Advice on sculpting?

[timb]

Thansk, this was actually a relatively quick back-up sculpt. I still have the original head I need to make a mold of. Anyone know the answer to the shiney resin question?

[Fire Marshal Bill]

Nice job! Maybe a few coats of Mod Podge Gloss sealer to get the shiny look you want?

Here's Mod Podge Gloss on my Creature from the Black Lagoon:

[timb]

Wow, that is beautiful Bill: )

[Fire Marshal Bill]

Thanks timb. I can only take credit for the paints, sewing and assembly on him though. I got him as a kit from mikeoz .

[timb]

I just got done pouring the mold for the second sculpt I did, it was the better of the two. Fingers crossed.

[livnxxxl]

Sounds like your getting the hang of it pretty fast Tim.

[timb]

Checked the 2nd mold this morning, I think it turned out good. Messy, messy process this is. I will cast a couple heads tonight and let you guys know how they turned out: )

[timb]

Alright, couple questions for you guys?
I made a bunch of heads last night and none of them turned out great. Oh well, I'm learning.
1. What mold and resin brand/type do you recommend?
2. How do you avoid nasty air bubbles?
3. IS the Captain Dunsel tutorial the best way to make and pour the mold? I seemed to use a ton of mold compound making that.
4. I'm wondering if a different brand would work better with the undercuts in my sculpt.

[CrimsonGhost]

I like Smooth-On products, so I use OOMOO for molds and sometimes MoldStar 15, but usually OOMOO25 because it cures in about 90 minutes and that helps when you have a deadline. I use Smooth-Cast 305 resin, as it is pure white (good for tinting) and has a longer cure time of 30 min. I like that because I can pour slowly and even poke around inside the poured cast to get rid of trapped air bubbles. I don't have a pressure casting system, so that helps.

When I pour my resin, I fill the mold, then pour the resin back out of the the mold into my cup. Now my mold has been coated with a layer of resin and I roll that around and tap it in an attempt to get rid of bubbles. Then I very slowly pour the resin back in at an angle so the face part of the mold is angled down. That helps get rid of bubbles in the nose and chin areas.

As far as undercuts go, another thing I do when preparing a sculpt to be molded is to mix a small batch of mold rubber and paint it on to the sculpt with a q-tip to make sure it gets into all of the cracks and crevices and nooks and crannies with no bubbles. Once that sets, or even before it sets, I set the rest of it up and pour my final mold. The only thing silicone sticks to is silicone and I've never had a problem with the two parts coming apart when I didn't want them to.

Keep trying! It took me forever to get a decent cast and I realize now that the problem was the products I was using as well as my technique.

[samurainoir]

3. IS the Captain Dunsel tutorial the best way to make and pour the mold? I seemed to use a ton of mold compound making that.

I've seen molds for heads that seem to be made in the Captain Dunsel manner, using tiny little dixie cups rather than a full sized plastic cup. Apparently as long as the cup can accommodate the head, you should be good.

[ctc]

>1. What mold and resin brand/type do you recommend?

I use GI-1000 RTV silicone for the molds, and EasyFlo 60 for the parts

>2. How do you avoid nasty air bubbles?

I coat the inside of the mold with a thin layer of talcum powder. It helps with the small surface bubbles. I also found a weird motorized pen; you turn it on and it whirrs around like a Spirograph.... that works pretty good for shaking air out of the mold once poured. I rub it along the outside.

Don C.

[timb]

Here's some pics of the 2nd head I did. Messed up on the seam. I ordered new mold material, so hopefully it will help with the air bubbles next time around...

[jimsmegos]

Very nice work Tim!

[jessica]

Very nice work!

The vaseline I mentioned earlier is to keep silicone from sticking to silicone, if you have a two part mold you want to make sure will separate after casting.

Not only is the molding/casting messy, it's also expensive, which is why I don't really like to do it. It's a necessary evil I guess.

[livnxxxl]

Seam or no seam air bubbles or not Tim that sculpt still rocks man!