Latex casting (Someone please help me with this S***)

[Predatoj]

What's the best way to cast latex in a closed mold? Should I build up the layers with a brush or should I do the dwelling method of filling up the mold and slushing it around? The way I've always done it is to paint a beauty coat of latex and build the coats from there. I understand that plaster molds draw out the moisture effectively leaving a skin behind. The issue is, if I paint on a beauty coat first am I not creating a barrier that stops the plaster drawing out the moisture? I'm trying to ascertain the quickest route as latex takes an age to cure.

I wish they would develop a catalyst for liquid latex. It takes too long.

 

[predator666]

What I do is beauty coat, then do a slush coat of latex just so it builds up... After that fill up the mold. With masks I tend to leave for 4 hours, then empty, leave it to drain and leave to cure. Usually takes a week over here with weather but mold will have nice even thickness

 

[Predatoj]

So, I did a test pull last week to clean out the mold and check the quality of the mold. So far so good. When I applied the beauty coat I noticed that when the latex began to cure a portion of it lifted away from the mold at the brow and forehead region, obviously due to the shrinking process. I didn't think anything of it but when I pulled it from the mold I noticed that it was deformed at the brow. I've included a profile of the latex pull and a profile of the sculpt.

To my dismay on my first attempt at a proper cast, the same thing has happened again! So I know it will come out warped, I want a cast of how I sculpted it not an approximation due to crappy latex shrinkage. How can I prevent it from doing this??? So far I've wasted £50 on latex and foam.

 

[Predatoj]

Yea, I know latex shrinks. But I don't want it to lift away from the mold so it warps before I've had chance to build the layers properly. No one else complains of this so I'm doing something wrong. I think I just need to apply one thick layer rather than thin coats.

 

[Arktic]

Hey, I can't help with the latex question, but I might be interested in buying one of your failed copies to use as a half-mask, as Wreav suggests.

PM me if you're keen to do a deal! Cheers

 

[MikaPred2]

Spoke with a friend of mine and he suggested a slightly thicker beauty coat. Just in the areas you notice the shrinkage. Hope that helps!

 

[MastersPred]

I had the same problem with my first pull learned from it and my next came out great just poured a bunch in made sure that it spread around all over and it came out great. Yea there was some imperfections such as like 3-4 of the the mini horns around my elders brow had air bubbles in other words the tips were hollow didn't come to a point but with a q tip and a lil more latex fixed her right up lots of mini air bubbles between the skin creases but when painted can't even see em good luck cheers predatoj

 

[predator666]

If u have some scrim, line up the inside of the mask with it... it'll keep that from happening, I'm doing that on a mask currently, have done it a few times on various things and it works wonders

 

[Predatoj]

When you say scrim? do you mean hessian burlap??? I'm thinking for this one trying to depress the area right before the foam cure to see if I can save it. Otherwise I'm going to have to do it again, I think I'll dwell that whole area with latex and leave it to thicken too. So I apply scrim just before the beauty coat cures???

 

[predator666]

yeah its the very open version of it. only thing available here and its class, i use in my plaster molds too for reinforcement.
What i do is the beauty layer, before it cures, do another quick slush layer, and before that cures lines the scrim in and do a slush later...
you can make the latex piss thin but the scrim will make it bounce back into shape