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It all began back in September of 1946. I had been sick for a long time; in fact, I still was not able to do very heavy work, something that I had always done before my illness. Christmas was nearing, and I lacked money. Certainly this was a depressing situation for anyone to face. "Surely," I thought, "there must be something that I can do at my own home that will allow me to earn some badly needed Christmas money." The days rolled by but still I found nothing to solve my problem.

As I thumbed through a back issue of Profitable Hobbies in search of a possible solution to this perplexing problem, my eye caught several advertisements on the possibilities of plaster novelty manufacturing. This idea stuck with me and I sent for several catalogues describing this line of business. A careful study of them convinced me that here was something that I could do and thereby possibly solve my problem.

I TOOK my first step by purchasing a book titled "Ornamental Castings," by W. L. Mahler and a course of instruction covering mold making, casting and decorating. The course was titled "Course in Novelty Manufacturing" and was written by a man with many years of experience in this field, Ernest Hightower. After a careful study of the instructions, I borrowed $35 and purchased a quantity of mold making material, a few models to make the molds from, and some casting plaster for making the actual castings.

I found that the actual mold making and casting was not as difficult as I had imagined. My main problems proved to be in the selection of the proper material, selecting models with "sales appeal" and keeping the proper number of new items on the market at all times. I learned that two kinds of mold making material worked equally well. One is of remeltable material and the other comes in the form of liquid rubber which makes a permanent mold.

Before choosing the type best suited to him, one must decide if he will work the business as a spare time hobby or as a full time business. If the first case be the reason for casting, then the remeltable mold making material is better because the material can be melted, a mold made, a few castings made from this mold and then the mold can be remelted and a new mold made from this same material. Using this material, one can produce a large variety of items with a very small mold investment. On the other hand, if one intends to make plaster casting a full time business, I have found the liquid rubber to be slightly better. Using this material, the mold made is permanent, that is, the material cannot be reused, but the material will stand up under thousands of castings and if desired, can be stored for a year or more without damage from heat or cold, and will be ready for instant use again as orders are received.

Selecting models need not be too hard if one carefully studies the catalogues offered by several companies that sell mold making materials and models. Many such advertisements can be found in this magazine. I try to select my models from photographs rather than from word descriptions and before buying, I consider how the finished casting of each model will be decorated. I ask myself if I would consider purchasing such an item, were I to find same at the store. Just a word of caution, don't be mislead by a low price on the original model. I have found that more profits can be made with four good items than with forty poor ones. I pay from $1 to $5 for each model and have found that this investment really pays off over a period of time. Anyone can start a profitable home business in this field with only a small number of models; six or eight is enough to make a good start with and then as the business grows new models can be added.

I MADE my first molds using the liquid rubber material and I used religious statues as my first models. These molds are made by first cementing the model to be copied to a small piece of window glass or other smooth, hard material. I use rubber cement for this purpose as it holds the model securely, yet the model can be removed when the mold is complete, without harm. After cementing, the rubber molding material is applied to the model with a soft brush. As each layer of rubber dries, another coat is painted on until the mold is built up to about ¼ inch thickness.

The rubber mold, while still on the model, is next "backed up" with a plaster shell made from casting plaster or regular plaster of Paris. For statues and many of the larger pieces this shell must be made in two pieces but for molds of book ends, wall plaques, etc., a one piece shell is used. I found the easiest way to make this shell was to cover the mold lightly with any thin oil or grease (I use castor oil) and then to apply the plaster, which is mixed to a consistency of modeling clay, over the mold with the hands. For a two-piece mold, cover only one-half of the statue, allow this to dry and then cover the other half. After this has dried, the shell will separate, the mold can be removed from the model by peeling off much as one would remove a tight rubber glove. After the mold is removed from the model, an opening will be left where the model was secured to the glass. This opening is used for filling the mold with the casting mixture.

The actual casting process is quite simple. The casting plaster is sifted into the water, using approximately one-half volume of water to one volume of plaster. After the plaster and water are well mixed, the solution is poured into the rubber mold which has been prepared for the mixture by lightly coating the inside with light oil or better, with a solution sold for this purpose by almost any of the mold and model supply houses. The casting becomes hard in a few minutes, is removed from the mold by peeling the mold from it and is then placed on a shelf or in a box and left for about a week to finish drying.

After the casting has dried, it is ready for the finish. There are many different finishes that can be applied to these castings but I finished my first pieces with what I still consider to be one of the most satisfactory finishes available. I first check each casting for any rough spots and if any are found, they are carefully smoothed off with fine sandpaper. Next, a good coat of clear shellac and then the final colors are applied. If care is used in applying the shellac which acts as a sealer, only one coat of finish enamel will be required. In decorating any religious item, care must be used to use the proper color in accordance with the Catholic faith. If in doubt on these, you can obtain help from any priest.

Novelty pieces can be decorated in almost any color combinations. I use a good grade enamel such as can be obtained from any hardware and paint supply store. No firing is necessary with these colors and they dry to a hard, glossy finish in about four hours. For decorating the features such as eyes, mouth, etc., I use good grade artist brushes, obtainable from any art store or from several hobby supply sources.

I MADE my first attempt at selling these pieces with a carefully packed sample case consisting of six different pieces. These were all religious, five being eight-inch high statues and one, a five-inch Nativity piece. I offered these to local merchants, promising prompt delivery, at $6 per dozen. This price proved to be very popular for everyone as it allowed me a nice profit for my work and it allowed the finished piece to retail for only ninety-eight cents each, a price that most people could afford to pay.

To say that I was pleasantly surprised at the results of my visits would be a great understatement indeed. In less than four hours time, I had taken orders enough to keep me busy daily until Christmas. Meanwhile, I shipped a complete set of these samples to a wholesale house, the address of which I had obtained from a local gift shop. Much to my surprise, I received a sample order for four dozen of each of my sample pieces, this to be filled as soon as possible. I had offered these pieces with a price of $4.20 per dozen, hoping that by offering the jobber what I considered a "good price," I would be able to have sizeable orders and thus get the production cost down to rock bottom. By this time my health was also improving and for the first time in years I was really happy.

As I added more and more molds to my stock, I found that there was an ever waiting market for my product. The buyers' main concern was that the product be well made and carefully decorated. I learned that by filling their orders on time and with good merchandise, I was getting much repeat business. I soon found too that I had to move from my present working quarters, which were located in a spare bedroom of my home in Upper Jay, New York, to a large vacant loft, which I was able to obtain for a reasonable rental.

I obtained addresses of several wholesale and church supply houses by purchasing a list of such names offered for sale by several different companies. As a result of this list I was able to make contact with several such outlets. I was now not only receiving many orders from the local stores but from these wholesale and church supply houses as well. Some of these orders were for more than $500 each. One order that I especially remember was to an export company and called for thirty-nine dozen of my Nativity piece alone. I honestly feel that it was this one order that really established my casting business, mainly because it was large enough to allow me to purchase material in quantity large enough to receive a "good" cost price but also because it established in me a sincere belief that anyone who was willing to work could succeed.

As my first year of business came to a close and Christmas drew near again, more and more orders poured in. Finally, I decided that in order to handle the volume of business, I would have to take on additional help, something that I had never dreamed of doing when I borrowed that original investment less than a year before. Also, after almost a year of faithful help, gratis, I was in a position to pay my wife a weekly wage as well as to hire one other girl to aid in the decorating and wrapping of the finished castings.

NOW, EIGHT years after that eventful day when I thumbed through an outdated magazine, I am still casting plaster novelties for profit and I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed living so much as I have the last eight years. I have built up a business that now has over 150 molds and at rush times I employ up to four extra helpers.

I hope that I have not sounded off too loudly about my happy enterprise. I do not wish to convey the idea that the plaster novelty manufacturing business is any "get rich quick system." It is indeed far from that. It is a clean, profit paying operation in which one has to start at the bottom and work up slowly and deliberately. This is a business that is not controlled by any number of great corporations, but it is one of the few industries in which the small plants can thrive and prosper.

The plaster casting business offers ample opportunity, to anyone, man or woman, with ordinary intelligence and a real desire to make a success in life.