Mold release is liberally applied to the clay and insides of the box. I use a aerosol spray-on product made from halogenated hydrocarbons in ether, well-worth the money for it’s effectiveness and ease of use. The plaster is poured, shaped and formed over the clay blanket. Doing this deserves some more photos, but I am too involved to stop and take them. Mixing plaster and applying it is a skill I have only begun to get at all proficient. This is about 1.5 to 2 inches thick, about right, could be thinner.

Removing the foamcore box, I trim and smooth out the plaster with a palette knife. It is mostly pointless, but I can reduced the volume of the plaster shell a little, and anyway, it makes it look nice and feel better to handle.

Now it should cure for least several days to a week. The plaster continues to dry out and get stronger. I want to wait to separate the assembled three layers- plaster, clay blanket, and model, from the cradle, which will be the next step. Removing the cradle will put pressure on the plaster and I want to be sure it is as strong as it needs to be so it doesn’t crack.