Replicating Footprint Casts using Latex Molds

by Scott Schubbe

Over the years, sasquatch researchers have found one significant piece of evidence to suggest that there is a large undocumented creature living in our forest regions. That piece of evidence is its footprint. While some of these footprints seem to be obvious fakes, a great many others appear to be authentic. The study of sasquatch footprints, and the science of creating casts of these prints, has grown into an important area of research.

Many researchers have spent countless hours developing casting methods that will capture the finest details that are left behind in the print. Several types of dental stone are used, such as plaster of Paris, Hydrocal B-11 and Ultracal 30.

Since footprint casts provide the only tangible evidence, so far, of this creature’s existence, many researchers have spent years assembling their collections of prints. Because of this need for cast libraries, the more recent skill of cast reproduction has also become important. It is the details of this skill that I will discuss in this article.

Silicone versus Latex:

I have tried to replicate casts using the silicone method. While it does work well, it is rather expensive. A whole gallon of silicone, with shipping, is $100.00 U.S. And I have learned that the molds made with silicone will deteriorate, and probably be of no use after a few years.

Another cast-collecting friend, Cliff Barackman, told me about the latex method of cast replicating. He also wrote a manual describing the process. This method is about 25 percent of the cost of the silicone method. And the latex used in this method is supposed to last for years longer. So I gave it a try to see how it worked.

The Latex Method:

I started with a copy of the well-known Heryford cast – probably one of the best casts ever obtained of an alleged sasquatch track.

Fig. 1 - The Heryford Cast

I laid the cast on a small sheet of white Melamine paneling, sometimes used as the material for dry-erase marker board. The latex wouldn’t stick to this surface very well, since the Melamine is rather glossy. Because of this, I opted not to use a release agent on my cast, and hoped for the best.

Creating the Molds

Apply the Latex:

I applied or “painted” on my first coat, taking the time to make sure I filled in between the toes, as the cast was originally sunk into the ground rather deep and left quite an impression.

I applied the latex in a thin coat over the entire cast and about a half inch or so on the Melamine around it. It was fairly dry in a few hours, so I added coat number two, applying it a little thicker this time. I did the same for the other five coats, and after the second day, I was finished. I let it set up and dry for another day, until I was satisfied that the latex was cured enough on the cast to proceed with my next step.

Fig. 2 – Coating the cast with latex

I also kept track of how many coats I was giving it by marking it on the melamine with a black marker.

Remove the cast:

When the latex was dry, I carefully pulled the cast off of the Melamine, being careful not to stretch it or let it pull off of the cast.

Creating a Shoe Mold:

The shoe mold or Mother mold is needed to help the latex retain the original cast’s shape, or the latex will flop all over, and it would be impossible to make a decent reproduction.

I laid the cast in a large plastic tub, and centered it inside of it. I then took a common white kitchen trash bag and cut it, so it would lay open as a large, one-piece sheet of plastic. I pressed it down on the edges of the cast, and it acted like it was almost sticking to it, as the latex became rather “tacky” to it.

I made sure the bag was pressed firmly around it, and then I started pouring some plaster on top of the bag. I laid a yardstick on top of the tub, so I could pull the plastic up and tape it to it, to let the plaster poor up near the edges of the cast. Just make sure you have at least an inch of plaster around the edge of the cast, all the way around. I let the plaster be about a half inch deep on top of the cast, and vibrated the tub to let the air bubbles get out of the plaster. This also helped the plaster settle around the toes and edges.

Fig. 3 - Plaster bottom of the Shoe Mold

After the plaster had dried, it was time to remove the “shoe” mold from the top of the cast.

This is sometimes the hardest part of the whole process. I’ve known others to break their original casts while doing this part. Lift the whole shoe mold and cast out of the tub, and over a thick towel. Try to shake the original cast out of the plaster shoe mold. Sometimes it will drop right out, and other times it needs a bit of help.

Once the cast is out, the plastic pulls away very easily from the plaster. Flip the shoe mold over, and let it dry this way for another six hours at least.

Fig. 4 – The Completed Shoe Mold

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