Bobcat mold questionsssssssss

Any plaster will do. Cutting off the limbs will make the job easier.

 

I'm also very new to casting/molding, and I don't have the DVD you mentioned so I'm on a bit steeper learning curve. But here's one thing I've learned...Be prepared to wait a while for you mold to dry. I poured a plaster mold of a bobcat head eleven days ago with DAP Plaster of Paris. It's pretty much dry...but I'm going to give it a few more days, at least, just to be sure before I try to apply mold release and pour foam.

 

molding with plaster over a frozen carcass will take a very long time to set and as KClem said, let the mold dry for a week or more before pouring out of it. When using plaster I think it also helps to seal the mold with shellac.

 

I did a plaster mold of a lamb using the techniques JVH shows in her DVD, and I did not freeze the carcass BECAUSE I have learned that it takes the plaster forever to set up that way. The mold came out great - it took me all day to do it because I had to let each part set up. I got some ammonium alum like she suggests in the video but I didn't see that it made any difference in set time...although it did make the bloody places set up nicer. This was the first one I've molded like this and I did it because I was doing a standing pose - and because I wanted to try the technique.

IMO, the way I've been doing it BEFORE I tried it this way is a lot easier. I have been freezing a carcass in position, cutting legs off and molding them separate using silicone caulk. Then I mold the carcass as 2 pieces, in whatever medium I want. That's for a bobcat size animal.

I've got a domestic cat that I'm going to mold next and it is frozen in that 'crouched' sleeping position, similar to what you describe. I want to make a mold I can use more than once, and since it's frozen, I'm going to do it the easiest way I've found personally, and that is to make a layer of cheap silicone caulk (reinforced with burlap) and then make a mother mold, probably of bondo. I'm going to cut the legs off and the main mold will be a 2 part mold. I'll post pics when I finally get to it.

If this bobcat is really special to you then I recommend you get something else and try the technique first, because it's unlikely you're going to get a second shot at your mold (your cast actually), and if the carcass is getting icky, you won't want to try to re-mold it. Or, make a layer of silicone first and then put your plaster over it as a mother mold. If you want to keep the legs on and it's crouching, you might get away with making a 3 part mold.

Just plan a LOT of time for the process.
Good luck!

 

When making a mold of a lifesize mammal, another way of casting is with Bondo instead of plaster. It takes a lot less material and is a lot stronger with the mold being smaller. I also take out the organs inside and fill with clay which helps in the freezing process. If you have time, let the frozen mammal stay in a frost free freezer for a couple of months to freezer burn. This way. when you use either bondo or plaster, you don't have to worry about the carcass thawing out to quickly from the heat of the bondo or plaster.If freezer burned long enough, you don't don't have to worry about it thawing out. You can also trim away any misaligned meat to get a better mold. Hope this helps.