Silicon Rubber Pred Skin!

[CaptainWallis]

Greeting All

Just wanted to know if anyone has been thinking about making a pred skin usin silicon rubber. I was on a site
today at www.smooth-on.com witch aparently you can create life casts and some prety awsome and very
flexible skin. Im new here and Im thinking bout making my own pred and alien costumes, and now Iv seen this stuff
it may turn out prety good hopefully.

Has anyone else used silicon rubber here?

 

[Bovine13]

Home you got a fat budget for your build. That stuff isnt cheap.

 

[TUSKY]

Yeah, an arm and a leg of a dozen people wouldn't even come close.
Good stuf though, ....so i heard

 

[carlart]

I use it for my P1 armor, which occupies less real estate than the skin does. Taking that into consideration, and the fact that slip cast latex is around $40 a gallon, you can see why people use it for skin instead of the $100 a gallon urethane rubber.

 

[TUSKY]

I use it for my P1 armor, which occupies less real estate than the skin does. Taking that into consideration, and the fact that slip cast latex is around $40 a gallon, you can see why people use it for skin instead of the $100 a gallon urethane rubber.

Hahaha
Good point Carl, i like the real esate comment

 

[WebChief]

I use Dragon Skin by Smooth-On for a Star Wars project I'm working (Ahsoka Tano) and its VERY expensive compared to latex. While it would be far more realistic in feel and movement to latex the costs would be through the roof.

 

[Usurper]

I will be using silicone for my New P1 head, and depending on how i get on with painting it, i may try making my own suit from GEL10 silicone.

 

[fettster]

I will be using silicone for my New P1 head, and depending on how i get on with painting it, i may try making my own suit from GEL10 silicone.

silicne really isnt a viable option for a skin. forgetting about the cost for the moment, your first problem would be weight as silicone cast to the thickness needed to hold its form for something that heavy would weight alot.

secondly,due to the softness of the silicone, unless it was injected into a mould with a core, it just wouldnt hold its shape very well and would hang.

having said all that, there is a produxt on the market that is actually a 2 part silicone foam so in theory, you could do a brush in skin and back it with this silicne foam for durability. I might actually try that myself one of these days

 

[Usurper]

i did say DEPENDING , but i guess ill find out, when the mask eventually gets my attention hehe.

 

[fettster]

Lee, mask is fine mate, I was refering to a skin body suit. Don't forget to let me know if you need help when you eventually get round to moulding it. Lol

 

[Mannowar]

I will be using silicone for my New P1 head, and depending on how i get on with painting it, i may try making my own suit from GEL10 silicone.

One thing to consider Lee...

I've actually been toying with the idea of doing a silicone Pred mask. The lifelike characteristics of silicone smokes latex. However, aside for the overwhelming cost, the thing I'm most concerned with is that silicone paints up so much differently than latex that I don't think you'd get a good color match to a latex skin if you were pairing them up for a suit. From what I understand from my suppliers, you can't use acrylics and Pros-aide on silicone... you have to use special paints designed for silicone and they, in turn, won't work on latex.... Just something to consider.

And in reply to the original topic, like Fettster, I agree that the weigh alone would be like carrying a 7' predator. You could use the sil-foam to foam it all in, but even that seems to weigh more than soft poly foam, even though the two are similar in consistency. And the cost of molding and casting a full silicone skin would be through the roof. Even a mask would be quite an expensive proposition.

 

[Usurper]

Scott,
Thanks for the extra info, i am aware of the potential colour issues, but as my P1 was sculpted wthout latex shrinkage in mind i am kinda of tied into the silicone route now.

all i need is the bloody time hehe.

I think you guys have put me off the silicone suit idea though

Having said that, its not expensive at all, a skin suit from suppliers here cost what ? $500+ RAW

I can get the silicone for a suit for ALOT less than that.

 

[fettster]

Silicone is a bit different to paint but as long as you follow the rules, it's actually really easy.

I think if you painted the silicone mask first using oil paints, it would be quite easy the match a latex skin to it.

The hardest paint would be to mimic the translucency in the silicone but that's where the skills come in

Scott,
Thanks for the extra info, i am aware of the potential colour issues, but as my P1 was sculpted wthout latex shrinkage in mind i am kinda of tied into the silicone route now.

all i need is the bloody time hehe.

I think you guys have put me off the silicone suit idea though

Having said that, its not expensive at all, a skin suit from suppliers here cost what ? $500+ RAW

I can get the silicone for a suit for ALOT less than that.

 

[AlphaTech686]

Silicone has so many issues other that cost I can't see using it. Have you looked into a product called "Skin Flex"? I believe it is sold be Smooth-on. I haven't looked at it in a while. I am getting ready to by a small amount for test purposes. My idea is to use a brush-on formula for my suit skin then back it up with foam like I did with the latex on the feet I recently completed. I will let you all know how that goes.

 

[fettster]

Silicone has so many issues other that cost I can't see using it. Have you looked into a product called "Skin Flex"? I believe it is sold be Smooth-on. I haven't looked at it in a while. I am getting ready to by a small amount for test purposes. My idea is to use a brush-on formula for my suit skin then back it up with foam like I did with the latex on the feet I recently completed. I will let you all know how that goes.

in which case, be sure to use silicone foam as urethane foam will not stick to it.

also, you'll need to use a platinum silicone so you dont have any inhibition problems with the foam.

id love to see the results

 

[ScottAS]

Remember silicone also breaks down over time. You need to spend more to get the better silicones.

 

[fettster]

Remember silicone also breaks down over time. You need to spend more to get the better silicones.

only tin based rtv silcones break down. addition cure platinums last forever but as you say, are more expensive

 

[WebChief]

Latex breaks down too though. Nothing's a perfect solution. The old original movie masks from Star Wars for example all dried out.

 

[VinMan]

Latex breaks down too though. Nothing's a perfect solution. The old original movie masks from Star Wars for example all dried out.

Imagine that! they broke down after after 35 years!
Hell EVERYTHING breaks down eventually!

 

[WebChief]

Imagine that! they broke down after after 35 years!
Hell EVERYTHING breaks down eventually!

My post wasn't meant to be snarky... just stating the fact that all will eventually break down. No need to jump all over me.