Which shore Hardness silicone for this mask?

Rob WhitesideRob Whiteside ✭
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.

Best Answer

  • Chris EllerbyChris Ellerby Admin
    Answer ✓
    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

Answers

  • Rob WhitesideRob Whiteside ✭
    Awesome, thank you very much.
    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.
  • Rob WhitesideRob Whiteside ✭
    Hi, so i thought for anyone following and finding themselves in a similar situation I would clarify my thoughts and further research. I am going to make the main cast in 0030 silicone, as I want the low viscosity to keep detail. However with the droop on the ears and also probably the nose from the 0030 (also the final mask will have some bone piercings as its a shaman)  I have decided to post cast cut out reinforcing  areas in the ears and nose and inject an A30  silicone for support. Well at least that's the plan. Please don't hold back on making comments if you think this is madness or completely wrong, best to find out now!
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