Actually it is wax/clay mixture... the wax was added over the years to get the detail that the pieces now have.. The artists have to do their work in cold conditions so that the wax doesn't melt, according to Harry..

I don't believe they get much more than a dozen pulls before they have to be replaced, as I recall..

Bill also has said that when they made them in California, they didn't know how much to pour in the mold and sometimes they were filled to full and therefore some lighthouse are a little fuller (bulging) than others. I have a California made West Quoddy that the house is quite a bit bigger than the house on my Canadian version West Quoddy..

I have seen Coquilles that had similar marks on them to Bob's tower and was told that they attempted some of that to actually make them look old and in need of repair, including the paint job being streaked to attempt the same old effect.