Casting shells... Minus the shells

[Aziara]

So after reading all over the forum how uncomfortable real shell tops are, I figured I'd better go with silicone. But another thing that worried me about real shells was how shallow they are. I'm not over-endowed, but I didn't want to show off too much side-boob either. (I'm sort of, well, conical?) so just casting a real shell wouldn't work for me.Thus:http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o554/Aziara86/photo-2.jpghttp://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o554/Aziara86/photo-3.jpghttp://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o554/Aziara86/photo-4.jpgNow I just need to find my plaster. I already have some silicone caulking that says it's 'paintable'. So what do ya'll think? Does it look like a real shell? (Other than the fact that it's currently made of clay, lol

[Mermaid Fenicia]

Looks very nice :)

[Aziara]

Thanks. It's just killing me right now that I can't find my plaster of Paris. I have a huge carton of it...somewhere.

[MermaidHyli]

I've made these before and they work great! Very comfortable and stylish. Paintable silicone is really rather impossible I've found. It's best to mix the silicone with paint and then thin it to paint it. =] hope this helps! if not you can take a look at my process here : http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?4721-My-silicone-shell-top!

[Aziara]

Nice!
Guess I did better than I thought on my mold. My husband thought the clay was a real shell when he got home!
I thin silicone with lighter fluid for painting, right?
Finally found my plaster, and got it set up.
I'm trying to come up with what to use for straps. I'd like them to look like I braided seaweed into a rope. A slightly messy green rope. Any ideas?

[MermaidHyli]

Woderful! I used xylol for mine it is VERY toxic and will melt through any plastics so I suggest using glass. As far as straps...check with Michaels or a local craft store. I didn't really know what I wanted until I got there and found it. Maybe do fish net weaved together with a string of seaweed?

[Aziara]

Insert pitiful wail here
http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o554/Aziara86/photo-7.jpg
The mold cracked... I think I need to reevaluate my casting method...

[Aziara]

Ok, got the cast done and currently have some silicone caulk curing in it. My problem the first try was just pouring the plaster over the top, it all ran off and got too thin on top. This time I poured the plaster into a dish and pushed the clay shell in face down.
Does the silicone dry sticky? It's been almost 24 hours since I put it in the mold, and while it's stiff enough that I can't push a fingerprint into it, it has a sticky feel, like touching the wrong side of duct tape. Do I just need to powder it? Or should it set longer?

[MermaidHyli]

Hmm I would let it cure longer my didnt feel sticky after a day or so. It also depends on how think you casted it. Ive found that the thinner it is the better it looks and holds

[Aziara]

Well, I learned a lot in this endeavor, but I'm not sure my shells are usable.http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o554/Aziara86/photo-8.jpgThings I learned:Silicone caulk is the texture of refrigerated peanut butter. Which is likely why I ended up with so many bubbles in the casting. It also doesn't feel very sturdy, and while it does have some floppy-ness to it, no stretch whatsoever. So no tail out of caulk for sure.A little disappointing, but I'm relieved that I decided to only get one tube of caulk and test it out on something small first. So, in conclusion, I think I might have to go with real shell on a bikini. I'm thinking of making a top like this one:http://charleneajose.tumblr.com/post/21086590079/diy-project-braided-bandeau-bikini-top-from-an-old