How to make a mold for a replica?

Because we have received several inquiries  how to make a mold for a replica,   we decided to post on  our website the technique used to make the mold for the Replicas of  Dighton Rock.

The area of the face of the Dighton Rock is  very large:  55 square feet. 

We had much difficulty in finding a good  technician  that could make a perfect mold of its face. We were lucky to find Steven Tegu, an excellent technician. The quality of the mold he made is such  that on the four  replicas of Dighton Rock that have already  been done by using his mold, the Portuguese inscriptions can be seen very clearly, revealing  even  the pores  of the Dighton Rock!

He used 21 layers of latex rubber and 20 layers of medical gauze between them to obtain the final mold of the Dighton  Rock from which already four replicas have been fabricated to perfection.  

From the time we started -- September 1982 -- making the mold,  till the inauguration of the first Replica in Belém, Lisbon, Portugal,  it took exactly one year to   September 1983!

Here is his letter  written by Steven Tegu to obtain permission from the Massachusetts Environmental Authorities to make  the mold, describing   his technique and  materials to be used.

                           Manuel Luciano da Silva, M. D.

                     Here is Tegus’s Letter:

           Andrea Lukens was the Director of  the Interpretative Services