Post #784108 by danlovestikis on Mon, Feb 19, 2018 8:49 AM

Part Two of making the mold for the Sacramento Crawl mug 2018.

The box has been removed.

We put on a strap so that we can flip it over onto the mold piece we cast the day before. You don't want the sculpt to ever come loose from the mold pieces until the mold is finished.

Next I remove all the blocks. I had a piece of bubble wrap under the mug to prevent losing any detail.

Then I pulled off the clay except under the top block. This stays put and will be covered in clay. This is the opening into the mold where the slip is poured into the mold.

Ready to go with the next mold pieces.

With all of the blocks and clay removed it's time to use mold soap. I always do four layers. Each one soaks in and then I blot with a paper towel and do it again. This is poison so wear gloves and of course we haven't ever taken off our masks.

Now I begin to build the dam. I want to pour plaster to make two pieces at the same time. The Dam is designed so that these two pieces will be able to pull straight off.

Ariel view!

Looking at the other side.

Here is the bottom of the mug.

Here is the top of the mug.

Next I added the snakes at all the seams and sealed them with a wet paper towel. Also note that the mold piece is now the bottom of the box.

I started to worry that this piece might not pull straight off without damaging the texture so

I began to build up some clay to block the plaster from going on this area. Mold pieces can be any shape you want, think puzzle.

Once this area was built up to the top we mixed the plaster and poured in in on

both sides.

Now it firms up over 45 minutes. Two pieces left to go. Wendy