Cast Lip/Nose System Instructions by Roger Martin

 

To explain the process of mounting an open mouth head with the Cast Lip/Nose System, I am mounting a bobcat on a BC-3023-CL. (The CL at the end of the product number means that it has Cast Lip & Nose and jawset.)


On the muzzle of the skin, make sure the meat and tissue is removed from around the whisker bulbs and that the lips are completely turned. Using a sharp scalpel, cut the lips from the skin. Cut right where the hair stops and the fleshy part of the lips begins.


Next, cut the nose out of the skin. Using a pair of small scissors, trim any ragged edges around the lips.


The assembly of the mouthpiece is very simple. First, clean the cast mouth ring with hand cleaner (GoJo). This will remove any mold release and help the glue and paint stick. If you want to do any additional painting to the interior of the mouth, do it at this time. If not, then insert the jaw set in through the back of the lip ring.


To close any crack in the joint between the jaw set and the lip ring, just use a small roll of black Apoxie-Sculpt.

            


To attach the assembled mouth parts to the foam head, first rough up the form with a Stout Ruffer. Then use Mohawk Epoxy Glue to glue the mouth assembly into place.


Slide the skin over the form and get it roughly into position. Pull the face skin back over the head, exposing the muzzle through the mouth. Filling in under the whisker bulbs with Apoxie-Sculpt will fill out the muzzle and hold the whiskers in position while the skin dries.


Zap-A-Gap is recommended for gluing the skin around the cast lips and nose. Squirt the glue out on a piece of cardboard and use a large pin to apply it to the proper location.


As shown in the diagram, start with the top of the nose, then down the sides of the nose (A,B). Once the nose is glued, then glue the middle of the chin (C). Watch carefully for the placement of color patterns. Next glue the corners of the mouth (D). Only glue about an eighth of an inch of skin at each spot. Continue working around the mouth always gluing the middle point between two points that are already glued (E), (F) (G), etc.


This procedure of moving around gluing in spots is necessary because the skin on the mouth area of an animal stretches out a lot. Therefore you have more skin to glue than you do form. By gluing all the known points first, you can work everything else out in between.



After the skin dries, the seam can be finished with Apoxie-Sculpt if needed. The interior of the mouth requires no additional finish work. That, along with the fact that the cast nose is already installed in the cast lip ring, means that a significant amount of time is saved on each mount.


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