Painting Ecoflex

Hi there,

I'm new to mask-making and in a couple weeks I will cast my first full mask out of Ecoflex 30.

A single pint of psycho paint is about $45 ( !! ) and I'm trying to find cheaper alternatives to paint the mask once it's cast.

I've seen people use GE clear Silicone 1 to paint tin-cured silicone prop heads and was wondering if anybody had any experience using this to paint platinum silicone, particularly Ecoflex 30. Would this work? I planned on tinting it with some oil paints and maybe Silc Pig. Thoughts?

What do you guys use to paint your Ecoflex masks?


Thanks!
-Jon

People use tube silicone for platinum silicones as well.. you could use it...

If you have any ecoflex left over from your cast, you can mix that up and tint it and use that as your paint base. That way you know there will be no adhering problems.

yes psycho paint is expensive but its designed to be thinned...alot. It will last longer than you think

Im bringing this post back from the dead to tell of my experiences trying to paint eco flex 30. Im cheap and like to use materials easily available, so I started with mixing up some ecoflex 30 and oil paints. I let it cure for 6 hours, came back and touched it and the paint peeled right off.

Round 2
Mixed up oil paints and GE 1 silicone caulk. I also cleaned the mask with acetone before applying. I came back the next morning and the paint rubbed right off. I could then just peel the rest off and try again.

Round 3
I asked on the rpf facebook site why it wasnt sticking and received all kinds of answers. Its not clean (I cleaned it), oil paints wont work (They do work because I tinted the skin with them when I cast the face), try pyscho paint or sil-poxy (good idea, but I dont want to spend money when I might have something I can use).
So I tried something different each time. I mixed up some Locktite 100% silicone glue, oil paint, and naptha and let cure. Same thing happened. I think I was using too much oil paint and it was preventing the cure. On to round 4.

Round 4
I broke down and bought some silc-pig and mixed it in with the locktite silicone and naptha. This time, I didnt touch it for 2 days and it stuck good. This was on a Chewbacca mask and the hair was sticking good to the ecoflex 30 mask with the Locktite silicone glue, so I knew that wasnt the issue. The only thing that I could think of was the oil paint was to blame or the improper mix of additives. I either put too much naptha and oil paints in and it prevented the cure or I didnt add enough silicone in the mix.

I did end up buying sil-poxy for $45 for a small tube and will try it out when it arrives. It has worked good for other Chewie makers, so Im gonna have to try it out too to prevent future frustrations.

Hi Gato

This is how I paint it, and works for me.

As for the paint I use platinum silicone, for example Dragon Skin 10 or similar that has a medium/ fast setting time.
I tint it with sil pig or Fuse Fx tints. I´ve used oil paint for this, but some colors work better than others.
Previous to painting thorough cleaning, first with 99% IPA (Isopropilyc Alcohol) and if I fear adhesion issues I might clean/wet the piece with heptane. If the piece has been casted time ago, adhesion can be more dificult. Also microdust is always floating around and it can also compormise adhesion. Heptane (or naphta could do, but better heptane) will swell the silicone for some minutes, and this moment will help to aid adhesion. So heptane and right away, painting. I mean, when the heptane dries, but don´t let pass much time before airbrushing as the swelling effect might come to an end.
I thin down my tinted silicone with naphta and then I paint. Heating with a hair dryer the piece before painting will also help, and also hitting the paint with the hairdryer after airbrushing will be good too. The faster it sets the better. Take in account that if there is slight inhibition (slight tackiness) on the piece or the paint it can also compromise adhesion. Fast setting by heat will help to avoid this. Platinum silicone cures faster with heat.
And not much more. It should be ok this way. I don´t paint it with echoflex as it is slower setting, but it could do to.
The heptane trick can help a lot. And it can also be used to thin down the silicone.
Psychopaint is fine, but using plain silicone is cheaper.

Hope it helps.