Black Panther cowl
- Thread starter KJC
- Start date
Lord Magneto
Sr Member
Dude looking great.
Would also love to see your molding process for this. Seriously have me thinking about picking up some WED clay
Would also love to see your molding process for this. Seriously have me thinking about picking up some WED clay
Alpha Proto
Sr Member
That image gives a great idea of what this will look like when it is cast!
KJC
Active Member
I'm hoping casts are a little less glossy. That much shine obscures some of the details, specifically in the brow and scowl wrinkles.
RiggsMcClane
Well-Known Member
Looks great!
KJC
Active Member
Molding step-by-step(ish)
I used Smooth-on Rebound 25 for a one part brush on "glove" mold.
This is the first thinned layer, the "print coat".
After the print coat, I did one layer of normal silicone (not thinned nor thickened). Then I did a couple layers of silicone thickened with Thi-vex, an additive for silicone for brush on purposes.
After a few layers I added registration keys.
The registration keys were cut from a junk mold I made for another project. Never throw away silicone. It can be used for registration keys or cut up to fill large block molds.
After adding the keys, I did a non-thickened layer over them to lock them on, then another thickened layer to smooth out the mold, and a final non-thickened layer to do my best to smooth down any rough uneven spots to prevent issues with the mother mold locking on to something.
Once the silicone was all on, I had to let it cure. It should be left overnight. I actually didn't get to making the mother mold until a few days later.
When starting on the mother mold, first I had to create the parting shim and brackets for assembling and screwing together the mold. First I set the molded sculpt on its back and roughly traced the widest part where the parting line would be.
I cut this out and placed it on around the silicone to check fit. It was good enough so I cut another template out of foam board.
After double checking the fit with the more rigid foam mock-up, I cut two copies out of wood. After cutting them out, I used a Dremel to grind down the pieces that could not be cut with the saw and to make the two pieces line up perfectly. Then I drilled holes through and fastened them together with bolts.
(I didn't take many pictures of the middle of this part)
I mounted the wooden brackets to the silicone mold with clay and hot glue to fill any gaps so the mother mold material would not adhere to itself. Then I went on to adding the Plasti-paste II mother mold.
One layer was not enough, so I mixed up more and added it on top of the first layer while it was still curing. The second layer seemed to cover everything and make the mother mold thick enough for my liking. I left the mother mold to cure overnight.
I had a bit of trouble getting the mother mold off, but probably no more than anyone else usually does. Also of note, I used a chisel to pry the mother mold away from the silicone. This turned out to be a bad idea as I sliced in to the silicone in a few places and cut all the way through in a couple. I patched these up with more silicone and had to let it sit overnight again to cure.
The next day I finally got to demold my piece and check the inside of the mold. The mold looked good and I didn't see any places that looked like there were any bubbles, but the patch job on the silicone did not go all the way through to the inside. There were no holes, but there was a small slice in one place. Hopefully this will only create a minor flashing which will be easy to clean up. Other than that, I was able to get the silicone off in one piece without cutting any seams, so there will be no seam lines to clean up on the finished cowls. I reassembled the mother mold on to the silicone and lined up all the registration keys. Since I am casting a flexible rubber rather than than rigid resin, I may not have to remove the mother mold to get the castings out and would be able to just leave the mold assembled permanently.
Here is the assembled mold ready for castings.
I have my first casting curing now and will have it pulled out in a few hours.
I used Smooth-on Rebound 25 for a one part brush on "glove" mold.
This is the first thinned layer, the "print coat".
After the print coat, I did one layer of normal silicone (not thinned nor thickened). Then I did a couple layers of silicone thickened with Thi-vex, an additive for silicone for brush on purposes.
After a few layers I added registration keys.
The registration keys were cut from a junk mold I made for another project. Never throw away silicone. It can be used for registration keys or cut up to fill large block molds.
After adding the keys, I did a non-thickened layer over them to lock them on, then another thickened layer to smooth out the mold, and a final non-thickened layer to do my best to smooth down any rough uneven spots to prevent issues with the mother mold locking on to something.
Once the silicone was all on, I had to let it cure. It should be left overnight. I actually didn't get to making the mother mold until a few days later.
When starting on the mother mold, first I had to create the parting shim and brackets for assembling and screwing together the mold. First I set the molded sculpt on its back and roughly traced the widest part where the parting line would be.
I cut this out and placed it on around the silicone to check fit. It was good enough so I cut another template out of foam board.
After double checking the fit with the more rigid foam mock-up, I cut two copies out of wood. After cutting them out, I used a Dremel to grind down the pieces that could not be cut with the saw and to make the two pieces line up perfectly. Then I drilled holes through and fastened them together with bolts.
(I didn't take many pictures of the middle of this part)
I mounted the wooden brackets to the silicone mold with clay and hot glue to fill any gaps so the mother mold material would not adhere to itself. Then I went on to adding the Plasti-paste II mother mold.
One layer was not enough, so I mixed up more and added it on top of the first layer while it was still curing. The second layer seemed to cover everything and make the mother mold thick enough for my liking. I left the mother mold to cure overnight.
I had a bit of trouble getting the mother mold off, but probably no more than anyone else usually does. Also of note, I used a chisel to pry the mother mold away from the silicone. This turned out to be a bad idea as I sliced in to the silicone in a few places and cut all the way through in a couple. I patched these up with more silicone and had to let it sit overnight again to cure.
The next day I finally got to demold my piece and check the inside of the mold. The mold looked good and I didn't see any places that looked like there were any bubbles, but the patch job on the silicone did not go all the way through to the inside. There were no holes, but there was a small slice in one place. Hopefully this will only create a minor flashing which will be easy to clean up. Other than that, I was able to get the silicone off in one piece without cutting any seams, so there will be no seam lines to clean up on the finished cowls. I reassembled the mother mold on to the silicone and lined up all the registration keys. Since I am casting a flexible rubber rather than than rigid resin, I may not have to remove the mother mold to get the castings out and would be able to just leave the mold assembled permanently.
Here is the assembled mold ready for castings.
I have my first casting curing now and will have it pulled out in a few hours.
Last edited:
Similar threads
