Costs 45 



just before the tail indicates where the mold is sawed off com- 

 plete. The oblong-shaped outline is a guide to the area to be 

 sawed from this side of the mold. Use a key-hole saw. Drill 

 holes in the four corners with a countersink tool to accommo- 

 date the saw ( Fig. 40 ) . 



The lines around the dorsal and anal fins— about an inch 

 beyond the edge of the impression of the fin— indicates the areas 

 that are chipped away to a depth of about Yi inch. The reason 

 for removing these areas is to accommodate the cast fins which 

 have to be thicker than the originals. There must be room for 

 them when the mold halves are placed together; otherwise, the 

 halves of the mold will not come together snugly. The entire 

 process is demonstrated in Figs. 39 to 44. 



Shellac the mold and apply separator in the same way as for 

 the show side. Further treatment of the molds for the individual 

 methods is included in the following sections. 



CASTS IN PLASTER 



The easiest, quickest, and least expensive method of produc- 

 ing a cast is to do it in plaster (molding plaster No. 1). Only a 

 one-side mold is necessary, and no preliminary coat of shel- 

 lac is needed. The cast can be made into a medallion type, 

 which includes a plaque cast as one piece with the fish; or the 

 plaque can be eliminated. Let us consider the medallion type 

 first. Place the mold in a pan of water (if the mold is too large, 

 run water over it ) until it is thoroughly wet. This requires only 

 a few minutes. (A saturated mold will not draw moisture from 

 the fresh plaster of the cast, and saturation helps in eliminating 

 bubble holes in the cast.) Remove the mold from the water 

 when air bubbles are no longer released from the plaster. Get 

 rid of any drops of water in the mold with a paper towel or a 

 cloth. Applv the sterine separator to the entire mold, including 

 the shelf. Rub your fingers gently over the mold as a check- 

 to smooth out any sterine that might have been applied to 

 excess. 



