So my wife and I are expecting our 1st child any day now. She wanted a belly casting, but I was unsure of how we'd display it. Since I've been wanting to do a HIC for quite some time, I figured I'd combine the projects.
For about $30 in wood, I built the frame with 1x6 and 1x8 boards.
Using alginate from Smooth-On, I did 4 separate castings: Belly, Face, and each hand.
Because I had already ordered the Alja-Safe, I found out later that I couldn't cast the belly in resin, and ended up using hydrostone backed with fiberglass mat.
The next steps will be:
1. throwing a laser line on the belly to mark a level line, then trimming it down with a dremel.
2. Smoothing out the belly and chest (the mother molds and alginate didn't match up properly, resulting in a lumpy belly).
3. Sculpting legs. **I'll most likely do this with foam, then cover with PVC glue and resin.
4. I'm going to put on a shirt and pants (as seen in Darth Chromer's build)
Questions:
1. What should I use for additional sculpting materials to build up the head? I'd rather not have to resort to Apoxy. It gets quite expensive.
2. Will I need to varnish the wood to ensure that there will be no wood grain showing through?
3. Any thoughts on securing the castings to the case?
For about $30 in wood, I built the frame with 1x6 and 1x8 boards.
Using alginate from Smooth-On, I did 4 separate castings: Belly, Face, and each hand.
Because I had already ordered the Alja-Safe, I found out later that I couldn't cast the belly in resin, and ended up using hydrostone backed with fiberglass mat.
The next steps will be:
1. throwing a laser line on the belly to mark a level line, then trimming it down with a dremel.
2. Smoothing out the belly and chest (the mother molds and alginate didn't match up properly, resulting in a lumpy belly).
3. Sculpting legs. **I'll most likely do this with foam, then cover with PVC glue and resin.
4. I'm going to put on a shirt and pants (as seen in Darth Chromer's build)
Questions:
1. What should I use for additional sculpting materials to build up the head? I'd rather not have to resort to Apoxy. It gets quite expensive.
2. Will I need to varnish the wood to ensure that there will be no wood grain showing through?
3. Any thoughts on securing the castings to the case?
