well fellers, I took my first shot at making

[KenDammit28]

a plaster mold....and things didn't go so well, heh.  

It seemed like as soon as I'd get the plaster mixed up to a good consistency..2 minutes later it was rock hard.  The problem with that was that I believe I missed the step on when to sink in the lures to cast..UNTIL IT WAS A ROCK!..heh.  I was thinking that the plaster needed a little time to set up..but after I quit for the first attempt..I realized that I probably should have put the lures in right after I was done mixing and it seemed pretty thick but still soft.

So I did that TWO times and by the third time..as I was running really low on an 8lb bucket of DAP PoP, I realized I was using entirely too much of water AND plaster.  The third time..I used TOO much water and stopped putting the powder in..and ended up with a tiny layer of hard plaster and a 1/2 inch of water.

I guess all in all, it was a learning experience that gave me the knowledge to do it right the next time.  Luckily all the other materials are still fresh and unused, so I just need to fork out 5 dollars for another bucket of plaster and I should get it right this time.

Now for a question...any tips for casting a toad?  The legs seemed like they are really tricky to place right and I was wondering if I should cast them in both halves or in just the top or the bottom since they are thin(the horny toad legs).

[SENKOSAM]

Save your money - buy plaster from Home Depot for $7/20 lbs. (also DAP).

Practice makes perfect and timing is less crucial with a thinner plaster, but also takes longer to harden.

Legs, paddles, and other thin tails only need to be in one half. When you overpour the thin parts, shape them with scissors after the plastic cools and pour them seperately from the body.

[KenDammit28]

thanks for the help sam...that was the info I was looking for about tails.  They seemed like they'd be really too thin to get into both sides and that'd just make it difficult anyway...so I'm gonna try to get them in just one side next time.