Black Cat Army
New Member
Greetings all! Long time lurker, first time thread maker.
I've been cosplaying Batman for 10 years now, and my batsuit is finally biting the bullet. So I decided to attempt to sculpt my own. I didn't have a design in particular, I kinda just started sculpting and this is how it ended up, for better or worse. I'm familiar with the sculpting/molding/casting process, however I have never attempted to mold something this big before, and could really use the advice of some of you seasoned vets who have done body suits before. In full disclosure, I'm very much a novice at the whole affair, and my last large sculpt (a cowl) ended up destroyed during the molding process, taking the mold with it. I'm finishing up the sculpt now, and looking ahead raises some questions. The mold will be normal Ultra-cal 30 w/ burlap, and the suit will be Monster Makers latex. I'm thinking it should be two 2-part molds, a top and bottom, then I'll sew it on a wetsuit like I did with my last suit.
The thing that worries me is I imagine it will be hella heavy in Ultra cal, so I was thinking of using dowels in the mold to hold its shape? But then I started to worry the dowels would make it too rigid and possibly make it more prone to cracking. Also, I've never used Monster Makers latex, and while I hear its great, I'm still worried that if there is a significant amount of shrinkage the lines of the two final pieces wont mate up perfectly. I imagine it will still be concealed by the belt, but It's still a concern. I wouldn't be apposed to trying to make it one big mold if it alleviated seaming issues. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! (put some pics with some pieces on so you can see where the seam would be)
I've been cosplaying Batman for 10 years now, and my batsuit is finally biting the bullet. So I decided to attempt to sculpt my own. I didn't have a design in particular, I kinda just started sculpting and this is how it ended up, for better or worse. I'm familiar with the sculpting/molding/casting process, however I have never attempted to mold something this big before, and could really use the advice of some of you seasoned vets who have done body suits before. In full disclosure, I'm very much a novice at the whole affair, and my last large sculpt (a cowl) ended up destroyed during the molding process, taking the mold with it. I'm finishing up the sculpt now, and looking ahead raises some questions. The mold will be normal Ultra-cal 30 w/ burlap, and the suit will be Monster Makers latex. I'm thinking it should be two 2-part molds, a top and bottom, then I'll sew it on a wetsuit like I did with my last suit.
The thing that worries me is I imagine it will be hella heavy in Ultra cal, so I was thinking of using dowels in the mold to hold its shape? But then I started to worry the dowels would make it too rigid and possibly make it more prone to cracking. Also, I've never used Monster Makers latex, and while I hear its great, I'm still worried that if there is a significant amount of shrinkage the lines of the two final pieces wont mate up perfectly. I imagine it will still be concealed by the belt, but It's still a concern. I wouldn't be apposed to trying to make it one big mold if it alleviated seaming issues. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! (put some pics with some pieces on so you can see where the seam would be)
