What to use to cast and mold nails?

[Brandon1]

I started working on making a fallout raider costume and always liked the idea of a baseball bat with nails in it.
Real nails would be easy to put into a wooden bat.. but not exactly safe and I don't think I'd be allowed into any convention areas if I where to ever get the chance to go to one.

So I figured I'd make a small mold and use a real nail to cast. (Ya, I'm recasting a nail)
I know you can make molds from silicone caulking and I even have some Latex rubber made for molds.
I figured I'd get a small container and simply fill it with either silicone or latex and suspend the nail so its head is jsut out of the latex/silicone.

My question is... What would be best for casting? Resin kind of defeats the purpose. So maybe a thick latex would be best? I was almost thinking about using the same latex I made the mold with but it seems to adhere to itself (I've used it to patch small holes in my pred hands).
Is there a way to mix paint into the latex and give it a rusted look? or should I just paint it after?

 

[strigoi]

this maybe a little more expensive then you would like but it may be an option for you. http://www.smooth-on.com/gallery.php?galleryid=084

 

[MasterAnubis]

Some hunters make quills using a clay mold and tooth picks then filling the hole with latex. I know I keep plugging Klean Klay, but it doesn't inhibit silicone curing. I'd stick a nail into some clay and use the calking to fill the mold. You'd have a silicone nail without the head. Paint the nail. Drill a shallow hole in the bat and glue the nail in. Depending on the size of the nail it should look good, if they don't bend under there own weight.

 

[skunk]

If you are after latex nails with heads on....it's a bit of a pain but you could make a mould of some nails with alginate...then cast some silicone nails in the alginate mold...then when you have your silicone nails you can make a plaster mold ...and cast your latex nails.
Does that make any sense?

 

[Master Hobbs]

How about making them out of Bake 'n' Bend?

 

[Brandon1]

Well I wanted to do soemthing flexable that wouldn't break under the weight of the bat.

what I was gonna do was only mold the spike part of the nail. I'm not concerned with the head. And as for putting them into the bat I Was going to take the real steel nail and put it into the wood, pull it out, repeat and then jsut super glue the latex nails in.

I'll try a couple of the ways you guys suggest and see what I get.

 

[smasher]

rubber nails lol isant that somethink you send a new worker down to the hardware store for or sky hooks lol right b you could use a yogot pot then fill with plaster then put the nail in then you could cast in latex even buying a new amount of silicone is going to cost bud

 

[Brandon1]

rubber nails lol isant that somethink you send a new worker down to the hardware store for or sky hooks lol right b you could use a yogot pot then fill with plaster then put the nail in then you could cast in latex even buying a new amount of silicone is going to cost bud

lol Ya I forgot about that... Plus won't I have to cover the nail in a release agent?
I thought about hot glue as well.. but I'd need a ton of sticks.

I'm just throwing together something to hold the plaster/silicone. looks like its gonna be a paper towel tube.
Think I may have to make a quick run to the local craft store and grab me some cheap plaster.
here are a few nails i grabbed from my garage... I'm going to be using the middle one... for now... lol

Edit: Paper towel = bad idea... I knew it would come apart from the wet plaster lol.. Now I gotta find soemthing thats about 7inches long that isn't to wide for a singal nail. may end up making the mold with multiple nails if I have too make wide one.

Edit again: Found a use for all those left over beer glasses from new years. I hot glued 2 together. My mold is now sitting upstairs drying




ok.. so the plaster mold didn't turn out.. the hole is far to small to get latex in. I'll be buying a tube of silicone caulking when I get the chance, and I'm not even sure if that'll work... i think this idea was bound to fail.

 

[xdmray]

do what Hobs said, just sculpt them out of bake and bend clay. they will bend and be stiff enough. plus you can have the head on.

 

[Brandon1]

I'll check out the local art shops and see if I can pick up a small amount. I'm not really confident on my sculpting skills.. and making soemthing even such as a nail is probably not going to turn out as well as I'd want it too in my hands.. but meh its worth a try.