Which shore Hardness silicone for this mask?
in Fabrication
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.
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Best Answer
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Chris Ellerby
Admin
First off, great looking sculpt!
With this mask design, I would say you are ok to use a firmer silicone, as it does not really need to move a lot with the performer's face. The mouth, jaw, and neck are free, which is where the largest range of motion is, and the eyes have plenty of room. The only motion loss you would have with firmer silicone is in the brows, which you would already lose a bit anyway with the structure of the mask.
Another option would be to mold the ears separately, then you could easily add internal supports for them, or cast them in something firmer. The downside is that attaching them to the mask would require some patching and seaming. But it would also simplify the main mold. Seams around the base of the ears should be pretty easy to hide.
/Chris
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Answers
I will go with the firmer silicone 30 I think. I can hopefully lay hands on some cured example pieces to gage for sure. I think avoiding separate mold parts and internal supports for now is probably best as I am new to this type of molding and want to keep it as simple as possible. I will update and let you know how it goes.
Rob.