Reproducing a Head with Smooth-on

[AJ-Paratrooper]

I've been doing a lot of research but still haven't taken the plunge and made my own custom Mego, yet.

I'd like to make a good mold of a caucasian shaved AJ head but I'm not 100% sure about my plan. Here it is & tell me if I'm leaving anything out:

1. Buy the Smooth-on beginner's kit mentioned in the Mego Museum tutorial.
2. Wash and coat the original Mego AJ head in mold release.
3. Make the glove mold as described however, I'm using an original part (AJ's head) as a master instead of an original sculpey hard plastic sculpt.

Is it going to be a problem using a rotocast original head as the master instead of the more common Sculpey-made hard, solid custom sculpture?

That is the main question. Any advice is welcome....really want to at least get some really high quality heads made before I die of old age Thanks.

[CrimsonGhost]

Ok, let's see...

1. "coat" the head with mold release sounds like it might go on too thick. If the mold release is thick, it will obscure your detail. A little goes a long way.

2. I'm not sure what is included in the Smooth-on beginners kit, but the product they send you might not work for a glove mold. Just make sure it's designed to be brushed on.

3. There shouldn't be any problem using an original head.

I say jump right in and start making molds, that's what I did! And I made a bunch of mistakes along the way, but you only get better by doing it. Good Luck!

[Bizarro Amy]

There's a tutorial in CustoMego on making molds with pourable silicone. Also, some sites sell Smooth-on starter kits with pourable or brushable options, in case you really have your heart set on doing a brush-on mold.

[AJ-Paratrooper]

Thanks for the quick replies.

I didn't consider a brush-on mold...I think I just need to jump right in like you said, thanks.

I also want to make the head kinda "rubbery"....going for the "toy" look/feel.

I'll poke around on the smooth-on site.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I use GI-1000 RTV silicone; but the Smooth-On stuff'll work about the same. For doing molds like I do, you'll also need:

-Vaseline and a small paint brush
-Plasticine (NOT Play-Doh or any other putty that hardens)
-Lego blocks. (Just the regular bricks, although the tiny Darth Vader IS pretty nifty....)
-white glue (the cheap stuff is cool)

Roll out some plasticine on a piece of corrugated cardboard, and sink the head about halfway into it. I use the neck plug as the filling spout. Make an enclosed Lego square that surrounds the head, with about a centimeter clearance on either side. Sink the Lego square in enough to get an impression, remembering the neck plug/spout HAS to contact one side. Remove the Lego, trim off the extra plasticine. Glue the Lego square to the cardboard so that it surrounds the plasticine base. Poke some holes in the plasticine with a pen or dowel. These will be the guide pins for the mold halves. Once the glue dries, mix your silicone and pour it into the square. Let completely dry.

When dried, remove the Lego square from the cardboard, remove the plasticine WITHOUT pulling the head out of the hardened silicone. (That part’s tricky, AND important.) Trim any silicone flash from around the head and edges of the mold. Swab on some Vaseline across the silicone and head. Once that’s done, set it down and fill the rest of the Lego box, where the plasticine was. (You might have to build up the Lego box to make it high enough to surround the head with silicone.) Once cured, split the two halves, remove the head, trim any flash and voiola! Mold. (The Vaseline keeps the silicone from sticking to itself.)

When it’s time to fill, coat the inside of the mold with a thin layer of baby powder, and use packing tape to tape the two halves together. Pour in your resin, give it a bit of a tap to remove air bubbles. When it hardens, remove tape, split mold, and ta-dah!

>I also want to make the head kinda "rubbery"....going for the "toy" look/feel.

Smooth-On makes a decent squishy resin, but I can’t remember the name right now! It won’t stick to a silicone mold, so you don’t have to change the process. (Although you might want to sk, to be sure; depending on what materials you’re using for your molds. The Smooth-On stuff doesn’t stick to GI-1000....)

Don C.

[AJ-Paratrooper]

Thanks!

Hmmmm....

I use GI-1000 RTV silicone; but the Smooth-On stuff'll work about the same. For doing molds like I do, you'll also need:

-Vaseline and a small paint brush
-Plasticine (NOT Play-Doh or any other putty that hardens)
-Lego blocks. (Just the regular bricks, although the tiny Darth Vader IS pretty nifty....)
-white glue (the cheap stuff is cool)

Roll out some plasticine on a piece of corrugated cardboard, and sink the head about halfway into it. I use the neck plug as the filling spout. Make an enclosed Lego square that surrounds the head, with about a centimeter clearance on either side. Sink the Lego square in enough to get an impression, remembering the neck plug/spout HAS to contact one side. Remove the Lego, trim off the extra plasticine. Glue the Lego square to the cardboard so that it surrounds the plasticine base. Poke some holes in the plasticine with a pen or dowel. These will be the guide pins for the mold halves. Once the glue dries, mix your silicone and pour it into the square. Let completely dry.

When dried, remove the Lego square from the cardboard, remove the plasticine WITHOUT pulling the head out of the hardened silicone. (That part’s tricky, AND important.) Trim any silicone flash from around the head and edges of the mold. Swab on some Vaseline across the silicone and head. Once that’s done, set it down and fill the rest of the Lego box, where the plasticine was. (You might have to build up the Lego box to make it high enough to surround the head with silicone.) Once cured, split the two halves, remove the head, trim any flash and voiola! Mold. (The Vaseline keeps the silicone from sticking to itself.)

When it’s time to fill, coat the inside of the mold with a thin layer of baby powder, and use packing tape to tape the two halves together. Pour in your resin, give it a bit of a tap to remove air bubbles. When it hardens, remove tape, split mold, and ta-dah!

>I also want to make the head kinda "rubbery"....going for the "toy" look/feel.

Smooth-On makes a decent squishy resin, but I can’t remember the name right now! It won’t stick to a silicone mold, so you don’t have to change the process. (Although you might want to sk, to be sure; depending on what materials you’re using for your molds. The Smooth-On stuff doesn’t stick to GI-1000....)

Don C.

Thanks for the detailed instructions, Don. I'm going to give it a shot. I'll post pictures when I'm done.