Hi guys,
So while this is all still a learning process for me, I thought I'd share the journey alongside my questions. I recently bought an ASM2 faceshell from TJack which is perfect. But now I want more options shape wise, and I believe I can make my own. So here goes nuttin'...
First, I sculpted a shape out of Plastilina clay — my first time sculpting anything actually. It came out good. Then I drizzled and caked my Smooth On Rebound 25 and built up a few layers of that along with some mother mold keys. First time using that as well. For the mother mold, after studying countless Youtube videos I decided since I'd gone forward with the registration keys I was going to need to use a two part shell for easier removal. So I used 3 trial size containers of Smooth On's Free Form Air. It was ok. If I had to do it over again, I would probably go the medical plaster bandage route. This Free Form Air stuff never really hardens to a confident "shell," and retains some rubbery, chalky quality to it. So it's messy to work with, even after it's cured. I'm not a fan.
And to check the negative mold for quality before investing in some expensive resin or Ultracal 30 to make a vacuform buck, I dumped in two 2lb bags of Perfect Cast from the local Hobby Lobby. The resulting pull confirmed my silicone mold should work perfectly for my needs.
So now on to make a real buck, vacuform box, etc. Now my questions for you guys: I've read and seen some people use vacuform bucks that have the surface layer of resin over a backing of Ultracal 30 or Hydrocal. How exactly does this work? Do I rotocast the resin, let that set then do the same with the Ultracast right after, building it up in layers as well? I guess my concern comes down to: Will the Ultracast stick to the resin layers under it securely? Or should I just do the whole thing as a resin buildup using something like BJB TC1630 casting resin (hard, temperature resistant)? The goal is something like this picture from a BJB TC1630 Youtube video...
Lastly, does anyone here have experience with that desktop vacuformer from a couple of years back on Kickstarter? It was called Vaquform, if I remember correctly... Would that be big enough to make a faceshell?
So while this is all still a learning process for me, I thought I'd share the journey alongside my questions. I recently bought an ASM2 faceshell from TJack which is perfect. But now I want more options shape wise, and I believe I can make my own. So here goes nuttin'...
First, I sculpted a shape out of Plastilina clay — my first time sculpting anything actually. It came out good. Then I drizzled and caked my Smooth On Rebound 25 and built up a few layers of that along with some mother mold keys. First time using that as well. For the mother mold, after studying countless Youtube videos I decided since I'd gone forward with the registration keys I was going to need to use a two part shell for easier removal. So I used 3 trial size containers of Smooth On's Free Form Air. It was ok. If I had to do it over again, I would probably go the medical plaster bandage route. This Free Form Air stuff never really hardens to a confident "shell," and retains some rubbery, chalky quality to it. So it's messy to work with, even after it's cured. I'm not a fan.
And to check the negative mold for quality before investing in some expensive resin or Ultracal 30 to make a vacuform buck, I dumped in two 2lb bags of Perfect Cast from the local Hobby Lobby. The resulting pull confirmed my silicone mold should work perfectly for my needs.
So now on to make a real buck, vacuform box, etc. Now my questions for you guys: I've read and seen some people use vacuform bucks that have the surface layer of resin over a backing of Ultracal 30 or Hydrocal. How exactly does this work? Do I rotocast the resin, let that set then do the same with the Ultracast right after, building it up in layers as well? I guess my concern comes down to: Will the Ultracast stick to the resin layers under it securely? Or should I just do the whole thing as a resin buildup using something like BJB TC1630 casting resin (hard, temperature resistant)? The goal is something like this picture from a BJB TC1630 Youtube video...
Lastly, does anyone here have experience with that desktop vacuformer from a couple of years back on Kickstarter? It was called Vaquform, if I remember correctly... Would that be big enough to make a faceshell?
