Reusable One Piece Appliance Help

Thomas Thompson

I'm curious if it's possible to create a reusable one piece appliance. Basically a mask that can be glued down for maximum movement and reused a few times. It would need punched hair as well.  I was thinking silicone or foam latex. Maybe I'm asking too much. lol

Chris Ellerby

Hi Thomas,

Foam latex is difficult to reuse as it can be degraded by makeup removers, and the blending edges are prone to tear, curl up, etc.

Silicone appliances are easier to re-apply, but blending edges can still tear or stick to themselves.  Removing old adhesive, cleaning, and touching up the appliance's paint after removal helps.

it's important to manage your expectations and have a backup plan.  If you know you are going to need to re-apply a piece you can use less adhesive and try to take steps to make removal easier so the appliance is stressed less.

If your piece is designed to work with thicker blending edges, especially if it's more mask-like you can do multiple applications more easily.  You cal also embed materials like power mesh to help reinforce the silicone in areas more prone to tearing.

/Chris

Thomas Thompson

Thank you so much for that reply.  I was worried about using silicone because I might not get any range of motion outside of the mouth.  However you make some great points about foam latex.  Is there a specific silicone that would allow for facial movement?  Is there a thickness I should try that might also help with movement?

Chris Ellerby

The lower the durometer of the silicone, the softer and more pliable it will be.  You can also add a slacker/deadener to it if you want it even softer.  Softer and thinner pieces get better movement but are more prone to tearing,  so there's a balance to it.  

A good silicon to start with might be http://smooth-on.com/products/dragon-skin-fx-pro/

/Chris

Tom Luca

Our all-time favorite Foam rubber is GM Foam. Exclusively.