molding and casting a beaver foot. help !!!

[codys trophy]

i am looking for some help on molding and casting a beavers rear foot how would i go about this and what would i use for these the mold and cast thanks

[Ravenson]

I would use a good two part silicone, probably smooth on  smooth sil 20 ( Dragon skin 20) because I have a bucket of it on hand.   As for how to make the mold.   Start with attaching the bone end to a piece of  foam core and then building a box out of foam core that is  at lest 1/2 bigger all around than the foot.  You will what the box to be about 1 inch taller than the foot, and if there is fur you will need to use a mold release for sure.  once you have the box build mix the silicone and pour it slowly into the box starting at the lowest point.  De airing the silicone or letting the mold cure in a pressure pot will help with air bubbles.    Once the silicone is cured carefully remove the foam core box and make release cuts then pop out the foot and you are done.   Remember every mold is different and not having the foot in front of me makes it harder to give you exact directions.   You might want to poke around on Smooth-ons web site or u tube and watch some videos.  If you have more questions drop me a PM.

Jeff