Creating a Two-Sided Medal
The Design:
In designing a two-sided medal you create the obverse and the reverse so that they relate to each other. The act of holding the medal and then turning it over is part of the unique quality of this art form. The design aspects as discussed in page 2 apply to this medal also.

Modeling the Medal:
The obverse and the reverse of the two-sided medal must be exactly the same in size. In order to do this I model on a piece of glass. The obverse side of the medal is modeled on one side of the glass and the reverse side of the medal is modeled on the other side of the glass. I take a cardboard box (Make it out of wood if you want a better looking tool) and line it with pieces of wood to hold the glass. The box needs to be about two inches high and the glass should rest about 1/2 inch from the top. Using this box and the glass you can be sure that the obverse and reverse sides of the medal are exactly the same.

Build a wall around your plasticine medal. The wall should be about one inch from the medal. The wall could be strips of wood or heavy cardboard if you are making a square mold. If you are making a round wall use a strip of plastic. I cut up plastic strips, about 1 to 11/2 inches wide, from one of those slides that kids use for going down snow hills. Tape the ends together with masking tape. Put a coil of plasticine around the outside and smear it in so nothing can leak out. Put a small coil around the inside and smear it in also. The rubber has a tendency to leak out very easily.

Spray the medal with Smooth On Mold Release. Go easy with it as you don't need very much. Allow it to dry for 15 minutes. Two coats of Mold Release should be enough.

The Rubber Mold material comes in two bottles. Read the instructions carefully. I use Styrofoam cups. Measure about 3/4 cup of Part A and in another cup pour 3/4 cup from Part B. Pour both liquids into a plastic container. Stir for four minutes. The stirring makes sure that the liquids are well mixed and so there will be a smooth rubber mixture.

Pour the rubber over the medal. Check to be sure there are no leaks.

Allow to set overnight.

In the morning remove the plasticine coils and the walls. Pry the rubber mold off the plasticine medal. Clean the plasticine out of the rubber mold. If there are small amounts of plasticine in crevices, wash it out using an old toothbrush and lighter fluid. Dry the mold thoroughly.

Pouring a Wax into the Rubber Mold
Spray the rubber mold with Mold Release. If you have used too much Mold Release, brush it with a fine brush. Allow to dry for 15 minutes. Use 2 or 3 coats of Mold Release.

Pour the hot wax (200 degrees F) into the rubber mold. Try to get the wax just even with the top of the mold. Allow to cool. Take a flat knife and scrape the wax so it is exactly even with the mold.

Repeat the pour with the negative side of the medal.

Fasten the obverse side of the wax medal to the reverse side by applying a small amount of lighter fluid. The lighter fluid softens the wax slightly so both sides adhere to each other. Allow to dry slightly. Very carefully go over the edges of the medal making sure that both sides are fastened and that there are no gaps between the sides.

Carefully examine both sides of the medal and correct any mistakes. This is your last chance to work on the medal before it is sent to the foundry.

For bronze medals my foundry is Artcast Inc, in Georgetown, Ontario (905-457-9501) (info@artcast.com). They have been doing cast bronze medals for over forty years and their work is excellent.

Making a Hydrocal Medal
Making a hydrocal (hard plaster) medal would be less expensive but more fragile.

Prepare the rubber molds with Mold Release. Mix hydrocal in the same way as mixing plaster and pour into the mold. Only pour to the edges of the mold. Pick up the mold which has been placed on a tile or piece of masonite and tap the bottom forcing the air bubbles to come to the top. Allow to harden. Scrape the back of the medal so it is exactly even with the mold.

To attach the obverse side of the hydrocal medal to the reverse side, mix a small amount of hydrocal and put it on the back of the obverse medal. Before the hydrocal has time to dry place the reverse side of the medal on it. Move quickly as the hydrocal dries instantly. Fill in the cracks around the edge of the medal with hydrocal or pollyfilla. When the hydrocal has set and dried sand the edges. When the hydrocal is completely dry (doesn't feel cold) finish with creative applications of paint.