Made my first Mold!!!!!!!!

[Jimmy Lawrence]

made my first mold of a fish today.  I did a bluegill a while back, but botched it pretty bad.  Heres this one.  A 3lb. Smallmouth from Tablerock Lake, MO.  It turned out good for my first I think.  Let me know what you experts think.  OR TIPS AND THINGS TO DO DIFFERENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for lookin,
Jimmy

[Jimmy Lawrence]

last one,

[Travis Jones]

Jimmy!!!! Looks good to me buddy. I'm actually getting to do my first. A bluegill. I hope mine turns out as good as yours.

[Jeff Sonner]

lets see some pics of the casting out of the mold. looks good so far.how about a top view nd a belly view of the casting. good job.

[dsmithgall]

Looks good Jimmy, you tha man......

[Chad See]

Looks good, now pull a cast so we can see what it looks like. 

[AndyO]

Great job Jimmy. Make sure you don't skimp on the release agent. I've wrecked a number of bondo molds because I didn't take the time to properly apply release agent. I'm sure you're excited to get that first pull.

[Dondi]

Nice job Jimmy !
 I bet you will be doing more in the future...

[Dave Smith]

Nice work! If you plan on casting the fish body as one piece (I don't do them that way, but most guys do), then more mold keys! If you're going to have that few, then make them bigger and with some 90% sides to them, but more smaller will beat fewer larger most of the time. Remember to go over that mold and fix anything in the mold before you cast the first fish. Nice job- beautiful!
Dave

[Jimmy Lawrence]

thanks for all the imput.  I just waxed her, and will put the PVA on it and clamp it later today.  I am anxious to pull a mold out of it.  I know i didnt put any enough keys, or deep enough, but it was too late by time I did the dirty!!!!!!!!


Hopefully have a pic to post tomarrow.  If I dont mess it up terribly.

Jimmy

[Dave Smith]

OOPS, Jimmy, just walked back into my shop and thought about some of the advice I just gave you- he he. I kind of assumed that mold was made out of urethane or some other polymer/elostomer. Incase that mold is made out of plaster, you better be really cautious about tooling the mold or "fixing" things on the mold. This is really easily done with toolable plaster such as clay and pottery plasters, but next to impossible with hard or dental plasters because the surface is harder than the body of the mold-  

[Jimmy Lawrence]

Dave, its a bondo mold.  Depending on the quality of the cast, I will re-mold in RVT.  Im anxious to work on this project, because it is all foreign and new to me!!!!!!  Your molds are awesome, but you know that.  Ive discussed them with you before!! Im definetely envious of all the mold makers out there!!!!!!!

[Jeff Sonner]

three coats of wax buffed and then I spray three coats of PVA and then do you casting. looking forward to seeing your casting.

[Kevin Birznieks]

I'm at the same stage as you, Jimmy.  I just waxed my first mold of a big sucker tonight.  I'm waiting for the casting supplies to come in before I can go for it.  It's something new.

[Russ of V.O.W.T]

Glad to see you got some fish from my fishin whole jimmy  looks good, would love to see the blank, Russ