05/13/2024
“Old mold makers…
just mold away!”
I’d like to indulge in a recap of my experience in sculpting, mold-making, and casting.
In my elementary school years I was bedridden with mononucleosis and my amazing mother taught me how to sculpt with oil-based clay, building forms from simple rolls, spheres and discs.
In 1964 I made my first molds and casts to create a monster-themed chess set. The only available materials were latex rubber and a funky translucent pink polyester resin from the Castolite company.
My professional career has been a wild mashup of overlapping and interleaving jobs. I spent 8 years as an archaeologist, 10 years as a museum exhibit technician, over 6 years as the chief mold maker at a manufacturer of artificial cadavers, 2 years as the sole mold maker at a concrete statuary company, 2 years as the custom mold maker for concrete stamping tools, over 1 year making molds for ceramic slip-casting – all interspersed with creating monumental-scale sculptures, molds, and resin replicas for private individuals, commercial display companies, and theme parks and entertainment companies such as Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Nickelodeon Studios, and the Orlando Dolphin Hotel.
Now it’s wrap-up time. I have been diagnosed with acute pulmonary failure – fibrosis and emphysema, including “particulate groundglass infiltration” of my lungs from years of fiberglassing (despite my rigorous adherence to wearing organic fume respirators). After 2 weeks in the hospital, I am home under the care of hospice services. I will be on oxygen 24/7 the rest of my life, with my activity level severely curtailed. My molding and casting days are over, although I hope to keep up a little sculpting. I’m going to be offloading tools (including a large motorized rotation casting machine), materials, supplies, cast resin products including fossil replicas, and usable molds.
I may be withdrawing from the field – but, hey, I figure 60 years was a pretty respectable run!
