How to sculpt and cast antennae

Daniel Schmitt

Hello all!
I seem to have a knot in my brain and hope someone here can help me. It's a little longer do explain, but please, bear with me!

So, I'm working on a Star Trek Andorian mask. This alien has two antennae on his forehead.I have these antennae as a 3D print which I use as a base for scultping within the rest of the sculpt.

What I usually did:

• I stuck the antennae to the forehead and sculted the mask including the base of the antennae.
• Once finished sculpting, I removed the antennae, worked a little on the edges of the sculpt and cast the mask. This left rather arbitrary edges, however. 
• Then I made the antenna as a simple brush-on latex detail filled with cotton
• So, when I applied the mask, I first applied the prosthetics and then glued the antennae in their place inside their prosthetic base and used some latex to hide the edges

So, but this usually gave me rather ugly edges...

Now I'm looking for suggestions or tipps how I can do this better. I think that making a base on the prosthetic and glueing the antennae in them is quite a good way to do it as it adds further stability to the antennae. But I'd like to have smoother edges,

Any tips? Please see the picture I added so you know what I'm talking about. Also, I'm thinking of making the forehead and the cheeks from encapsulated silicon. Any opionions on that?

Thanks so much, any help is highly appreciated.

Devin Mcdonagh

Ok, so I would sculpt the antenna on a lifecast or core that can be used to cast this appliance.  Preferably of the person who is meant to wear it.  Here's how I would do the mold layup and flashing for it:
I would then make a core to fit into the actual prosthetic appliance by doing the following: 
Then vaseline your lifecast/core and fill the mold (upside down) with urethane and close the core onto it. 

Clean out the clay and you'll be left with an inner-antenna core that is flexible.  It will key up with the lifecast/core for casting accuracy and will allow clearance so the inner-antenna core isn't rubbing the mold interior causing failed casts.

Devin Mcdonagh

Can you provide some photos of your mold and  cast pieces?  This will aid tremendously in helping you resolve this issue.

Daniel Schmitt

@Devin Mcdonagh I haven't started yet. It's supposed to look like this:

Daniel Schmitt

Devin Mcdonagh said:

Ok, so I would sculpt the antenna on a lifecast or core that can be used to cast this appliance.  Preferably of the person who is meant to wear it.  Here's how I would do the mold layup and flashing for it:
I would then make a core to fit into the actual prosthetic appliance by doing the following: 
Then vaseline your lifecast/core and fill the mold (upside down) with urethane and close the core onto it. 

Clean out the clay and you'll be left with an inner-antenna core that is flexible.  It will key up with the lifecast/core for casting accuracy and will allow clearance so the inner-antenna core isn't rubbing the mold interior causing failed casts.

Hi! Sorry for not saying thank you. I didn't get any notifications that you wrote another answer. THANKS A LOT for this great advice!!!!!!