Making a mold. so confused......

[Guest Anonymous]

trying to figure out how to make a mold. I have never really done any art like this. want to try and make a nihilus mask. Really don't even know where to start. Any help will be great. Thanks in advance.

[Twi'lek Pam]

trying to figure out how to make a mold. I have never really done any art like this. want to try and make a nihilus mask. Really don't even know where to start. Any help will be great. Thanks in advance.

 

Here's how we made Scott's Nihilus mask:

 

http://chucrew.com/Nihilus/mask.html

 

 

Pam

[Guest Anonymous]

still a bit confused, but I'll try.

[Twi'lek Pam]

Start out by doing some research. Read through the threads in this section, as well as the build threads in the Nihilus forum. Do a bit of googling, and perhaps check out a book or two on the topic. Then, when you know the basics and you have some specific questions to ask, we'll be more able to help you. A vague "what do I do?" makes people think that you're not willing to do some legwork on your own, and we really don't have answers to non-questions. We're more than happy to help out with direct questions, though!

 

Sculpting, mold making, and casting is an art that takes time, research, experimentation, and experience. It's a fun process... you just have to take the steps!

 

Pam

[Guest mdb]

I like to work backwards from what I am trying to wind up with so I can work out what materials and protective gear I will need. It's a bit like going to college- you need to work out what your final year will be to figure out what you need to take!

 

So for this: a rigid hollow shaped piece.

 

For rigid you will want some sort of resin. What sort is up to you, I favour epoxy even if I may have an allergy to it *cough explodey allergy face last month was not pretty*. Urethane cures faster. Polyesters are easiest to get but stink like crazy.

You will want to make sure you have fillers and the like tomake sure it is able to stick to the mold and not drip. This is urethane has it over all the others as you can slush cast it (pour it in the bottom and swirl it around to build up the sides- it'll set enough to then be able to leave it to fully cure).

 

There is the risk of an undercut (in the eye sockets and chin) so a flexible mold is going to be the best bet. I like silicon over latex for this as it is much faster to work with (with latex you have to paint the latex on layer by layer and it can take quite some time.)

I am broke as a broke thing so would make a fibreglass support for a thin silicon layer. But that's me and my budget constraints

 

So finally working even further back you want to sculpt the piece from something that will come out of a silicon mold. Most anything Though the kind of silicon you use will be a factor.

 

The thing with molding and casting is to remember there are chemical reactions happening everywhere and between surfaces so reading all the data about the various products you are using is vital.

 

And you will find you will need to experiment with a few techniques and afew materials to find what you are able to use most easily. There is no point trying one way if it is not working for you.

 

Good luck! I had heaps of fun learning all the different stages when I made my Slave Leia costume last year