Today I went to visit Sam while he worked on the plaster mother mold for Hayden's sculpture. Our conversation was all about sausages and patties and buttons and tabs. I'll explain as you scroll through the following photos.
Buttons and tabs are what hold the mold together and keep it from distorting or shifting when the wax is poured. The button on the left recesses into the plaster and the tab on the right will house a bolt.
The mother mold is made from plaster and hemp (old mariners rope). Sam is making the sausage that will go around the outer rim of the rubber mold.
The sausage goes around the rim and the patties go in the middle. I know it may sound funny, but it describes the process very well.
Mold making is an art that requires a technical knowledge of the casting process as a whole. Decisions regarding where to place seams, how many cuts to make, materials, etc. go into making a mold that will last many years and go through multiple castings.
Hayden's mold is nearly finished and then on to the wax room. Sam has done a wonderful job!
Oh, I love the process of making the molds! This is so neat to see documented. Thanks for sharing it.
Posted by: Jaime Lyerly | February 10, 2009 at 05:05 PM