“The Predator”
I sculpted this piece many years ago and have always wanted to make a mold of it so that I could cast and reproduce it as an affordable production piece. This will be toughest mold I have ever made.
I am just now coating the original in multiple (about 8-10) coats of latex rubber. The latex is thin and a buff color but after the first few, very important, layers I begin to add ground rubber filler which is black as it is ground up tires. This makes the rubber layers thick and saves on the, rather pricey, latex rubber.
The flanges that you see projecting out from the piece are there to help the rubber mold open up and better release the finished cast piece. The thick stem (sprue) in the center is to provide an ample port thru which I will pour concrete. Prior to the pour I will have placed metal reinforcements into the mold. As the concrete is poured thru the center sprue and air will escape the mold thru the legs, tail and nose of the piece. I will then vibrate the mold to release any tiny air bubbles that occur during the pour.
As I toil thru the many stages of mold making I will share the ups and downs here under the title “Projects”
