What does everyone use for Mask Making?

I posted this in the Replica Costume forum as well...

Hey everyone,

I'm still new here and I'm trying to pick up some tips and tricks so I can finally start making the Masks I've always wanted to make! As a huge comic book fan (mainly Batman) and as someone who owns an independent Horror Movie studio, I'm really ready to start making my own props. My questions to all of you super talented sculptors are:


What is a list of materials that I MUST have and where to get them at a good price?

What materials do you like the best?

Any good books or videos?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure this question has come up here before so I'm sorry if I'm just creating another thread on a similar topic!

Thank you!

I will try to make this short, but i may fail.

The general rule of molding, which can be altered if needed, but only once you personally have done the basics is, a hard mold, for a soft cast, soft mold with an outer shell for a soft cast.

Masks, need to be built off of a form, you can use a full head lifecast or buy a head form from monstermakes. Sculpts can be done in many different clay mediums, but in my experience, chivant clay for high detail, wed clay for FAST sculpts, slightly less detail, if you let it dry more you can get high detail, but you need to personally learn the proper dryness to do so, or it may crack. I personally prefer fiberglass molds over stone molds for masks, simply because of the weight, and that fact that you can come back later and finish what you where working on. The process for fiber glass molds is 2 splash coats of fiberglass resin mix with "bondo" 50/50, which catches all of the detail, then fill all of the areas that may be a pain to "glass" with "mud" which is fiberglass resin mixed with cabosil, there is a smooth-on thinckener that is made from plastic that will thicken as well. Cabosil is very cancer causing if inhaled, so if you are worried you can use the alternative from smooth-on, but to be honest it doesn't do as good of a job. You want the "mud" to be thickened to the point of cake frosting. After the mud is applied, before it is dry, you class the entire thing. 3 layers for the surface, 6 layers on the seams. make sure to vasoline the seams before doing another piece of the mold because you will never open it if you don't. Seams can be made with either clay walls, or aluminum roof sheething, sealed with reflective tape.

I will post more if you request anymore information

Thank you so much! I've been wanting to make my own masks for years and this is VERY helpful information! Where do you normally buy your supplies? All from MonsterMakers.com?

Fiber glass and "bondo- lightweight body filler", 1" chip brushes, vasoline, acetone (for cleaning brushes) and crystal clear spray (what you seal the sculpture with before molding, 2-5 coats). can be bought at any walmart, lowes or home depot. If you are anywhere near a "smooth on" outlet grab some deli cups, since catalyzed resin will melt through most plastics. The fiber material for fiberglass is extremely expensive if you buy it from lowes or walmart. If you are anywhere near a harbor, or marina, there should be a "marine supply" store, and they have reels of matte. i'm still working off the same 2 yards i bought for 6 bucks 3 months ago, and i've done 1 full mold, 2 mother mothers, a head form, a full head life cast, and 2 darth revan helmets, and i still have plenty left.

look up polytek online for the foam to fill the latex, its basically idiot proof, and i've never had any collapsing issues like i have with monster makers foam.

Liquid Casting/Mold Shell Plastics & Foams :: Polyurethane Foams :: Flexible Polyurethane Foams :: PolyFoam F-3 - Polytek Development Corp.-Polyurethane & silicone mold materials and casting plastics for making rubber molds to cast concrete, plaster, f-3 is the foam you want. and you MUST use a scale.

The latex is really the only thing you need to buy from monster makers.

RD-407 Mask Making Latex - Quarts and Gallons - Latex Compounds - Casting Compounds - Flexible - CASTING AND PAINTING - The Monster Makers

you need between 8-12 stippled in layers of latex for a foam filled bust. For a mask, 15-20.

You can foam fill a mask to make it much more form fitting, but you need to use the head form as a core, and key it in such a way that it locks into the mold. When you do this you MUST latex each peice of the mold separely and seam them together with thickened latex. Then fill the void with foam. MOST IMPORTANT THING! Cooking spray or vasoline the ENTIRE head form, since foam will stick to the head form, and you will end up with a really fancy headform perminently wearing a mask.

OH and at the smooth on outlet get ura-fill i think its called, its the safe alternative to cabosil the thickening agent for latex and fiberglass resin.

Thanks for all your help! I really appreciate it!

nightbatstudios said:

---

I posted this in the Replica Costume forum as well...

Which is totally frowned upon here at the RPF, since that is seen as cross posting. Doing this will only unnecessarily scatter information.

I have a question:
When using a head form inside a mold, do you have any pictures of how to key the mold to the head? It's the one thing I have not seen and is a little unclear. In fact in my makeup and mask book it's not shown! Thanks.

DaddyfromNaboo said:

---

Which is totally frowned upon here at the RPF, since that is seen as cross posting. Doing this will only unnecessarily scatter information.

Well I didn't know where to post since I'm new here but now I know so thanks for the information...