ANIMEX 2014 Trophy Award

I was asked at the beginning of the year to mould and produce the Animex Awards second trophy for the 2014 awards ceremony. The sculpt as it arrived ready to start the moulding

The sculpt has had a few folds corrected. Two pins have been pushed into the top of the head, these will be the end point of the cut line in the back of the sculpt and will elevate stress at the end point as the moulds flexed to release from the casting. The mould was intended to be a two part mould which would have been a very different process but as the sculpt was delivered later than expected there was only time to produce a skin mould. You can also notice two plate brass sheeting added between the hand and the cloak and then the bottom of the cloak to the base. This was also to allow the silicone rubber more stretching and flexing when it came to de-moulding, also the hand is going to be a bad undercut and the brass might serve to expel more air. 

The base boxed in ready for rubber, this will be a once piece block mould

Glasplies new Silicone rubber now comes with tinted catalyst. I was a little nervous with using a new rubber, I've used Glasplies for a long time and whenever I've tried other retailer's rubber it's just never been anywhere near as good, so finding Glasplies changing brand seemed a bit daunting. It mixed beautiful with the addition of the colour, it was by far more viscous and it just worked lovely, self-expelling all the air bubbles trapped in the mixture. 

The Silicone layers have been built up to about 4 layers without any thixotropic. I've decided to try a new idea and add a concertina to the back where the sculpt will be sliced all the way up. This should if it works allow both sides to key together perfectly allowing no mismatch when pouring the resin which has been an issue in the past with this type of mould making. It was made from a strip of acetate scored along its length on each side at intervals allowing it to fold down against itself creating a zig zag effect...this was positioned against the sculpt and held with pins whilst the next layer of silicone cured...another strip was added from top to bottom along the outside zig zag...Nothing sticks to silicone other than silicone itself...or any silicone based material of which I'm assuming acetate to be as the rubber stuck to it like glue. A trial and error that paid off with some hard work, luckily.

The silicone work is finished and the mother mould or jacket is been produced in Herculite 2 plaster, reinforced. It's a three piece jacket and you can see the contact line and keys running down against the rubber

The base mould and enclosed trophy mould all complete

The first cold cast bronze casting as it comes out the mould in it's dull mid brown state.

Two of the finished trophies that where supplied for the 2014 ceremony. They've been antiqued with a black metal compound sold for refurbishing black cast iron fireplaces...and it went on really nice. Buffed up with wire wool and then polished to a high shine.