[Central] Moldmaking for newbies

[Crazymanongames]

Just a thought, might want to clean up the post a bit, there's a bunch of random numbers and signs (I know that they MEAN something) that are kinds distracting.

 

[Charlieiscool12]

hey guys. Im looking to mold a handplate and a grenade. Ive heard about how you can just put a cup around the piece, secure it, and pour in some rubber. My question is, will that work and provide a mold with minimal air bubbles using rebound 25? really concerned that if i dont brush it on, Ill lose a lot of detail

 

[Roadwarrior]

What you could do is do 1-2 brush-on layers then put it in the "cup" and pour, that way the detail is saved and bubbles aren't too much of an issue. But I haven't any experience yet, so I could be wrong.

 

[Brandon McClain]

If it something like a handplate or nade you can do that. Check out mold star 15. It takes longer but it doesn't need to be vacuum degassed so it will work well for what you want

 

[Spartan 010]

PLEASE forgive my necro-ing.

Is it possible to take liquid plastic, brush it on my foam prop and let it harden; thus making a hard plastic shell around the foam prop? That way it's more durable and easier to paint.

Thanks

 

[DanBakerOnline]

010, You can take a resin like Smoothcast 45D or 65D, which have a gel profile and are good for rotocasting. Pout a bit into your mold and rotate to coat all sides (or brush it in) and let it cure. Then you can back it up with the foam of your choice. Remember to pour your foam in stages, so that the pressure doesn't distort your mold. Pour in a bit, let it foam, pour in a bit more, etc.

 

[jbvirus]

Does anyone know where I can buy a Mannequin head? I really want to start making helmets and I see a lot of people using Mannequins heads to start the process.

 

[torsoboy]

Does anyone know where I can buy a Mannequin head? I really want to start making helmets and I see a lot of people using Mannequins heads to start the process.

Mannequin heads are going to be too small in general, and will often come with sculpted hair which would get in the way of sculpting and symmetry. Instead, you'll be wanting a sculpting head armature, which is generally a life cast of someone with average facial proportions (and often time they come bald.

http://www.monstermakers.com/product/deluxe-full-head-sculpting-armature-life-size.html

 

[jbvirus]

Mannequin heads are going to be too small in general, and will often come with sculpted hair which would get in the way of sculpting and symmetry. Instead, you'll be wanting a sculpting head armature, which is generally a life cast of someone with average facial proportions (and often time they come bald.

http://www.monstermakers.com/product/deluxe-full-head-sculpting-armature-life-size.html

Oh wow thank you very much, I am going to get this with my next paycheck.

 

[jtr7227]

is there anything else i can use instead of silicone to make a mold because i dont have alot of money to go buy silicone

 

[Spartan 010]

Well, there has been no activity on this thread for a while, but I'll try anyway...

I'm making a Perfectly-as-humanly-possible M6 Magnum from Halo: Reach out of plexiglass sheeting. It's just about finished and it is by far the best prop I have ever made.

As soon as it is finished I wanted to make a mold from it and pop them out like crazy.

So far as I can tell the best mold making rubber would be : http://www.smooth-on.com/Silicone-Rubber-an/c2_1113_1136/index.html?catdepth=1
OOMOO 25 - Trial Size
Medium softness easy to use tin cure silicone rubber - Shore 25A hardness.
1:1 mix ratio by volume - no scale or vacuum required.
75 minute cure time.
Net Weight : 2.8 Lbs.
$25.47

This is my first time doing this sort of thing. Whenever anyone tries to do something new, they dont want to make any mistakes. Since I dont have a ton of money, I make it a point not to make any mistakes. I've done tons of research and have read and watched just about everything possible to learn. The last thing to do, is to actually do it.

However, I got an idea about making the mold "cheaper." I dont know if it will work though... Does anyone know if it would be possible to use:
http://www.smooth-on.com/Rigid-and-Flexible/c10_1121/index.html?catdepth=1
FlexFoam-iT! V - Trial Size
5-lb. Flexible Polyurethane Foam. 1A:1B By Volume Mix Ratio -
No Scale Required
Net Weight : 2 Lbs.
$25.96

instead of using the OOMOO. It expands into something like 20x the amount actually used. Do you see where I'm going?

Would it be possible to make a mold from FlexFoam? 1 oz would technically be 20oz (in size, not weight) It puffs up and hardens, BUT it is flexible so I would imagine that it could be used as a mold.

Thanks for reading! Any suggestions would gladly be taken.

 

[Bossman acree]

My eva build

hello all, i am new here to the 405th, i very much so want to make an EVA helmet but i wanna vacuum shape the visor, i am right now pepping the actual visor using 110 weight cardstock. when im done i wanna resin coat it and bondo it for use with a homemade vacuum table. yet im wondering what type of plastic should i use and how to get the gold finish. im working the halo 3 eva build by slyfo. i wanna make the engravements in the helmet. i have a woodburning kit pen that does have a special tip for plastic. do you guys think that'll work???? any help or advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Admiral Tiberius]

Look at this thread by Nick Nack, he did something very similar to what you are looking to do. Info on both type of plastic and tinting.
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/31391-PIC-HEAVY.-Awsome-Custom-Halo-Reach-Foam-Armor.-Getting-Ready-For-Anime-LA!!!!!/page37

He used clear PETG and the tinting info is also there somewhere. I know I have seen it around several places.

 

[Bossman acree]

thank you a bunch ^_^

 

[Admiral Tiberius]

glad to help

 

[Rubber Slug]

If I use craft foam to detail my helmet, would it hold up during the molding process? Would I need to seal it first somehow?

 

[Firefly887]

Hello,

Quick (and probably silly) question for you fine ladies and gents: if there are small bits that stick out on my model, should I remove them before applying the silicon and then reattach them to the final cast? I'm sculpting an N7 helmet and there are those little wing-like parts that stick out on the sides and loop back in towards the center-rear. I've never made a mold of something this complex before and don't want to ruin my sculpt. Is a box mold the way to go for those little parts?

Thanks!

 

[Halo Master]

Ok everyone, I have a (hopefully) quick question. So I am going to make a H3 magnum for my next build. I was thinking about making out of foam core poster board. Then after it is almost perfect make a box mold for it. I have a pretty good understanding of how to make one of those. But my real question is how will the foam core react to silicone? I am probably be using Rebound 25 to make the mold. If anyone knows that would be great.

Thanks,

()HaloMaster()

 

[Shelbiegirl18]

hi, uh im brand new to cosplaying and id really like to cosplay a female spartan for cardiff comicon next month. the thing i i dont have alot of money and i havent got much time to make one, what can i do?

 

[Spartan]

Cool, this will help a lot with my first armor model. Probably going to do CQB, EVA, or Scout. Either way wish me luck.