"Help!" for: Molding

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guys im trying to make a mold, I did my research in the internet and I found a product called smooth-on my question is there is a store where I can buy the Rebound 25 and Smooth cast?
 
guys im trying to make a mold, I did my research in the internet and I found a product called smooth-on my question is there is a store where I can buy the Rebound 25 and Smooth cast?

just search smooth on, go to their home page and there is a section to find their distributors, they are located in all the states of america (I think) and in a few different places over seas
 
he will send me the merchandise to my house or I need to pick it up?
I'm not entirely sure as I'm not from the US, but I do believe if you purchase online and supply shipping information they will ship it to your door, or to be more secure if there are any distributors nearby just go to them directly and purchase it off the shelf. good luck
 
okay Im about to order my Rebound 25 but how much do you guys think I need for my helmet, 1 gallon(18 lbs) or the Trial size(2 lbs)?
 
cool, I was watching some videos about molding tutorials from smooth on, and they also use thi-vex ll, sonite wax ll, plasti paste, and smooth cast. Im going to need them all?
 
Yes you'll need all of them except the sonite wax, the thivex is to thicken the silicone to make the keys, over which you will spread plasti-paste that will create the mother mold (it keeps the silicone in its shape), you'll also need mann 200 (mold release agent) and smooth cast 320 or 321 which is the casting urethane
 
Helmet Sculpting Basics

Okay... I've looked through the entirety of this thread, and although I've picked up a few things here and there, I'm still vague on some of the terminology relating to the art of armor making and such. So forgive me if I'm a bit off.

I've never made any original armor/weapons, but for this year's NY ComicCon, I would like to cosplay Dead Space 2's Isaac Clarke in his Advanced Suit (http://images.wikia.com/deadspace/images/6/65/Isaac_Suit_1_Advanced.jpg). With this being my first armor-making expedition, despite it not requiring as much casting as, for example, bulkier Halo Spartan armor would, I'll understand if you veterans would determine through your own experience befthat from now until December would not be enough time to create this cosplay. Regardless, I plan to pursue it.

Basically, I have an idea of what I would need in order to create this:

A) Form-fitting bodysuit (not sure where to find something close enough, though)
B) Boots to use as a base to build the extra armor pieces on
C) Gloves
D) Wonderflex for the thin armor plating on the majority of the suit
E) ??? for Helmet and Front/Back of RIG

For the helmet and RIG, before I start making a mold or anything, I need a base made out of clay. Something to build my negative mold off of, through which I can then make a final plastic version out of. (I considered making the helmet straight from Pepakura out of cardstock, and then just fixing it up with some Aqua-Resin, Fiberglass, and paint, but there are no Advanced Suit Pepakura files, and I'd rather have something more sturdy than cardstock)

So, finally, here are my questions:

1: With the sculpting method for the helmet and RIG, what kind of clay should I use, and how much should I purchase?

2: Which is recommended for an amateur like me: the method shown in gametavern's ODST Helmet video (with the paint-on mold, and the pour-in plastic), or a vacuum-forming method?

Thanks, and please, be as specific as possible, for my sake! And if there's a better thread for this question, my apologies, and please redirect me.
 
Okay... I've looked through the entirety of this thread, and although I've picked up a few things here and there, I'm still vague on some of the terminology relating to the art of armor making and such. So forgive me if I'm a bit off.

I've never made any original armor/weapons, but for this year's NY ComicCon, I would like to cosplay Dead Space 2's Isaac Clarke in his Advanced Suit (http://images.wikia.com/deadspace/images/6/65/Isaac_Suit_1_Advanced.jpg). With this being my first armor-making expedition, despite it not requiring as much casting as, for example, bulkier Halo Spartan armor would, I'll understand if you veterans would determine through your own experience befthat from now until December would not be enough time to create this cosplay. Regardless, I plan to pursue it.

Basically, I have an idea of what I would need in order to create this:

A) Form-fitting bodysuit (not sure where to find something close enough, though)
B) Boots to use as a base to build the extra armor pieces on
C) Gloves
D) Wonderflex for the thin armor plating on the majority of the suit
E) ??? for Helmet and Front/Back of RIG

For the helmet and RIG, before I start making a mold or anything, I need a base made out of clay. Something to build my negative mold off of, through which I can then make a final plastic version out of. (I considered making the helmet straight from Pepakura out of cardstock, and then just fixing it up with some Aqua-Resin, Fiberglass, and paint, but there are no Advanced Suit Pepakura files, and I'd rather have something more sturdy than cardstock)

So, finally, here are my questions:

1: With the sculpting method for the helmet and RIG, what kind of clay should I use, and how much should I purchase?

2: Which is recommended for an amateur like me: the method shown in gametavern's ODST Helmet video (with the paint-on mold, and the pour-in plastic), or a vacuum-forming method?

Thanks, and please, be as specific as possible, for my sake! And if there's a better thread for this question, my apologies, and please redirect me.

You'll need an oil based sulfur free clay to sculpt out of, some sort of brush on silicone, the most generic and widely used is rebound 25, you will also need a release agent for when you make the center line, then you will need some sort of mothermolding medium, plasti-paste is fairly common, then for the casting urethane what is most common is smooth-cast 320 or 321.... I would not recommend vacuum forming as for a build like this you'll need a high quality vacuum former and that could be rather expensive.
Good luck!
 
1: With the sculpting method for the helmet and RIG, what kind of clay should I use, and how much should I purchase?

A non sulfur based clay.

WED clay (Water-based) or Oil based clay (some plastina clays are oil based) are good to use.


*Links above are to what I've used in the past when I had no access to clay. I've since found clay locally to buy.

WED CLAY
Pros: Easier to work with, no prep time involved, and handles sculpting very easily.
Cons: WED clay dries out, not quickly, so you have to keep your work covered in a bag, and kept wet while working with it (not soaking). A good spritzing bottle with water will help to keep your clay usable. WED however, is only a one time use clay.

Oil Based Clay (including some Plastinas):
Pros: Long lasting. Can be used over again (to a degree). Detail work in some plastinas hold better.
Cons: In order to work with it, you will have to heat it up to a consistency that you're willing to use. It's also retains heat, so work with gloves. Only has to be in the oven for short period. Prepare to sacrifice an oven in order to use this clay. I used an old toaster/convection oven to heat clay like this. When using the clay over, be sure that none of the oil has crystallized. This will mean that the clay will be hard to smooth when you are going for your mother mold making.

2: Which is recommended for an amateur like me: the method shown in gametavern's ODST Helmet video (with the paint-on mold, and the pour-in plastic), or a vacuum-forming method?

If you want details, then do the normal molding method.

Vacuum-forming is for easier objects, with less details (you'll quickly learn what undercuts are). You make the trade off depending on what you are doing.


Example: Any item that has lot of detail (grooves, ledges, defined bumps, ridges) etc, should be done the casting method (make your mother mold, then do your casting)

Any item that doesn't have a lot of definition (like hand pads, face shields, etc) can be vacuum-formed.
 
Seeing as how WED is apparently easier to work with, I just might go with that, not to mention that I don't have a spare oven to use for Plastina sculpts. And if what you say about vacuum-forming is true, seeing as how my other basic armor pieces will be made from Wonderflex, I won't have any need for that (unless I want to eventually upgrade my cosplay quality).

Thanks so much!
 
For Oil based clay, if I knew i was working with small amounts of the clay and didn't want to heat an oven, I simply used a Blow dryer. some times just the heat from your hands is enough to sculpt in the clay.

However, if you're doing a big item, then full on heating (to the consistency of soft mud) would be needed (and an oven to sacrifice).
 
For Oil based clay, if I knew i was working with small amounts of the clay and didn't want to heat an oven, I simply used a Blow dryer. some times just the heat from your hands is enough to sculpt in the clay.

However, if you're doing a big item, then full on heating (to the consistency of soft mud) would be needed (and an oven to sacrifice).

Yeah, I see what you mean. I'll be working with a helmet, something the size of my head, and since this would be my first time sculpting, I'd rather play it safe with the WED.

Also, I want your personal opinion on whether I should make the RIG part of the suit from plastic (like I'll be doing with the helmet), or if I should use Wonderflex as I'm doing with the other parts (or perhaps another method entirely).

Reference of RIG here: http://www.gameinformer.com/cfs-fil...0-00-00-00-09/2703.ds2char.jpg_2D00_610x0.jpg (the RIG is basically the armor plating/terminal on the chest, as well as the area housing the light-up strip on the back)

I ask this for several reasons: plastic will definitely be strong than Wonderflex, and since the helmet and RIG are the bulkiest parts of the build, I was wondering if it would be ideal to have those cast. For the helmet and back of the RIG, I would also like to install some LEDs (the exact process of which I'll find out in the proper thread). so I was wondering if a plastic RIG would be a better shell for holding electric equipment than one constructed from Wonderflex.

FINALLY, depending on your answer to the above question, how much WED clay should I purchase? The site you linked me to (MonsterMakers) sells it in both 25 and 50 pound packages.

Sorry for all the questions.
 
As much as people in cosplay like to tout Wonderflex, I just treat it as overblown heat sensitive plastic sheets. EVEN body heat can warp wonderflex, which is why I don't particularly advocate the use of it. Its good for beginners, but don't expect your props to last long with use.

My friend's wonderflex sword sat in the sun for 20 minutes while they were in a phototshoot and it lost all of its shape to be useless.

I would stick to shaping the chest pieces from a foam base actually. If the shape is practically flat pieces, then CRAFT foam is just as good and much cheaper than wonderflex (and can be shaped by using a blow dryer). If you want to give it strength (so it doesn't flex too much) then like Pepakura, resin it (don't need to rondo) and sand like you would normally do. Its also easy to add electronics to Foam based armor (Bioweapons guy did it for his Mass Effect armors)

Warning: Some resins will eat through craft foam, so its best to coast the foam in a sealer. I've used Modge Podge in the past to do this and it lasted through the resin process. also since resin uses heat to cure, its best to use thick craft foam so it doesn't warp while it cures. YOU can always shave/sand down to get it to the thickness you need

For the helmet I worked on in clay, it required 12 lbs of clay for an entire head coverage (down to just past the chin), allowing for 3" of padding on the inside.


Definitely check locally first to see if you can get WED cheaper, and closer to you. Shipping on clay is expensive.

However, to start off, get the 25lb bag, as that is more than enough to handle a good size helmet sculpt

You will need an armature to work from, and when sculpting its best to have an armature of the head you're sculpting for.



Cheap Method for a Head Armature:

IF YOU CAN, visit a SALLY's Beauty Supply Store (or similar) and get one of their foam heads.

FOAM heads are smaller than normal heads (they are meant to display wigs), so you have to pad it up to your size. Extra plastic bags, and masking tape does wonders. Measure your head circumference with a measuring tape and then tape plastic bags around your foam head until it matches your circumference. Measure the height of your head from chin to top, and do the same to make the head as big as yours.

Also, the foam heads come with a little hole on the bottom, so you can mount it somehwere. You may have to devise a stand to work with it, but a broom handle works alright. I've also used a cheap tripod where the "handle" is just thick enough to fit into the hole on the bottom.



The correct method:**

Do a head cast of your head (oh and Monster Makers sells a kit)
However:
1) you need to know what you are doing
2) You need someone to help you (2 someones are better than 1)
3) That someone(s) also needs to know what they are doing.
4) Not be claustrophobic* and enjoy the feeling of cold pudding on your face, and then the warmth of hard plaster as it cures on your head.

However, that will give you a true cast of your head, and you can use that cast for all your helmet projects.





**I've done a full body casting, head to toe, with 4" platform heels on. That was 4 1/2 hours of standing that I do not wish upon anyone.



Edit to add:
This is based on my experience with sculpting and molding, and many people have their own processes on how to do so. As always, molding and sculpting is itself an art, and what make work for me, may not work for others. You have to play around

Advice: start with something small first. Like sculpting a small armor piece and go through the steps of actually creating a mold and then casting it. The only reason I started big, was that my friend works in the film industry and has worked on major films, so he was there to help back me up in case I made mistakes.
 
@Dani Girl: Wow; that was a comprehensive walkthrough of the basic steps and supplies I'd need. That helps a lot... Thanks!

Also, with the helmet design, the front plates on the forehead, just above the top visor (the "brows"), don't fully connect to the rest of the helmet; instead, they stick up from the forehead, go off from the helmet about an inch or so, and then hit a right angle to hover above the dome. Here's the ref again: http://diehardgamefan.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/DeadSpace2sc01.jpg

What's the recommendation for this? Sculpting it won't be a problem, but fixing a mold to it will prove a pain, as well as pouring the plastic in. Should I make a separate piece entirely for that and attach it afterward? Should I bother doing it like that -- perhaps I can fill up that empty space beneath the plates in the sculpt?
 
Many ways you can approach it, and this was something I had similar with a Kamen Rider helmet I sculpted for a friend. It had an extra piece that wasn't really apart of the helmet, yet need to be with the helmet

sculpt it and mold it separately of the helmet

You can do 2 things to attach:

1) after the piece is molded, painted etc, you take some resin and apply it both surfaces and "glue" it in place

2) make it a piece that can be separated from the main helmet, for ease of packing/shipping/take with you. You pretty much create a "socket" on the front of your helmet and on the back of your piece, so they interlock into each other. You can embed strong magnets as your means to attach to each other.
 
Hey everyone, I've read through this thread multiple times now, and I'm still not understanding a few parts of the molding process. I just wanted to post a few questions, and whatever gets answered I would greatly appreciate :)

1. Regarding the Master for the mold, does it have to be made from an oil-based clay? I've seen helmets made of bondo covered in primer and sanded down, then molded, but I haven't seen that method here, which led me to wonder if materials like Rebound-25 only works with clays.

2. I understand that after covering your Master in layer upon layer of Rebound-25, you are then supposed to put on a harder material (not sure of the name) to help keep the Rebound-25 in the correct shape. But this step is what confuses me the most. Do you (and if so how do you) remove this 'outer shell' before removing your master? Do you have to put a completely new layer of the harder substance over your Rebound mold when you are creating cast of the mold?

I apologize in advance if any of these things have already been answered, but these things (especially the 'outer shell of the mold') are just going STRAIT over my head and it's driving me crazy. Again any help would be appreciated SO much.
 
1. Regarding the Master for the mold, does it have to be made from an oil-based clay? I've seen helmets made of bondo covered in primer and sanded down, then molded, but I haven't seen that method here, which led me to wonder if materials like Rebound-25 only works with clays.

Okay, wrong terms being used here:

Sculpt/Model (Positive) = the item that you are trying to duplicate. The Sculpt/Model can be made from anything; whether its done in clay, or you created in Pepakura. Heck you can take an existing object and make a mold of that.

Master Mold (AKA Mother Mold) = the negative copy of the Sculpt/Model that you make (usually from an alginate mold or a rubber mold) Rebound 25 is what you would use to create your mother mold. Since its a Silicone based product, you will need a mold release on your Sculpt/Model so that you are able to pull your mold from your original sculpt/model. You can use it on any material, as long as you have a mold release

Hint: sometimes good old Vaseline (or similar petroleum jelly product) is just fine to use as a mold release (and its cheaper too)


2. Do you (and if so how do you) remove this 'outer shell' before removing your master? Do you have to put a completely new layer of the harder substance over your Rebound mold when you are creating cast of the mold?
No, you don't remove it. The "outer shell" (Usually a plaster cast - same as what is used on broken arms). It sticks to the Alginate/rubber mold.


Here is a series of images that demonstrates the process (apologize that its of different items):

Brushing on the alginate mold:
4855936075_10826447aa.jpg




Plaster Cast over the alginate:
4855938767_dda317482a.jpg



Mold after its done:
4856555702_0e4c149f2b.jpg

4856558218_bf799bcf3f.jpg



Laying up the Fiberglass:
4856556194_54cddf06a8.jpg



Product pulled from the mold:
4855937207_4849c79a1c.jpg
 
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