Plaster Moulds

Below is a photographic representation of a rather therapeutic ( in my mind anyway ) exercise which is the making of the plaster moulds for stop motion animation puppets in preparation for them to be cast in foam latex.

this is a quite simple , repetitive but rather relaxing things to do .

firstly you have your newly sculpted figure that you want to make into a two part mould, firstly place it down on a layer of clay , then you slowly  build this layer up to cover up half of what you have sculpted.

after this is completed to a satisfactory level you then box it up on all 4 sides and cover any crack that could leak with clay ,then you will be able to make the first part of your mould .

for our moulds when we made them we found that we needed around 6 pound of plaster per side of the mould , as it is best to make the sides quite thick otherwise you will have more issues and possibility of  of breaking after being used, which isnt great especially if you want to reuse it.

after the plaster has been stirred , poured and then has set after about 20 minutes to half an hour  all you have to do is turn the mould over and repeat the process but prior to this put on then remove 3 layers of this soap substance which will mean the two layers wont stick together forever.

then after you have done this and made the 2nd part of the mould and if it has worked successfully  take it apart and stick it in the drying racks for a couple of days to get rid of any moisture ...give a extra day or so if the mould is massive