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Julip Horses Ltd


Julip Horses Ltd is a United Kingdom-based company which produces a range of 1/12-scale model horses.

In 1945, Lavender Dower (d. 2003) began making model horses out of chamois leather, using the lead from London buildings bombed during World War II to make their legs. Five years later the company switched to making the horses out of latex, the same material used to make the current line of Julip Originals. Dower sold the company in the 1950s. Models were sold from a shop in Beauchamp Place, London - part of the smart Knightsbridge shopping area and not far from Harrods.

Lead continued to be used to provide the support and flexibility in the legs of the latex horses until at least the early 1960s, when lead as a component of children's toys was banned in the UK for safety reasons.

Juip was just one of several companies producing cast-latex model horses in the 1950s and 1960s, but the only one to continue in business past 1968. The company's main rival was known as Isis, whose products were preferred by serious collectors of the period for their greater detail. Other companies included Pegasus and Otway, and in the late 1960s the internationally renowned animalier artist Pamela du Boulay began her sculpting career with a range of exquisite latex models sold under the 'Rydal' name.

The production process for latex models is simple, and similar to the early stages of pottery production. Plaster moulds are made from a 'master' model. When the plaster is completely dry, a mix of liquid latex and an inert 'filler' is poured into the mould and left to stand until a coating of latex has developed around the inside of the mould. The remaining liquid latex is poured away for reuse, and the casting allowed to dry out until it is firm enough to be removed from the mould. This part of the process is identical to the way ceramics are cast. With the casting removed, the plaster mould is left to dry out, and cannot be reused until 100% dry once more. Each casting progressively destroys the interior of the mould, so after a relatively limited number of casts, the mould has to be discarded and new ones made from the master. This explains why each individual Julip is different even from other examples of the same breed and from the same mould.

Once the casting is air-dry, it is then heat-cured or 'vulcanised'. This stabilises the latex, but if the vulcanising process is too short or carried out at too low a temperature, the latex can become unstable again - this is one of the reasons why Julips can become "gooey".


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