The candle you are admiring-veins, foreskin and all- is an exact replica of a consenting human’s penis. The replica is achieved through a process called ‘life casting’ which involves making a mold of the human form and then reproducing it in a casting media. In the case of these candles, I took a mold of a penis using silicone and from that master mold, I can cast an infinite amount of penises. To arrive at the point of having a gang mold (multiple molds of the same object) involves a few strategic steps. The first and most critical part of the process is to have a model who is willing to get a little weird with you. This part is messy, intimate, time sensitive and...very fun (and not pictured). The casting medium for this first step is called alginate, most commonly used for making dental molds. It’s ideal because it is skin safe and cures quickly. The downside of using alginate is that it is not reusable and degrades within a few hours. In this instance, once the alginate mold of the model was cured and pulled, I cast plaster into the alginate mold in order to render a plaster master. Having this plaster master relieves my model of their duties-a good thing as the next step in the process would involve keeping an erection for 24 hours if I didn’t have this plaster master to work from. 

This next step involves casting the plaster master in silicone. In the case of the penis mold, I applied a ¼ inch layer of silicone around the object (with the exception of the base) and allowed this to cure for 24 hours. Once cured, a temporary box was constructed around the horizontally oriented, silicone-encapsulated plaster penis. Plaster was then poured to fill half this box and allowed to cure. Vaseline was applied to this cured plaster and the rest of the box was then filled with plaster. The result is a 2-part, interlocking rigid plaster block that serves to reinforce the silicone mold. As a whole unit, this is now what is called the ‘master mold’.  A picture of this first completed process can be seen below. 

While there are many ways to arrive at the same goal (as in most things), the process of achieving a gang mold is pictured below, In essence, it is the above process repeated at large. 

If this process and concept piques your interest, I am available for commissions. See commissions page for more information.