Two ways to create a silicone mold

I'm continuing to take trips to the foundry as these first stages of casting the 3/4-life-size Holy Family are taking place. As I mentioned in an early blog post, the first step is to create a silicone mold of the sculpture, into which hot wax is poured to create a replica. When the sculptures are too large, silicone is not poured into the plastic jacket, but rather painted onto the sculpture, layer by layer, until the desired thickness is achieved. Mary and Joseph are big enough to require this method. Once the silicone layers have set and the plaster is cured, the clay sculpture is removed, the silicone and plaster jacket for each horizontal section (front and back) is replaced and clamped, and the wax can be poured, section by section.