Question regarding Latex Skin

[FuzzyDrawings]

Hello! I haven't seen this discussed in any of the tutorial threads, so I'm hoping some of you have some thoughts here.

I built a muscle suit by carving the muscles out of upholstery foam. Each foam piece was then covered in spandex. These pieces were then sewn onto a spandex suit. Then, a second spandex suit was put on top of all this, like a "skin". The plan is to then cover this spandex skin with some light coats of latex. This is where my questions come in:

1) after doing a test with some scrap pieces, the latex seeps through the spandex skin and adheres to the muscles underneath. This was expected, but I'm wondering if there's anyway to avoid/reduce this? I really like the way the muscles "move" underneath the skin, and don't want to lose that if possible.

2) latex sticks to itself for a long time while curing. With this in mind, how do you handle problem areas like the armpits?

3) how comfortable is this style of suit when all is said and done? Is it very hot? Do you have good freedom of movement?

Thanks!

 

[LunaticNic]

Hey, that sounds awesome!

Regarding 1) unless you put something between the muscles and the the spandex skin getting the latex Treatment, the latex will seep into the suit and cure. An Idea for that might be cling wrap or duct-tape, however I'm not certain how well that would work to allow the skin to move over the muscles.

As far as 2) and 3) I personally would try to leave the Armpits and groin without latex as the suit gets EXTREMELY hot and that might allow some breathability in key areas that are easy to cover up.

 

[Isubomo]

Hi Fuzzy!

I agree with most of Nic’s points. My two cents would be:

1 and 2)Do you have any sort of ‘mannequin’ where you put your spandex suit on while you’re working on it? If you do, it would be easier, I would use cling wrap (This stuff is amazing and I use it almost everywhere..) and snuggly wrap it, 1-2 layers around the suit, making it waterproof enough, spread some release agent like vaseline and do your latex coating. Mark your suit so you know which part goes where. Once your latex is all dry, remove the cling wrap and put that over the spandex. Don’t forget to put like baby powder on the inside of the latex (and sometimes outside) so Latex won’t stick to itself. Hope this is what you’re pertaining to in your 2nd question? ;P

3) I haven’t suited up in a Pred costume yet, but I would assume, due to the design/nature of how the predator suit is (Semi-naked alien body with bits of armour and weaponry) as say compared to a Halo master chief costume where you can get air ducts or circulation as part of the costume. I’ve made a custom Clone trooper armour out of foam and with that costume, your whole body isn’t covered up, and it’s already hot. Here’s a video I like on some of our ‘elders’ when they went to san diego comic con 2009..if you go to the last 30 secs or so, one of the guys shows you how much sweat has accumulated and gushed down to his boots… not trickled, gushed..LOL

Hope that helps, enjoy!

 

[FuzzyDrawings]

Aw, that video isn't available in my country :/

Thanks for the input gents. Have some good stuff to think about. I'm also looking at getting an automobile spray gun that can work with latex. Wondering if spraying very light coats at a time will help "seal" the fabric some. They're fairly cheap where I'm at so I might give that a try this week.

 

[Lordmiaou]

Holy Cow. Did you see the amount of sweat leaking from this suit ? That’s freaky. It’s definitely dangerous for you health isn’t it ?

 

[Wreav]

That's why people take precautions... they stay hydrated/take regular breaks/ have spotters and people who generally take care of the well being of the suit wearer.