Can I apply fiberglass & resin directly to an oil clay sculpture?

Hoverboots

I'd like to start building masks, but I'm unsure of where to start. I've completed a rough sculpt of Phantom Ganon from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and that's about as far as I've gotten. I work in a costume shop, and I ordered some extra firm oil clay from Kryolan. Are there any other sculpting mediums you would recommend?




Also, I intend to use these masks for playing airsoft in, as I am an avid airsofter. Is fiberglass the best way to go? I picked it for its durability, and have never really worked with it extensively before.

Another question, what would be the best thing to use to cover the eyeholes? My current airsoft mask uses a sheet of metal with holes punched in it, not really mesh, but with holes just small enough so 6mm bbs won't get in. I've seen others with clear plastic lenses, but they tend to fog up, and I have no idea how to shape them, or what they're even made out of.

I've seen some amazing work on here, and I'd greatly appreciate any input you can give me.

steveo

I'm not sure if it can be done, but you won't get the detail you've sculpted since you'd be layering the FG on top.

Hoverboots

Yeah, I figured as much about the detail. What route should i take in order to get that detail and still retain durability?

Contec

You use plaster strips over your sculpt to make a negative mold of your mask. Then you use fiberglass inside that mold, thus making you have the same details and still being made from fiberglass.

Hoverboots

any kind of fiberglass you'd recommend using? I have the rough strips and the thick woven fabric.

XtcofPain

Hey man if your looking to make a hard fiberglass mask you will need some gelcoat and some normal resin. You can make some gelcoat yourself if you mix powder with the resin. You paint in the gelcoat first and when it starts getting tacky you then apply your normal resin backed with fiberglass matting or fibercore. Remember to use a good release agent or your fiberglass will stick to the plaster as well.

Hoverboots

Are there any products you'd recommend? I'm like, total prop virgin over here.

stapleton13

You can brush several layers of liquid latex over your sculpt. This usually takes some time, because you have to let each layer dry before you apply another layer. Then put the plaster over the latex. After that is dry you can remove the plaster, and latex. Then place the latex back into the plaster. I have used fiberglass in latex several times. You can usually get a few good casts before the latex gets too bad to work with. It works good for large items that need detail, without the big price tag.

Contec

Here is a tutorial..YouTube - How to make a custom airsoft mask

piehead

the way i would do this and ive done them before is to make a silicone mould by brushing on a detail layer of silicone then a thickened couple of layers to get to about 10 mm thick. i would then back this with either a plaster or fibreglass jacket. a latex mould will shrink up to 10 percent and will not last for multiple fibreglass copies as the styrene in the resin will attack it. once the mould is made i would brush in a detail coat of gel coat to approx 2mm thick. when that turns rubbery laminate 2 layers of fibreglass matt and 1 layer of fibreglass tissue / surface coat. for the mesh lenses look at the mesh used to patch holes in car bodywork from the auto store. that should do you. a good general moulding silicone would be platsil spray 25 or 70/25 from polytek or do a google for brick in the yard in the states or mouldlife in the uk. has a good cure time and both excellent for this type of work.

piehead

by the way for a great sculpting medium check out the chavant range of oil based clays. pretty much industry standard.

steveo

also get yourself a good air ventilation mask before you start using fiberglass. That stuff is toxic.

clonesix

Nice sculpt. It looks like water clay to me. Water and (polyester) resin DO NOT mix well!

If I understand the problem correctly, you want to reproduce this mask in fiberglass for use as a paintball mask?

As mentioned above, you must make a negative mold of the sculpt first, and then laminate fibergall into it. Depending on how many masks you want to make, will determine the type of mold that you need to make.

You can make a plaster mold of the sculpt, but only get one mask out of it, and the sculpt will be destroyed.

you can make a (more expensive) silicone mold, and produce several fiberglass copies, and the sculpt will be destroyed.

Making the fiberglass mask is another can-o-worms, as you really don't want a smelly bag of needles strapped to your face. (for safety concerns)


you tube has several videos on molding and fiberglass. it is a great place to start.


the materials are not cheap, expect this to cost $30 - $100

piehead

smelly bag of needles.... yup you are correct but thats what the fibreglass tissue is for it works as a surface coat that gives a nice smooth finish. also let the fibreglass sit for a week before wearing this gives all the excess styrene time of release. an easier less smelly alternative would be to use fast cast in the mould. again paint a detail layer in then add thickened fast cast. i like polyfibre to thicken. you can just butter that in then before it finaly cures just use a brush and a bit of acetone to smoth the inside. easyflo 120 is great for that. cures very fast, low odour and strong.

bwayne64

I would personally make the negative mold with either epoxy glass, or polyester glass. Then make the copies from epoxy glass. Less fumes to worry about after curing. I'd make the mold about 1/4 to 3/8 an inch thick, if you plan to pull a lot of masks. Polyester molds are much cheaper than epoxy, so I'd use that for the mold. You could also vac form the masks with ABS plastic. But you'd probably have to build the teeth separately, if you want to retain the detail there. Great sculpt by the way, Cheers,


Joe

clonesix

From what I can see, there are too many undercuts to make a hard tool. (fiberglass mold) If you want to pull a fiberglass part, You will need a soft tool (rubber matrix mold)

Once again, it will depend on your budget, as silicone RTV is $100/gallon. You will need about a quart for something this size.

I agree with using epoxy resin over polyester. It is not as easy to use, as it is thicker, and also more expensive.

Hoverboots

wow, you've all been a great help,... I'll post back with updates when I can! Thanks a million!