Taxidermy.Net Forum - repro sheds

ok there is a way to do it with out putting a hole in the shed to mound it to a board but it is more work and does not always work. Here is what you do. First get a board and a bag of clay, you are going to use a lot of clay so I would get it from a ceramic suppler. Now on you board using clay build up a bed that holds your shed. build it up to the half way mark and you want at lest 3/8 of level flat clay all around your shed. Now go out to the 3/8 inch mark and build a clay wall that is about 1 inch tall you want the side of the wall that is facing shed needs to be as smooth as you can make it. Now take the end of a paint brush and poke some dimples in the 3/8 inch area between the shed and you wall. Now get a disposable chip bush and mix up your silicone and paint a layer on your shed. This is you first detail coat so you do not want it to be a thick layer you just want to make sure you cover the whole shed. Let this coat cure at lest 6 hours over night is better ( I leave them over night) then put a second detail coat on the same way as the first and let it cure. Once the second coat is cure you want to but a later of thickened silicone on the whole thing till the silicone is 3/8 thick all over. Talk to you silicone suppler and they can tell you want to thicken the silicone with. Also you might want to get their advice on what type of clay to use to build your bed and walls. Once the silicone cures care fully remove the walls but do not remove the silicone. Smooth the clay bed out to about 1 inch past the walls. Using resin and cloth make your mother mold over top the silicone. You are going to want at lest a 1 inch flange past the silicone I like to do a 1 1/2 inch flange and you are going to want at lest 3 layers of cloth and resin for strengh
now let your resin cure. when the resin is cured flip it over and remove all you clay again do not disturbed the silicone. Spay a coat of release on your silicone and using a brush make sure you get it into all the corners let it set 10 min and spray again o try not to get the spray on the sheds it can some times leave a mark in the final casting. Now take a soft cloth and carefully wipe the shed. Using more clay build a wall right next to the silicone wall from the other side and put two detail coats on your second side. Now follow the rest of the directions for the first side. Make sure you 2 or 3 coats of release on your resin flange before you do the mother mold for side two. Now once side two is cures carefully take apart you mold and remove your antlers, you will need to cut a hole in the base end of the mold to pore your resin in or you can build a pour spout in by attaching a piece of clay or plastic to the base of the sheds with hot glue before you start molding them. After you get the antlers out put a couple coats of release in your more and put it all make together clamping it well. Now fill your mold with your resins slowly hopping you do not get any trapped air pockets. It you did a good job on you mold you will have no leaks if not you will have a mess so I would fill it over a trash can or some thing to catch the leaking resin. this is called a 2 part mold in the Fx industry and if done right you will have very little clean up on the final castings. Usually you will have to scrape and maybe sand off the flash but that is all. This is a lot of work and it is one of the reasons it cost so much to have a mold made off a set of antlers. If you are interested in having some one else do the mold for you send me a PM with a picture of the sheds you want molded.

Jeff