Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/918838
57 SAG-AFTRA | Special Issue 2018 | SAGAFTRA.org PUTTING IT TOGETHER B Creating The Mold It all starts with the production of the mother molds, made out of silicon rubber and plaster cases. Then, the foundry's Wax Pool Department fills the silicone rubber molds with molten wax to create a wax replica of The Actor. C Wax On, Wax Off After cooling, the sculpture is pulled from the mold. An artisan pulls the silicon rubber out of the plastered case with extreme care because the figure is fragile. D Cleaning The Sculpture Next, the team moves over to the Wax Clean Department, where the artisans fix the figure's imperfections, removing the fine lines and wrinkles, and filling air bubbles where necessary. E Give Him A Hand After the wax sculpture is cleaned, the arms are attached. The hands are cut separately and are poured at a different temperature than the rest of the statue. This process usually takes two hours. F Creating A Secondary Mold Next in the process, the sculpture goes to the Shell Department, where it is dipped in ceramic material that serves as a secondary mold to hold the molten bronze. G It's All In The Details Then a primary slurry wax is applied. It's the most critical part of the process because it brings the statue's fine details to life. A layer of silica is then applied to the slurry to build the ceramic mold and to grasp the details of the sculpture. H Taking A Dip After that, the dipping begins, building up layers of silica. Each sculpture goes through eight dips, and each dip takes two to three hours for drying. This part of the process takes about a week. Moving from fine to coarse applications of silica, the sculpture eventually dries as a thick block of ceramic material.