Mold Making and Prosthetic Application

Scott Lohse

 I am helping with the beast mask for Beauty and the Beast. Production starts on November 29th. I like to know if I can make a mold with the tusk on the chin piece or will this have to be made separately and attached to the appliance?

Second question, can I make this prosthetic with rubber latex? Brush the rubber latex on the negative mold or apply to the clay sculpted piece? I do not have an oven to make a foam latex. Is there another option or suggestion? I do have a limited budget too. Thank you, Scott

Chris Ellerby

Hi Scott,

Those tusks are small enough that you should be able to keep them as part of the appliance without needing to cast them individually.

You could make these pieces with liquid latex, but they would not move with the performer's face as much as foam latex, gelatin, or silicone appliances would.  But for a budget production latex would be a viable option.  Gelatin is your next best option for inexpensive casting material that does not need to be baked.  Gelatin appliances are just a bit more delicate and sensitive to heat, but you can get great blending edges, and melt them into the skin with a bit of witch hazel. 

Your latex castings would also be a hollow skin (not solid rubber) so you would need to back fill bulky areas like the chin and nose with something.  You could use a 2 part expanding foam inside a 2 piece mold for this.  Otherwise you could just dwell latex in an open single piece mold for each appliance to build up a skin, then use a filler like cotton to fill voids when applying.

The edges would not be as thin on a latex casting, but you may be able to hide those with hair or a theatrical paint job.

Is this for a one time event or an ongoing production? 

/Chris

Scott Lohse

Thank you Chris. I have 22 shows and two actors. Can I use the appliance twice?  Scott 

Chris Ellerby

You can't use gelatin more than once (unless you are extremely lucky).  Latex you should be able to use a few times since it's more of a mask and less of an appliance, but repainting and cleanup would likely be needed.  You'll want plenty of backups, eventually things will tear and edges will get rougher.

Reusing any appliance is based on luck, material, what adhesives you use, how hard the actor has been on it, how much time and care you spend removing it, and the quality of the original casting.  

Silicone appliances are easier to reuse if they are solid silicone, not so much if they are encapsulated silicone.

Generally it's best to have a new appliance each time, but that can be a lot of work and expense.  

/Chris