Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Wisconsin Makers.

Wisconsin Makers will host its first-ever aluminum pour on Saturday, Nov. 18.

The public is invited to this family-friendly event at the regional makerspace, located at 200 E. Clay St. in Whitewater.

The event will be similar to the past cast iron pours, except organizers will be pouring aluminum, which has very different properties. It melts at a lower temperature, is lighter, is silver in color and does not rust.

Spectators are welcome to watch the “pour team” — Teresa “Tree” Lind, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater lecturer of art and design, and her students and alumni — melt aluminum in an outdoor furnace and then fill sand scratch molds with the liquid metal.

The aluminum will be poured starting at noon, with castings completed by mid-afternoon.

The per-person cost is $25. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Make your own casting

Members of the public wishing to make their own casting may buy a scratch mold square to personalize with their design that day, starting at 9 a.m. They must be completed by 11:30 a.m.

Persons wishing to get a head start on their design may attend a scratch mold workshop at the makerspace Friday, Nov. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.

If participants would rather to do their artwork at home, they may purchase scratch molds beforehand at Binning and Dickens Insurance, 319 W. Center St., Whitewater, during weekday business hours.

“We are very excited to be hosting our first-ever aluminum pour,” said Wisconsin Makers President Al Jewer. “We have held cast-iron pours in the spring for six years and they have been a lot of fun. This is a wonderful opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art.”

Wisconsin Makers is a nonprofit regional makerspace (community workshop) offering an affordable, collaborative and educational environment that inspires people of all ages to become innovators by unlocking their skills through continual experimentation and training. Work areas/equipment include: 3-D printing, laser engraving, machining, welding/fabrication, electronics, blacksmithing, woodworking, ceramics/pottery, jewelry making, arts/crafts, quilting/fabric arts, matting/framing and more.

For more information on the iron pour or scratch mold workshop, or to learn about the makerspace or memberships, visit Wisconsin Makers’ Facebook page at @wisconsinmakers or call Jewer at (630) 430-9498.