mmmmmm latexing over duct tape?

[GHOSTINTHESHELL]

guys ive looked through the huntorials and scanned the forum but cant seem to find an answetr to my question. im about half way in getting my ped together and guess im gonna have to accept its not gonna be ready for the JAN 18th premier over here.....still as i save for the rest of the stuff i need i decided to make a duct tape dummy of my self which ive started. my question is.......can i latex straight over the dummy or do i need to cover it in any substance to ensure the latex can easily come off the dummy. i have decided not to do a mr i suit through personal taste but wondered if while i save for a body suit whether i anyone can point me the way to go with latexing a duct tape dummy.
i know this is probably somewhere on the lair but i really cant find it.....id really apprecate some advice guys.......many thanks j

 

[Mannowar]

Justin, you'll need to at least put a lycra jump suit over the dummy. Make sure not to latex the zipper closed... In fact I'd recommend having someone install a heavy duty zipper into the jump suit before latexing, then use a thin strip of duct tape over the zipper to make sure no latex get into it. Also, if going the jump suit route, I'd recommend adding a pair of sweat pants and sweat shirt over the dummy, then re-tape the entire thing. The shrinkage that will occur when you latex that jump suit won't be forgiving, so if you have ANY places in the dummy that are not quite fully stuffed (say elbow or knee joints), the latex will shrink down and you'll never get into the suit without cutting the hell out of it. Trust me, I speak from experience.

At that point, when you're finished latexing, I'd really recommend painting and sealing it before you take it off the dummy. The reason for this is that you're going to need to peel it off the mannequin due to the latex soaking through the fabric and sticking to the tape. This pretty much involved rolling the suit down the mannequin until it's inside out. If it's not painted and sealed, you're likely to have the latex sticking to itself while trying to get it off the mannequin, possibly causing damage in the process. If for some reason you need to take it off the mannequin to paint it, you should powder it with talc or baby powder to prevent the aforementioned sticking... Peel the suit, clean off the powder, then paint.

 

[GHOSTINTHESHELL]

Scott dude.......thats a massive help. even if i dont get it right ill be in touch after christmas anyway.... thanks for the advice, i can really see what you mean as i filled with a mixture of well stuffed newspaper and expanding foam and can see the joints are a little floppy even though ive really stuffed the paper in. one thing, i was tempted to do the suit in two halves. top and bottom but maybe ill wait for someone to help me and attatch the top to the legs and fill as i go.......will definitely be reading through yr reply as i do it.....
thanks dude, really appreciated........................j