Nightdweller
New Member
I'm even slower. Lexus has been more than 3 years in the making and I only have a half finished head, lol 
keep going!
keep going!
Oni / Buhal'ra (Southeast Asian / Pacific) Yautja
- Thread starter Isubomo
- Start date
Isubomo
New Member
okay, so..please bear with me...Over the last few weeks, I've been trying to get past a hurdle with the project, which, to date is I personally believe one of the hardest so far..The 'custom/DIY projects' gods have been really good and supportive up to this point, I hope, from here on out, they will still 'bless' me with their good graces and guidance.. ;P
So last time, I said I was planning to make another latex mask, but this time with an underskull/undermask built in. Pro-tip, Don't. Not the not having an undermask part, but making it directly inside the mask. I'm noob, I was stupid. After I've made the latex thick as I wanted it to be and joining the two halves (joining the seams of course), I poured the epoxy resin straight into inside of the mask. All was good, up until I was laying out the the 3rd coat. Made the 3rd batch the same way I did the 1st 2, in disposable plastic party cups, mixed well, but instead of pouring it in again, I was using a brush to dab and trickle few amount as I laid down the fibreglass cloth mesh..after about 8mins of doing this, I started to feel the cup of mixed resin getting warm, really warm..Now this was only my 3rd time to have used this stuff (the first 2 times was about an hour before), and from my little to no experience, dealing with these stuff, there's usually a chemical reaction in which heat is a byproduct. I took little heed and went on, but after about 30 seconds, the heat became just unbearable in my hands and I poured it all in where it pooled in one large spot on the back of the head. I wished the problems ended there. The cup wasn't even out of my hands when the inside of the mask suddenly smoked. I'm talking "dude outside the cinema lobby smoking a cigarette on a cold winter day" smoke. I was working inside (winter here) as working with Epoxy resin isn't really bad, but damn, that stank up my place. I thought the whole thing was a goner, I thought my mould was a goner. The whole thing was bizaare.
When the smoke cleared, I was left with a very thick, uneven surface where I poured the smoking resin, but thank God the latex survived, so did the mould. Talked to Wreav, and apparently, mixed epoxy resin in a certain amount sitting for some time and in a plastic cup is not a good combination. Again, I wished the problems ended there.
After that whole smoking resin incident, I wanted to trudge on by taking the whole head out of the mould and see how well it would fit my head. I set aside about an hour to take the head out and try it on, get some pics and post it on here. Sweet. Fr*ckin' 3 hours later and I'm still at it. The resin had moulded itself so well to the mask and the mould that I couldn't take it out without cracking the undermask. Worst case scenario, I totally crack all the resin undermask, but atleast save the mask. And cracked it I did. I had to use a small crowbar to pry the back part out. Was seriously ready to bash the Ultracal mould in, I was that frustrated. But finally..
Total damage assessment: Numerous cracks in the Ultracal mould. Still pretty intact, but any thing like this happening to it again, it's not gonna survive, casting just latex would be fine. The back part (where I'm holding) is so thick and hardy that it can take quite a hammer beating (I'm willing to bet the Mountain won't be able destroy it by squeezing it with one hand), but the 2 layers of epoxy resin around the crown and the face are partially and wholly destroyed. The only plus side, the latex on this 2nd one is way thicker than the 1st one that there aren't any rips/tears, even during the amount of stress it went through trying to pry it all out...
So last time, I said I was planning to make another latex mask, but this time with an underskull/undermask built in. Pro-tip, Don't. Not the not having an undermask part, but making it directly inside the mask. I'm noob, I was stupid. After I've made the latex thick as I wanted it to be and joining the two halves (joining the seams of course), I poured the epoxy resin straight into inside of the mask. All was good, up until I was laying out the the 3rd coat. Made the 3rd batch the same way I did the 1st 2, in disposable plastic party cups, mixed well, but instead of pouring it in again, I was using a brush to dab and trickle few amount as I laid down the fibreglass cloth mesh..after about 8mins of doing this, I started to feel the cup of mixed resin getting warm, really warm..Now this was only my 3rd time to have used this stuff (the first 2 times was about an hour before), and from my little to no experience, dealing with these stuff, there's usually a chemical reaction in which heat is a byproduct. I took little heed and went on, but after about 30 seconds, the heat became just unbearable in my hands and I poured it all in where it pooled in one large spot on the back of the head. I wished the problems ended there. The cup wasn't even out of my hands when the inside of the mask suddenly smoked. I'm talking "dude outside the cinema lobby smoking a cigarette on a cold winter day" smoke. I was working inside (winter here) as working with Epoxy resin isn't really bad, but damn, that stank up my place. I thought the whole thing was a goner, I thought my mould was a goner. The whole thing was bizaare.
When the smoke cleared, I was left with a very thick, uneven surface where I poured the smoking resin, but thank God the latex survived, so did the mould. Talked to Wreav, and apparently, mixed epoxy resin in a certain amount sitting for some time and in a plastic cup is not a good combination. Again, I wished the problems ended there.
After that whole smoking resin incident, I wanted to trudge on by taking the whole head out of the mould and see how well it would fit my head. I set aside about an hour to take the head out and try it on, get some pics and post it on here. Sweet. Fr*ckin' 3 hours later and I'm still at it. The resin had moulded itself so well to the mask and the mould that I couldn't take it out without cracking the undermask. Worst case scenario, I totally crack all the resin undermask, but atleast save the mask. And cracked it I did. I had to use a small crowbar to pry the back part out. Was seriously ready to bash the Ultracal mould in, I was that frustrated. But finally..
Total damage assessment: Numerous cracks in the Ultracal mould. Still pretty intact, but any thing like this happening to it again, it's not gonna survive, casting just latex would be fine. The back part (where I'm holding) is so thick and hardy that it can take quite a hammer beating (I'm willing to bet the Mountain won't be able destroy it by squeezing it with one hand), but the 2 layers of epoxy resin around the crown and the face are partially and wholly destroyed. The only plus side, the latex on this 2nd one is way thicker than the 1st one that there aren't any rips/tears, even during the amount of stress it went through trying to pry it all out...
Last edited:
Isubomo
New Member
Again, thank you for bearing with me..Naturally, I had to do a lot of repairing. I couldn't take the whole resin underskull out, it would have been all for naught if I did and well, lots of it were already 'stuck' to the latex anyway. So all I could do is repair. After I was happy with the repair (mended the resin in the spikes/crown area, kept 2 layers of resin from the upper mandible up) It was time to test it out how it fits. ****. It's not even getting past my temples. f*ck me. See that jawline that separates the neck from the head itself? There use to be sturdy resin there from the repair I did. Had to destroy that again. I've literally been spending most nights for about 8 nights, just sanding, and trimming that underskull to fit my already small head. Each night, I sand and trim..and Try it on and each night I bleed, literally, from scratches and gashes I get from it still not fitting..finally, on the 8th night, I don't get a scratch! But what I do get is a pain on my forehead. The mask finally gets past my temples, but stops at my forehead because the edge of the mask where the snout is, is hitting it. Will it ever end??!
After a few more nights of sanding, i finally realized why it was still too small. The back part of the skull was still too enclosed. see the bottom of the skull right exactly where it meets the top of the neck? That's the point where the resin ran down to. That thick, pure, solid, Mountain resistant resin.
I had to hammer 5x 1mm nails about 4mm deep, then use a hammer and chisel with great, great effort to finally knock these out..Yeah, didn't have a drill or dremmel..the thickest that came out was about 16mm thick, and that wasn't actually the thickest yet. It's still on that head. My realization was indeed correct. After taking that chunk out and a littel bit more sanding to smoothen it out..
It finally fit! Still a tight fit and a lot of more sanding still, but Oh God, Finally... I've measured myself again with it, and it's added another 14cm to my height, so I'm 5'9" in it now! (5.97 to be exact!), So I only need atleast another 2-3 inches in the feet area (going for a pygmy predator, remember? ;p) Thank you Custom Gods, for helping me keep my sanity through all this, I bet there are still more to come, but I welcome thee with open arms and an open mind!!! I've certainly learned a lot!
Quills and paint time!!!
After a few more nights of sanding, i finally realized why it was still too small. The back part of the skull was still too enclosed. see the bottom of the skull right exactly where it meets the top of the neck? That's the point where the resin ran down to. That thick, pure, solid, Mountain resistant resin.
I had to hammer 5x 1mm nails about 4mm deep, then use a hammer and chisel with great, great effort to finally knock these out..Yeah, didn't have a drill or dremmel..the thickest that came out was about 16mm thick, and that wasn't actually the thickest yet. It's still on that head. My realization was indeed correct. After taking that chunk out and a littel bit more sanding to smoothen it out..
Quills and paint time!!!
LunaticNic
Sr Member
LOL Sounds like quite the adventure! It's looking great though! How is your field of view inside of the mask btw? I made alterations to Behemoths overall face because I hated not being able to see anything in my previous masks.
LunaticNic
Sr Member
And will this be the final color scheme?
Isubomo
New Member
Hey bro, yeah, it has been definitely. ;P
Field of vision is actually pretty good ironically, since the tightness of the mask is just pushing my head/eyes forward. If anything, I have to keep sanding around the eye sockets as well as the resin around that area is pushing inwards. Basically, it's like wearing a lone ranger mask where the mask is stuck to your eye area. Can't do anything about the sides, peripheral is shot, but I reckon Kevin Peter Hall had that problem as well.
Colour scheme, i'm not 100% as with the concept art yet, but pretty close..I'm thinking, Dark Brown/black/red highlights on a tan base. I prefer not to go white/light base as I want Isu to look 'brown' or malay looking, as per my ethnicity, but I don't want it to be too dark as well as the majority of his body will be covered with Tattoos and I still want those to be fairly visible.. I'm VERY OPEN to suggestions or ideas of course ;D *wink*
Cheers Nic!
LunaticNic
Sr Member
^^ Asking the important questions!!!Thanks Jmen! Hey, where's our front/zoomed out pic of your sculpt?!!?!!
Thanks Jmen! Hey, where's our front/zoomed out pic of your sculpt?!!?!!
shush!!
just finished sculpting few moments ago. in the morning i will take some good camera and make few pictures for you. maybe even 3 pictures.
Isubomo
New Member
Thanks Jess!!!
made a mould of the mandibles the other day with Silicone and casted in the same epoxy resin..It didn't flow all through the mould, and it's not as light as i want them to be still (but way lighter than the clay)..thinking of getting some polyurethane resin..what do you think?
made a mould of the mandibles the other day with Silicone and casted in the same epoxy resin..It didn't flow all through the mould, and it's not as light as i want them to be still (but way lighter than the clay)..thinking of getting some polyurethane resin..what do you think?
maybe just add some shadows on it. i think it can be really unusual. anyway - this is a conceptThanks Jess!!!
View attachment 131972
made a mould of the mandibles the other day with Silicone and casted in the same epoxy resin..It didn't flow all through the mould, and it's not as light as i want them to be still (but way lighter than the clay)..thinking of getting some polyurethane resin..what do you think?
Nightdweller
New Member
Hey Isu, this update had me biting my nails off!!! But I'm glad your latex mask came out undamaged. How's the weight of the remaining resin inside the mask?
As far as the mandibles go, may I suggest some type of filler like fibreglass flakes, wood flakes or glass balloons? that might reduce the weight and it will surely save you some resin.
I can't wait to see what color scheme you come up with!
God, I freaking love that crown... <3
keep going bro :3
Greets
Kheira
As far as the mandibles go, may I suggest some type of filler like fibreglass flakes, wood flakes or glass balloons?
that might reduce the weight and it will surely save you some resin.I can't wait to see what color scheme you come up with!
God, I freaking love that crown... <3
keep going bro :3
Greets
Kheira
Isubomo
New Member
Hey Isu, this update had me biting my nails off!!! But I'm glad your latex mask came out undamaged. How's the weight of the remaining resin inside the mask?
As far as the mandibles go, may I suggest some type of filler like fibreglass flakes, wood flakes or glass balloons?
I can't wait to see what color scheme you come up with!
God, I freaking love that crown... <3
keep going bro :3
Greets
Kheira
You and me both Kheira, I swear the numbers of my grey hair went up these past few weeks..LOL
Thanks!I'd love to shed more weight, currently, the whole head is about 6-7 lbs. Still too heavy for my taste, considering I;m still putting on the mandibles, teeth, and 78 screws on the back of the head for the dreads, and the dreads..All in all, it's probably gonna weigh around 10+lbs when it's done, If I can shed 2-3lbs off that, that would be great..
Thanks for the tip Kheira, I did want to go the 'hollow' resin route, but epoxy resin takes a lot longer to cure than polyurethane, so can't 'slush' it around much..If I can't get my hands on some polyurethane due to budget, I'll definitely try those flakes.
Thanks so much again Kheira!
Cheers bro!
Dude, I should be asking you for tips on painting!!! Like what I told Nic, I'm very open to suggestions on colour themes ;P I guess I just want it to look 'ethnically southeast asian/pacific', but also not too dark for the tattoos to still be visible..I recoloured Narin's Death mask a little bit (My fav work of Narin)..really close to something like this..
City90pet
New Member
Thanks Jess!!!
You are asking the wrong person!!!! Lol, but I googled poly urethane and I think it sounds good! Either way I'm impressed with ur work!! What is the colors going to be???????
View attachment 131972
made a mould of the mandibles the other day with Silicone and casted in the same epoxy resin..It didn't flow all through the mould, and it's not as light as i want them to be still (but way lighter than the clay)..thinking of getting some polyurethane resin..what do you think?
Nightdweller
New Member
Best of luck and workmanship to you mate! That color scheme looks rad as heck!
M77
Active Member
Those colours look great!
Maybe later on some small green and/or blue accessories, beads and such, would look cool to oppose the orange/red of the skin colour.
My advice for the skin would be to start out fairly light, then carefully and gradually build up the colour untill you reach the tone you're looking for. It's so much easier to make your project darker than it is to make it lighter (for my current project I stripped the paint off the rock base as well as off the croc's head, 'cause both had become way too dark - it's my personal recurring pitt fall).
Also I use artist’s inks a lot (Daler and Rowney), they allow for gradually building up and darkening your colours. If inks are suitable for painting on latex, then that might be worth trying.
Considering the skill level you've shown in making this mask, I'm sure the paint job shouldn't be any problem! Keep the updates coming
Maybe later on some small green and/or blue accessories, beads and such, would look cool to oppose the orange/red of the skin colour.
My advice for the skin would be to start out fairly light, then carefully and gradually build up the colour untill you reach the tone you're looking for. It's so much easier to make your project darker than it is to make it lighter (for my current project I stripped the paint off the rock base as well as off the croc's head, 'cause both had become way too dark - it's my personal recurring pitt fall
).Also I use artist’s inks a lot (Daler and Rowney), they allow for gradually building up and darkening your colours. If inks are suitable for painting on latex, then that might be worth trying.
Considering the skill level you've shown in making this mask, I'm sure the paint job shouldn't be any problem! Keep the updates coming
Nightdweller
New Member
I've been thinking; what if you gave him some ritual scars or white ink tattoos?
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