Preparing waxes for investment

Lester doing wax work

body sections, some with sprues added

wax heads and arms

The past two weeks Lester has been using the molds we created from the clay figures. He is brushing wax into the molds to create the hollow wax copy of the original sculpture. The red tubes you see in the pictures are wax as well. The red wax creates a system to introduce bronze into the pattern (sprues)  and to evacuate the air as the bronze is poured in (vents). I have been sculpting the patterns for the details, badges and shirt patches.

Polytek Spray mold system

Removing metal shims, you can see the flange dividing the figure in half.  After this step we sprayed on the rubber mold material.

Here I am prepared to spray on the plastic mother mold. Note two red pegs sticking up on the figure. Lester had the idea of using rubber grommets embedded in the plastic to help facilitate removal of the mold.

Spraying action shot. The loaded gun weighs almost 15 pounds. It was worth while to build the figures to be able to lay them down horizontally. Much easier to spray down and much less over spray.

Lester using air pressure to help release the mold.

Mold sections, even though we used air pressure to release we ended up peeling clay off the armature. Actually , this works very well as it's easier to reclaim the clay.

Of the 20 molds we made this way we only broke one. The plastic material was easily repaired with a 2 part epoxy made for plastic repair.

The face after peeling off the mold. This scrapes off the ears and damages the figure. No matter the molds are perfect.

These are photos of  the female figure taken over the last two days. It shows how we are using the Polytek Spray Mold making system.

A more feminine Deputy

A much less bulky body, thinner face and more friendly expression although the harsh light hitting her face isn't the most flattering. Her pony tail doesn't show here either. If you look back in the blog the difference is apparent.