Fabrication — Stan Winston School of Character Arts Forums

Can 3M Super 77 seal Upholstery foam?

Jared Lee — Sun, 17 May 2026 18:36:40 +0000

I purchased some 3M Super 77 to seal upholstery foam. The lessons I watched used 74 but is is expensive. Is 3M super 77 a usable alternative?

Which shore Hardness silicone for this mask?

Rob Whiteside — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:17:30 +0000

Hi I am making this Goblin mask which is only 3/4? i.e. no mouth jaw etc. The ears stick out around 3" I want to cast in silicone but am unsure of which hardness. I know 20 seems to be standard but as I don't need the stretch over the head through the neck and have the 3" ears was wondering about 25 or even 30 as it may help the ears to not droop? Any help/advice would be massively appreciated.

Digitigrade stilt feet questions

Sophia Peaslee — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:09:36 +0000

I am making some digitigrade stilts and am having trouble deciding on the “feet” to use,
Some sort of foot like this:

Or this:

Would be my ideal but I’m not sure how to do that or what sort of materials to look for, I don’t really have the ability to weld or bend metal to get that kind of curve so if there is something i could look for that would be pre-made like a specific type of bracket that would he ideal. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Flocking machine

Cassie None — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 23:58:23 +0000

Hi everyone!

What flocking machine do you use? I'm looking to purchase one and would love some Information. I have some dead animal props coming up soon and there will be a close up on one of their faces. Would love to add some flocking to get a great effect...
I've taken a look as Amazon, but feel a bit overwhelmed.

Thanks!

Mask Making Material Help

Sydney Curry — Fri, 30 May 2025 02:35:01 +0000

I have a digital sculpture of a overhead mask that I plan to 3D-Print in PLA as a master copy once I get passed all the layer line filling and sanding, and I figured the mold should be comprised of a silicone jacket mold and a resin mother mold, which leaves me with one question: "what material will I cast my mask?" I did consider urethane rubber as a casting medium because I wanted the mask to have properties similar to what a latex rubber mask would have: flex and stretch, but I worry about how much flex that could tear the mask in stress points in urethane, and I didn't want my mask to be made of latex because of the mold it would need that could be a problem just to try to release it from Ultra Cal 30 and because of consideration to latex rot deterioration. I am still considering Urethane rubber, but I need some advice from a pro before I even start making the mold. Any suggestions?

Mrs. Voorhees bust

Russ Turk — Wed, 28 May 2025 20:26:54 +0000

I made 2 busts of Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees from the original 1980 FRIDAY THE 13TH. This is supposed to be from the scene literally right before she gets her head chopped off. I made 2 versions. One with her head off and one with it still on.

Slip-on creature feet course?

Jeffrey Mahon — Sat, 10 May 2025 21:12:26 +0000

Is there a course that covers sculpting and molding slip-on latex creature feet?

Has anyone found a reliable method to securely anchor Velcro to silicone for long-term durability?

lastresort87 — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 12:16:00 +0000

Hi guys!

I'm working on a project involving a piece of silicone that I want to attach to fabric using Velcro. I've embedded one side of the Velcro into the silicone while it was still partially uncured. However, it seems like the Velcro may tear out over time, especially with repeated attachment and removal.

Has anyone found a reliable method to securely anchor Velcro to silicone for long-term durability?

Happy about all inputs.

Seeking others in Spokane for resource sharing

Baer_Lettercast — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 00:51:30 +0000

Hey all! I'm based out of Spokane and am seeking others interested in sharing the cost of supplies with each other, sharing a storage location for supplies, sharing skills, and meeting up monthly (or more frequently) to discuss our individual projects or develop group projects together. Resource and skill sharing are a big part of building a sustainable community. I am new to this kind of work and have no actual experience, but I am familiar with what it takes to run and maintain a group like what I'm proposing, and am happy to share space, costs, and time with others who are equally invested in learning and practicing this art. Shoot me a message or leave a comment here if interested, and let's get to work!

Coating Plastic Bags in Latex

Alexander H — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 23:30:24 +0000

I'm currently planning my next project to take to a convention in May. I'm thinking to make some of the details on the body, I'll make an upholstery foam base, cover it in plastic bags and heat shrink them on to create some texture, then apply latex over the top to paint it and to give it a skin like texture. Yesterday I watched the "Make a Monster - Plastic Bag Technology" course where Billy uses some plastic that he's coated in latex. How well does the latex adhere to the plastic bag? And roughly how thick should I make a latex coating to be reasonably durable?

And now that I'm thinking about it... what may be a suitable alternative to latex, in case anyone who wants to interact with the creature has allergies?

This creature puppet will need to compress slightly flying from Australia to Canada in a suitcase, so I need to make sure that the outer layer is durable as I won't be able to do any paint touch ups over there.

Inflatable Trashbag Suit

sneedling — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 14:10:06 +0000

I haven't started on this yet, but I am considering fabricating an inflatable suit for the final creature in my project. It seems to be a good strategy to create something that appears to have a lot of mass without concerns for excess material and weight. I would want to use black trash bags to hide the performer, but I was wondering if that would limit what I could do to paint it. My question is, I would want it to be pretty durable and tear-resistant. Would painting on a layer of silicone caulking strengthen it without weighing it down? I also want a texture like this for the skin, but again, I don't know if silicone would inhibit the suit from inflating:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYux4z2Z3nA

Is it safe to bake my Ultracal 30 mold in my kitchen oven?

Luis Cederborg — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 03:52:39 +0000

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I am new to working with latex masks and ultracal
I have read that Ultracal 30 molds need to be baked in the oven to release excess water in them before attempting to do a latex dwell for a mask
But haven't found any info on whether it's safe to do it in the same oven I use for food. Is it absolutely necessary to use an oven? Or could I maybe achieve the result with a heat gun or any other method in case it's not safe to use kitchen oven?

Realistic Gloves

TheHorrorCreep — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 04:55:31 +0000

Good evening,
I have hit a snag with making realistic monster gloves that fit the hands and forearms like a second skin. Now, I know how to fabricate them, but the problem is pulling them off the armatures I built them on. I have made two attempts. The first was building my own plaster armatures.

That ended up with my plaster armatures being destroyed to get the gloves off. The second attempt ended in total disaster. So my question is if I should build a second pair of armatures using the TC266 foam, since it’s got give to it and that I may be able to maneuver the thumb and fingers out of the gloves, to where I will still have hand and arm armatures to build more gloves on.
The materials I’m using is rubber dish gloves, cargo mesh, Halloween cloth gloves make for a tighter fit and replaces the fingers of the dish gloves and mask making latex.

Thanks and I hope you guys may have some solutions.

Stearic Acid

Sahlah Tepes — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 20:48:36 +0000

Hi, I'm looking for Stearic Acid or something similar to create bladders, but am having a difficult time finding it online. I live in Arkansas and do not have access to SFX supply shops. Thank you. Hope you're all having a great day.

Sculpting Head Core in Silicon Mask Making Part 2: Finishing the Epoxy & Fiberglass Mold

Brian Le — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 18:40:08 +0000

I've finished part 1 and right now I'm taking Silicon Mask Making Part 2: Finishing the Epoxy & Fiberglass Mold. In these photos seen here (Removing the Core from Side B ) part of course, there's a head that appears to have clay sculpted over it. Do I need to use a clay that will remain soft throughout the mold making process? Or can I use WED clay that has been completely dry, set, and rock hard? Does the WED clay need to be rock hard for this course? Do colors of clays matter? I don't think I can find a WED clay the same color as the salmon hue the instructor is using.

At the bottom of the neck there's an opening where you can fit a 2x4 block in as well as some around the neck to help give the C-clamp leverage. What is that head covered in clay called? In the course, the instructor just calls it a "core". Is the exact kind of "core" he's using absolutely needed for completion of course? Or can it be made with WED clay?

I worry that clay will be too brittle for the C-clamp and will crumble or crack. If it is too brittle, can the WED clay's neck opening be fiberglassed or something so that it can withstand the pressure of the C-clamp?

Precision solder placement

Darrell Green — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 04:39:58 +0000

I am attempting to modify a pair of eyeglass frames. I do not intend to use them for more than just a few poses so permanent is not the intent. However, I have two nose pads on metal stalks that I need to attach to the frames on a very thin lens frame edge. I do not want to get adhesive, solder, or residue on any other side of this frame edge but one. The same piece has a slit in which the lens sits so I don't want to accidentally fill it. I need guidance on precision adhesion placement with no overruns.

My plan was to shield the other faces with tape or fingernail polish that could then be removed.

Those nose pads have the wire rod still attached and I could easily solder them back to the frame stems but I don't know how to keep the solder only on the stem face seen from this angle. No solder seeping around the stem. This is not easy to describe but I don't want any solder on any side of the two little stems other than the back. How can I prep this so the solder does not flow around the sides? I could use epoxy or glues but I proffer the same question for prepping for those. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated

Which Latex Rubber to use as base coat

David Mokso — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 19:32:29 +0000

Hi I made a dinosaur from L200 foam and now I would like to spray paint it with Latex Rubber as described in the How to make a Dinosaur course by Ted Haines. However I am in trouble with finding the right Latex Rubber in Europe. I am based in Hungary and and I dont know where to order Latex Rubber and which one because there are so many variables of latex. Please can somebody help me with how to get the right Latex Rubber in Hungary? I need it as a base coat for a foam sculpture. Thank you,
David

Epoxy / fiberglass mold making question

MAEVE LÉVESQUE — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:14:58 +0000

Hi! Yesterday I completed the first side of my very first epoxy resin and fiberglass mold, using the exact same product instructed in the Immortal masks courses. Except for the mold release which is Smooth On Universal mold release.

This morning, when cleaning the clay, I realised that pretty much everywhere that I put Habitat Black epoxy putty, there are some small bumps about the size of a grain of salt. Those are not very thick, but it makes the surface a bit rougher than the rest which is Smooth.

My question is: Do you suggest that I sand down those bumps? Or it won't affect the mold at all since it's small?

Thanks for your help again

Is it normal that Rubber Latex is easily removable from the L200 foam?

David Mokso — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 21:24:22 +0000

Hi. I have a question about latex rubber. I am building a dinosaur based on the "how to make a dinosaur" course and after carving the dinosaur out of foam I wanted to cover it with Latex Rubber as suggested in the video. But once the rubber dries, it's easy to remove from the foam and I'm worried if I'm doing it right. Shouldn't the rubber stick firmly to the foam? Is it normal that I can easily scratch it with my nails and remove it? Thank you very much. David Mokso

Indoraptor

Brianna Walsh — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 20:17:09 +0000

Hey everyone! I had posted something on this a couple months back showing the sculpting phase of the indoraptor. I wanted to share the finished product as well. It made its debut at Monsterpalooza 2023, which was super fun. I'm also proud to say I completed it just in time for Jurassic June!! There's still a lot to do (finalizing paint, patching seams, and punching quills), but I'm very happy with what I've gotten done so far. My original plan for this project was to complete the full body (arms, legs, tail, etc.) which I'm still in the process of sculpting.

The head and neck were sculpted with 1,000 pounds of WED clay (which I got the idea to use from Stan Winston School and Tim Martin), molded with epoxy and fiberglass (Mike Cooke's molding course), casted in latex, painted with latex paints and acrylics, a fiberglass skeleton for the skin to lay on top of, and eyes made by Fourth Seal Studios. The head and jaw also articulate. 7 months of work with the advice of industry professionals and friends helped me accomplish the end product.

Thanks for looking!

Dental acrylic paint/stain alternative

MAEVE LÉVESQUE — Tue, 02 May 2023 23:12:00 +0000

Hi! I'm about to be ready to cast my orc mask project. I want to use dental acrylic for the teeth, but I can't seem to find the info regarding what to use to paint the teeth.

So I was wondering if I could use thinned acrylic paint and then a clear coat of acrylic to seal it?

Every other options I found were kind of expensive for a first project. So I'm trying to look into cheaper options.

Any good tips?

Brainstorming on fabricating optically clear hollow objects

sheltatha_lore — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 17:25:33 +0000

All right guys, time for a new installment in Project: Inadvisable Uses of LEDs. I'm working on this cosplay for international competition qualifiers this fall, and I'm currently trying to figure out the light bulbs. I've identified and started prototyping seven (!) possible methods, and I'd like to pick your brains to see if you can think of others.

References:

The important thing for this is that I want them to be seamless. They don't have to be perfectly optically clear or consistent thickness, but they need to be close (I can live with a bit of uneven thickness, translucence, or bubbles for artistic reasons). I need to fit things inside of them, and weight is a significant concern, so they need to be hollow.

I'd also like to fabricate them in a way that allows me to have plenty of spares. I have access to most tools I could need (yay makerspaces!)

These are the options I have explored.

Resin casting

I've successfully made a silicone glove mold of the outside of the smallest bulb, with plaster bandage mother mold, so that's one problem solved. I use mostly polyurethane resin (I love Innovative Polymers products. Absolutely indestructible, enormous variety, and the best customer service I've ever seen), but I'm open to other materials.

Casting in a two part (?) mold

Probably my best shot at even thickness, but I'd have to do some tricky bits with the core. My current best idea is to additionally make a glove mold of the inside of the bulb and backfill it with a flexible foam, so that it's stable while casting and can be squished to remove it from the final part. Not entirely sure how I'd handle registration with the exterior glove mold, but that should be a solvable problem.

Rotocasting in a glove mold

Structurally plausible (I've tried and succeeded), but the translucent rotocasting resin I'm using is not as clear. Optically clear rotocasting resins don't seem to be a thing (which isn't surprising; they're fairly temperamental even for regular casting.) There are some shenanigans I plan to try with the optically clear resins, involving additives and temperature, but they're kind of a yolo thing with a low probability of success.

3D Printing

FDM printing in clear filament

I'd need to do considerable finish work to remove layer lines, which is possible, but could be difficult to achieve on the inside of the bulbs. I'd also need to avoid supports for optimal clarity, which means that some of the flatter spots just don't print in vase mode. I tried

SLA printing in clear resin

Likely to achieve the look I want, but print size is limited (the shoulder bulbs flat out won't fit at all unless I break them down into at least three pieces). That said, SLA resin is the easiest material on the list to join seamlessly after printing, if necessary. On the other side, it'll take ages and be difficult to easily produce copies.

Thermoforming

Injection blow molding into a glove mold

Quite possible, but I'm still trying to figure out temperatures and the best way to attach my air compressor to the PETG bottle pre-forms. I'm running another few tests today. If this works, it will be perfectly transparent and very fast. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKfID-i41sc

Vacuum forming

Given the undercuts and height, I likely wouldn't be able to form these in one piece, which would leave me with a seam. I don't think there are any materials that are easy to thermoform that could be joined seamlessly.

Fabrication

Machining from a clear material - Lolnope I am not even gonna go there. I mean it's probably possible to use a giant chunk of acrylic on a lathe, but it's impractical for so many reasons.

Mask Making with Rigid Forms

Count Imbroglio — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 21:24:30 +0000

Hi All, Have been designing with Midjourney and am now looking to bring some designs into 3D in the real world, but these mask designs require a reproducible pattern and a rigid under-form. I'd love to know where I can learn about this - or the name of a good fabricator. Bronze - there are people all over town, but wearable rigid forms with soft materials mounted on them (leather, cloth, yarn) not so much. Any info appreciated!

Silicone mask mold making question

MAEVE LÉVESQUE — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 02:54:52 +0000

Hi! I'm actually working on my first sculpt with NSP Chavant clay. This will eventually become my first ever silicone mask.

I'm wondering as I'm building the form, if I'll be better to do a 3 parts mold since the ears are quite long and kind of deep. Like 1 part front, and 2 parts back. Or you think it's manageable with a 2 parts mold? I'm only starting to add details on this, but I would like to know what to expect when I get to mold making!

So what do you think?

I also intend on creating a mold for the teeth only. What's the best material for realistic looking teeth ? and what do you suggest I use as a mold ?

Thanks!

Blow your brains out materials question

Dixii Darkmagic — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 19:56:08 +0000

Hiya, I am looking at creating a blood rig and the recommended tool "Monument PANGO® Professional Power Plunger" seems to be unavailable in the US and Canada. Does anyone have a suggestion for an alternative tool? Thanks so much!

What is the best way to get a smooth surface while carving upholstery foam?

Magnus Champlin — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 06:44:54 +0000

Not sure if this is the right category. (forgive me if it's not)

Working on a large creature head for a client project, and It's being carved out of MDF upholstery foam. (design note: the design needs to look made out of foam.) You can clearly see the slices/cuts as I've trimmed it down, and I'm curious how would one go about smoothing the foam surface again? I've been snipping and slicing to get it smooth, but was curious if there is a way I'm just not figuring out. I can dremel and use dragon skin to smooth it right?

Watching Ted Haines foam fabing texture techniques course now.

Sword customization question - Will Turner sword POTC5

Darrell Green — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 20:00:17 +0000

I have been working on creating an 1860 naval cutlass using a decorative starter sword I purchased at thrift. I am nearly finished but need some pointers on making a passable, if maybe faux, fuller groove. I was thinking of possibly painting it on or acid etching it in but am open to mechanical finishing options. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. The pic with the two swords is one of the unchanged pair alongside my current work. The second and third pic is a shot of original 1860s.

I was imagining placing vinyl sticker material on the sword and then cutting out the fuller section to either acid etch or glass peen (sandblast) the exposed portion.

Will Ultracal stick to Pottery Plaster?

Em-,glass — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 02:24:22 +0000

So I've had issues with my pottery plaster two part mold where it wouldn't pry open without breaking- I think this was due to the pottery plaster not being strong enough (probably needed to be built up more too) and the fact that there was a slight undercut that I'm now fixing. I'm now basically going to get rid of and then rebuild from scratch all the edges of the plaster.

The thing is that most of the print coat of the plaster is still in tact and fine and I'd rather build on top of that so I don't have to damage my clay sculpt. I'm wanting to use ultracal this time because I know that it's a lot stronger and has a fairly quick drying time and I'll at least know if strength was the issue or not. Will the Ultracal stick fine to the pottery plaster if I start layering it on top? I'm fine if there are some imperfections etc. I'm really just looking to get it done as soon as possible for a deadline!

Thank you!

Course / pathway advice for specific project (animal suit)

Julien Llop — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:50:37 +0000

Watching the muscle suit course, I stumbled upon the following picture, and it happens it's exactly the type of work I have to do. Difficulty for me here is all the visible work on the bear's neck and head. As I can manage for the suit and make it my way, I have no idea where to start to reach such a level of quality for the neck, the face and finishing. What course would you advise to get close to that, please? As for the neck my guess would be using corset boning steel rods but i'm not sure. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance !

Tony Stark is Steve Johnson in a different life

Darrell Green — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 07:28:44 +0000

I was watching Steve Johnson in the plastic bag monsters lesson and it hit me that Downey, when playing Tony Stark, was simply channeling Steve Johnson.... if Steve designed weapons of mass destruction instead of fx. He listens to everything, gauging what it is you really want and then formulates a plan on how to get you that or better and does so with utter confidence, while snacking. Now I just need to get him to say "I ... am... Iron Man."