Ancient Elder Bio ~ Bio Sculpt, Mold and Cast project.
- Thread starter Uratz
- Start date
Uratz
Sr Member
Started making the mold, Laying the support structures for the clay bed. Boy! I'm exhausted. This mold is huge and heavy and I haven't even done the mother mold yet. No wonder ADi & other FX shops have their own molding department. Will post picts once I pick my self up off the floor. 
Uratz
Sr Member
Update:
Made the mold. Since I don't have HydroCal I had to use normal construction grade plaster powder which dries faster than hydrocal. I had to work fast and results may vary. Don't Forget to spray a clear coat of clear lacquer or Krystal Klear before laying on the plaster. It will help demolding. I always forget and it may be tough to remove the water clay from the plaster later.
Here are the picts. Demolding time could be up to a week. So maybe the end of this Huntorial ?
If all goes well Part 2 will be demolding and silicone pouring. SO pray for the plaster to set properly and the mother mold to take shape.
Could be 1-2 weeks of worktime needed to fully demold, make the silicone mold and then start casting in resin. Check back!
Made the mold. Since I don't have HydroCal I had to use normal construction grade plaster powder which dries faster than hydrocal. I had to work fast and results may vary. Don't Forget to spray a clear coat of clear lacquer or Krystal Klear before laying on the plaster. It will help demolding. I always forget and it may be tough to remove the water clay from the plaster later.
Here are the picts. Demolding time could be up to a week. So maybe the end of this Huntorial ?
If all goes well Part 2 will be demolding and silicone pouring. SO pray for the plaster to set properly and the mother mold to take shape.
Could be 1-2 weeks of worktime needed to fully demold, make the silicone mold and then start casting in resin. Check back!
predamaker
Well-Known Member
cool, wish i new about this technique a couple of month ago
Uratz
Sr Member
Molding To do List:
I just made the mother mold side A for the front part.
- I still need to make mother mold for the bottom Part side B
- Then reverse to top A, demold and clean the wet clay from mother mold and check sculpt to ensure details are ok for molding/ recording
- Then Pour silicone into top mother mold A.
- Reverse process for Side B.
- Now waiting for the Plaster to cure & dry so I can demold this could take some time as said above.....waiting
I just made the mother mold side A for the front part.
- I still need to make mother mold for the bottom Part side B
- Then reverse to top A, demold and clean the wet clay from mother mold and check sculpt to ensure details are ok for molding/ recording
- Then Pour silicone into top mother mold A.
- Reverse process for Side B.
- Now waiting for the Plaster to cure & dry so I can demold this could take some time as said above.....waiting
Sand Scout
New Member
B) Man this is gonna look great
Uratz
Sr Member
With great hopes. I defitnitely need hydrocal. Just hard to find it in China.
PredalienKing
New Member
When plaster casting onto an oil based clay you say to spray with a laquer. does this do anything to the oil based clay, like will the clay still be reuseable?
Uratz
Sr Member
Most likely not. Just the surface anyway maybe scrape away and then re use the rest. Anyway the way the movie industry does it , the cost is accounted for. But for us we try to save our money on clay.
Uratz
Sr Member
Q: Some one ask me about smoothing out a clay surface.
A:
To flatten or even out a surface:
Using rake tools, a triangular wire loop and add thin metal wire to loop around this to form a rake. Can also use dremel to cut grooves into it
Do this to a medium size and small rake.
After you lump on your clay on - no doubt its uneven, using the rake tool to go over the surface in crosshatch pattern
you will see that your surface is not even you keep going over it until your surface is nice and flat/ even.
You can add tiny clumps of clay raked up (if clay is still clean) to add back onto the concaved craters to make it even
keep raking until flat. Use the smaller rake tool to keep raking until evrything looks flat and even.
To smooth out surface by melting oil clay:
Use 75% to 99% alcohol in small cup/ container and dip your fine hair brush in the solution and brush over the surface until nice and smooth.
Alcohol/ turpenoid will only melt oil clay. The stronger the alcohol/solvent the more melting factor. Try on some test clay to practice your brushing/smoothing skills. Try not to smoke or have open flames near by. Avoid using near electrical outlets or power strips.
A:
To flatten or even out a surface:
Using rake tools, a triangular wire loop and add thin metal wire to loop around this to form a rake. Can also use dremel to cut grooves into it
Do this to a medium size and small rake.
After you lump on your clay on - no doubt its uneven, using the rake tool to go over the surface in crosshatch pattern
you will see that your surface is not even you keep going over it until your surface is nice and flat/ even.
You can add tiny clumps of clay raked up (if clay is still clean) to add back onto the concaved craters to make it even
keep raking until flat. Use the smaller rake tool to keep raking until evrything looks flat and even.
To smooth out surface by melting oil clay:
Use 75% to 99% alcohol in small cup/ container and dip your fine hair brush in the solution and brush over the surface until nice and smooth.
Alcohol/ turpenoid will only melt oil clay. The stronger the alcohol/solvent the more melting factor. Try on some test clay to practice your brushing/smoothing skills. Try not to smoke or have open flames near by. Avoid using near electrical outlets or power strips.
Uratz
Sr Member
Q: Where's the hot weather when u need it?
Well You're not the only one who's impatient. I've been checking up on my mother mold and that thing is still cold (not cured yet). Usually its freaking hot by this time of the year and when its hot its good for plaster curing and drying. I can't frakking wait for the hot weather to come. Thats the bad thing about living in Shanghai. It rains so freaking much you'd think you're in Seattle, England and the Amazon forest all together. And usually it rains on the weekend which I hate and have found something to do indoors (sculpting & molding). I've given up on going outside on rainy weekends.
After the plaster dries I can start on the other side and do a clay pour by melting clay in an electric pot. This will be fun!
Well You're not the only one who's impatient. I've been checking up on my mother mold and that thing is still cold (not cured yet). Usually its freaking hot by this time of the year and when its hot its good for plaster curing and drying. I can't frakking wait for the hot weather to come. Thats the bad thing about living in Shanghai. It rains so freaking much you'd think you're in Seattle, England and the Amazon forest all together. And usually it rains on the weekend which I hate and have found something to do indoors (sculpting & molding). I've given up on going outside on rainy weekends.
After the plaster dries I can start on the other side and do a clay pour by melting clay in an electric pot. This will be fun!
Uratz
Sr Member
I'm inspired by the new Iron Man movie and people like TMP making their own costumes. I will be making faceplates only of Mark 1 and later MArk 2 & 3 (which is the same shape different paint jobs).
Since I'm waiting for my Predator Bio plaster mold to dry, this will be a good side project to kill my impatience.
New WIP link: http://www.thehunterslair.com/index.php?showtopic=7652
Since I'm waiting for my Predator Bio plaster mold to dry, this will be a good side project to kill my impatience.
New WIP link: http://www.thehunterslair.com/index.php?showtopic=7652
Uratz
Sr Member
"Get the right materials for the right JOb!"
Yes! I'm back!Its been a week. Can't wait any longer I've demolded the top mold and began making the bottom case mold. I finally got the right kind of molding plaster. Its yellow and it dries very hard. Uses 38:100 ratio water to powder mixing. This stuff is better than the construction grade plaster I've got which will crack and ruin the top mold I've used. Its been a 2 day process and for my aging body I've split the process into day one demold and slaking my paper clay(as an alternative to normal water based clay) for making the bottom simulated clay silicone & Day 2 making the clay bed and plastering which took me 4 hours.
So hopefully the top mold is hard enough to demold next week and we'll see if I have to make another top case mold with the yellow plaster since I fudge up by using the wrong frakin plaster.. doh
Note: This process I'm doing is for making Matrix molds.
This involves making the case mold first by making a simulated silicone mold layer using water based clay and
scultping it with keys and then mold a plaster case mold on top of it. Then demold and remove the wet clay, clean the case mold and then fill in silicone.
Its good for making something huge and complex like a helmet and its produces casts more accurately with less warping and distortion.
This process allows you to make precise silicone molds with no waste and you know how thick your silicone is. The case mold will also provide a stable handling of the entire mold while casting/ pouring.
I know, its more trouble but its defitnitely worth the results in the end. I could jsut brush on the silicone until a certain thickness then make a case mold but i wouldn't be getting a nice silicone mold that has precise keys and precise thickness.
Picts:
Yes! I'm back!Its been a week. Can't wait any longer I've demolded the top mold and began making the bottom case mold. I finally got the right kind of molding plaster. Its yellow and it dries very hard. Uses 38:100 ratio water to powder mixing. This stuff is better than the construction grade plaster I've got which will crack and ruin the top mold I've used. Its been a 2 day process and for my aging body I've split the process into day one demold and slaking my paper clay(as an alternative to normal water based clay) for making the bottom simulated clay silicone & Day 2 making the clay bed and plastering which took me 4 hours.
So hopefully the top mold is hard enough to demold next week and we'll see if I have to make another top case mold with the yellow plaster since I fudge up by using the wrong frakin plaster.. doh
Note: This process I'm doing is for making Matrix molds.
This involves making the case mold first by making a simulated silicone mold layer using water based clay and
scultping it with keys and then mold a plaster case mold on top of it. Then demold and remove the wet clay, clean the case mold and then fill in silicone.
Its good for making something huge and complex like a helmet and its produces casts more accurately with less warping and distortion.
This process allows you to make precise silicone molds with no waste and you know how thick your silicone is. The case mold will also provide a stable handling of the entire mold while casting/ pouring.
I know, its more trouble but its defitnitely worth the results in the end. I could jsut brush on the silicone until a certain thickness then make a case mold but i wouldn't be getting a nice silicone mold that has precise keys and precise thickness.
Picts:
YAUJA WARRIOR
New Member
wooooooooooow NICE!!!! will the bio b outta resin???
Uratz
Sr Member
Yup. I'm afraid I have to redo the top case mold again. There was jsut too many mistakes like forgetting to spray a coat of lacquer on the wet clay and use the right type of molding plaster which is finer than the construction grade. When the plaster powder is finer, the particles will bond to each other tighter and stronger therefore less cracking & more strength. This will cost me another 2 days of demolding/ making the clay bed and re doing the plaster. But this time I'll know what to do.
The good thing about my mistake is forgetting to spray the lacquer on the wet clay, since its paper clay i can reuse it so I'll have to soak it overnight and then next day the ardous task of remaking the clay bed again.
Well practice makes perfect
Uratz
Sr Member
Yeah man, Thanks Bovine Brother! I spend like half a day looking for those pics. If it weren't for the pics I wouldn't even bother taking on the sculpt.
Peace
