need help casting whole head!!!

R

rebelrevolt

New Member
hi everyone!!! im new to the RPF.Im trying to cast my face to have a base foundation to sculpt a mask on top of. I have no idea how to use most of this stuff , ive seen a lot of videos on you tube and such but if anyone has any suggestions on what would be the easiest and cheapest way to cast my face. a whole head cast. ive heard a lot of people say alginate and ive heard people just use bandages dipped in plster..... also when I start sculpting my mask im going to be working with Monster Clay ... idk if that would have a bad reaction to any of these products . please any info or insight would help me out tons! :ninja
 
You can get away with just plaster bandages with just the face, (when detail isn't important) but there are more undercuts involved with the whole head, so it's worth it to just do it the right way and use alginate, followed by plaster bandages.
 
awesome! thank you!! ive heard alginate is only good for about an hour after its set so I have to work quick with the bandages and plaster, is this true?
 
Alginate is also good for one pull (though I've heard myths of people getting two) so try not to mess up too bad. ;)

From experience, I've always had difficulty getting molds by myself, especially of my whole head. If you can, get one other person in to help you.
 
awesome thanks for the help you guys ! much appreciated ! ill try and post pictures. anyone know if Monster Clay reacts weird to plastics or metal tools ?
 
I've never worked with Monster Clay myself but I hear it's probably the best thing out there to sculpt with. The only problem I've ever heard with MC is that, since it softens with heat, it'll get soft even under the heat of your hands. Again, I've never worked with the stuff and can only go buy what others have said about it.
 
Last edited:
Plastic or metal tools work great with monster clay. There's not really anything out there that will have a negative effect on the clay. But if you're going to be using silicone to make a mold from your monster clay later on, there are some things to avoid using.
 
pitchforknumb said:
Plastic or metal tools work great with monster clay. There's not really anything out there that will have a negative effect on the clay. But if you're going to be using silicone to make a mold from your monster clay later on, there are some things to avoid using.
Click to expand...

Oh? You can't use silicone on Monster Clay?
 
No, you can definitely use silicone on MC. I was just saying be careful what kind of chemicals you put on it, for smoothing, or anything like that, as those chemicals can inhibit curing of platinum silicone.
 
Lighter fluid is fine. Platinum silicone is pretty finicky, so no matter what you use, you should seal it really well. Tinsil is much more forgiving when it comes to other chemicals.
 
I used to use alginate, but now I'm using SmoothOn Body Double Silk. You can get more than one pull from it. It's a platinum-cure silicone, so you'll need to use a release spray if you want to cast another plat-sil in it.

Here's a photo of a resin cast of my son's head. It was pretty amazing how detailed it got. I covered his head with aluminum foil as a "bald cap."

It's more expensive than alginate, but the benefits of re-use can outweigh the other pretty fast. matthew.jpg
 
Last edited:
Nice headcast! I would suggest making the cast to include the shoulders as well, so the eventual sculpt can create a mask that can go under a shirt collar if need be.
 
I hate to hijack a thread but maybe I can get some help here with my silicone troubles. I used Rebound 25 for the most part when I make molds, the trouble that I always have are undercuts, It's not so bad when I'm molding something laying down but when it's a vertical object, brushing it into crevices aren't ridding me of air bubbles. Even when I use thickener to brush it in, I'm still getting pocket in the silicone. I've not got a degassing chamber and would love to hear some pointers on the subject.

It'd save me a lot of trouble and putty work.:p
 
If you're going to stick with Rebound, I would put the silicone on in sections, and try to orient each section to make it so gravity is pulling the silicone down onto the object. I've heard of people using compressed air to help get the silicone into all of the nooks and crannies, but I've never tried it myself. Always just try to get a very thin layer down on the first pass to make sure you're getting into everything.
 
This thread is more than 9 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.

Similar threads

A
Casting custom gloves for those with disabilities
Replies
5
Views
310
JRFerreri
JRFerreri
NitramS
Help Identifying Xenomorph Warrior Head
Replies
6
Views
859
NitramS
NitramS
P
Mask casting advice
Replies
3
Views
473
udog
udog
Antonis13
HELP. I need suggestions of how to make an armature.
Replies
2
Views
508
Antonis13
Antonis13
UncleSi
Wrong silicone for head cast
Replies
4
Views
566
UncleSi
UncleSi
Back
Top