one of the earliest plastic appliances, a scale encased in a new material that Toledo Scale patented and dubbed, "PLASKON". The molding of this material required a press of extraordinary dimensions and power. Toledo Scale documented the process of producing the mold that was the master for all subsequent Plaskon scales. In the photographs below, one can begin to appreciate the skill of the artisan that still occupies the beginning of the modern production process.
