Fixing A Seam / Filling Holes In Latex?

[tehfailsafe]

Wondering what's the best method for fixing up a seam? I am assuming a dremel tool with a very soft tip, clean up the area and then fill in holes with extra latex.

I got a bit over zealous with the dremel and put a bit too much extra latex to help "smooth out" the seam. Now much of the texture in the area is lost from the latex filling in the wrinkles etc. Is there any way to "sculpt" back in some detail? I tried waiting for it to cure a bit but not all the way and using a sculpting tool, but it pulls out little beads of latex balls that I don't think I'll be able to get rid of. Also the semi-dried latex doesn't seem to stick too well to the original latex, when I pick at one of those balls it starts to peel away more than the ball like when it dries on the desk or brush, just peels right off. Will it solidify to the original mask a bit more after 12 hours or so?

This is my first time playing with any of this stuff, so hopefully I don't ruin the mask.

 

[seahunterr]

Yes, let the latex cure a bit longer, depending on your climate maybe a few days, but it will usually assimilate to the existing latex. When it cures, you can carefully dremel in some detail. If it comes up, try reapplying the latex, let cure a few days or more, then try again. Once you get the base coat and start painting, most of this will not be noticeable. Try using the cotton tip dremel attachement, and a bit of acetone sometimes helps. If you still have problems contact me and I will give you some other options, no problems.

 

[ptgreek]

here's my tutorial on how to professionally seam and fill latex

http://www.thehunterslair.com/topic/23768-how-to-seam-and-fill-latex/page__hl__seam__fromsearch__1

 

[seahunterr]

pt greeks tutorial is the best! this will give you a better option and outcome

 

[Darth Pinhead]

Here's another sort of tutorial on seam repair that I put together to go along with George's.

http://s1108.photobucket.com/albums/h416/darthpinhead/Predator/Seam%20Reinforcement/

I purposefully cut apart a few of my hands to fiddily with them, going with some suggestions from George. If you have liquid latex, simply paint 4-6 layers on a mirror or glass table. I cut up a cheap sponge and sponge on each layer to create a nice even layer. Hit each layer with a heat gun, hair dryer, or heater fan to speed drying. After last layer is dry, powder it before peeling from table. I let it hang dry and cure for a couple days to allow the shrinking to take place (Not sure if this is needed, but I do it). Then, I use Dawn to wash the plastic sheet of patch to remove the powder. After that I blot dry with paper towels and hang dry it until completely dry. Make sure whatever you are patching is clean as well. After it is dry, I cut 1/2" wide strips to work as seam patches and glue them on the inside of the seam (After the seam has been glued together via butt-joint, as shown in the photos). From there, just check out the photos. After it is glued and patched, George's Cabopatch method works wonders. Hope that helps!

 

[tehfailsafe]

Sweet, thanks George. I saw that post a while back but didn't need it at the time so completely forgot about it... Thanks!

Does it dry hard or flexible? I'm guessing it's rigid being ground up fiberglass as you say... Or does the prosaide give it flex? Would it work for patching a large-ish bubble hole from the cast?

 

[tehfailsafe]

Also, fantastic idea on the strips... Wonder if it's worth pre-making a few sheets for future use since the cure time is a few days, might be nice to just have some latex strips on hand when needed. Will it have any problems over time sitting in a garage?

 

[Darth Pinhead]

Does it dry hard or flexible? I'm guessing it's rigid being ground up fiberglass as you say... Or does the prosaide give it flex? Would it work for patching a large-ish bubble hole from the cast?

Prosaide is a medical adhesive, glue. The cabosil gives the glue body. When dry, talc it because it will be tacky, but it remains flexible like the original latex. Make sense?

As for storage, I would store sheets of it folded up, powdered, in a zip lock sandwich bag in a closet or drawer in an air-conditioned house or with your other props. I'm not one for storing anything latex in anything outside of air conditioning.

 

[tehfailsafe]

Great, I'll give that a try tonight. Thanks!

 

[tehfailsafe]

That worked quite well, but I was unable to sculpt into it. It seemed too thin and just kind of smooshed around. Maybe I didn't put enough cabosil in the mix? And holy crap that stuff is messy... Glad I did it outside with a respirator!

 

[Darth Pinhead]

Uh, yeah, that's silica, a carcinogen. ALWAYS wear a mask. Was it like icing? Take a hairdryer to it and speed-cure it to get it to a firmer state...