Step Five – Making Hot Heads

After learning from the problems I faced when casting the first two molds, this final technique worked the best.

1.  Call a friend for help and moral support.

2.  Tape the mold tightly together with duct tape, several times around the outside and along all seams.

3.  Tape the side of the bucket back together with several rounds of duct tape.

4.  Measure how much casting material is needed by filling the mold with water and measuring how much liquid it holds. Mix a little more casting material than the measured amount.

5.  I used WEP casting material because I was told it would be lighter and stronger than plaster of Paris-type material. However, it was expensive. I probably would not use it again.

6.  Mix 1 gallon WEP resin, ~1 gallon water (a little less), ½ gallon marble dust and ½ gallon Dicaperl (light weight material) and let it sit for 2 hours to let the bubbles rise and dissipate.

7.  Gently mix 60 cc catalyst hardener for polyester resin into the marble mixture.

8.  Pour enough marble mixture to coat the inside of the mold.

9.  Slowly pour in more mixture until mold is about half full.

10. Tip and turn the mold so the mixture can fill the undercuts such as the ears.

11. Continue to slowly fill the mold to the top of the neck. Gently rock back and forth to make sure all areas are filled.

12. Let it settle for a minute and add more mixture if needed. (There was always a small leak).

13. Leave it alone until it sets and hardens, a couple of hours.

14. Remove all the tape.



Finished mold filled with
~ 3 gallons of marble mixture.



15. Gently separate the two sides of the mold and remove the hardened head that is HOT from the chemical reaction of the casting materials. 

     It was harder to remove the heads with the seams going from ear to ear than from back to front.