ShyMer
02-05-2014, 08:40 PM
I've been thinking a lot lately about how I would have done my first tail differently. I like my green tail, but it has a lot of issues that I think I could avoid a second time. Fortunately I ordered twice as much of everything the first time, so I have pretty much everything I need just lying around the apartment!
I was pleased to find out my 2.5 gallons of leftover latex was still good. I was concerned, as it's been sitting in the corner for a year.
My main complaint about my first tail is that the body is cast waaay too thick. It hardly stretches at all, which means it has major fitting problems.
18247
You can see how thin the new sheets are from the light shining through them. The old ones are a monster 1/8th of an inch at their thickest points. What was I thinking??? These new ones are so much stretchier.
I was a little concerned about tearing, but it's probably going to be fine. I'm adding more latex in places that will need a little more strength like the waist.
Two more things about casting- I'm using a very small scale mold. I have to make six sheets and join them together- most people make a large mold and only have to do two. The good news is that since I'm casting them so thin, they're drying much faster than last time (having a ceiling fan going constantly helps!) I started casting last night and am waiting on my last coat of latex to dry on my sixth sheet now.
Which brings me to the second thing- my new favorite latex tool is an old credit card. It's a little more flexible than the other ones I have for crafts, and works really well for pushing the latex around. Since it isn't a brush, it doesn't get gummed up or have crumbs messing with the smoothness of the latex. When I'm done I can scrape everything off or wait for it to dry. It's awesome.
18246
Here's how I'm attaching my scale sheets together. I left my last row of scales thinner than the rest so it wouldn't be super bulky (one of the things that give a seam away, I think) and left the raw edge on the top of the lower sheet (also cast thinner in that area.) I used more latex like a glue to attach the sheets together after carefully lining them up. I'm betting that after I paint it, you won't be able to see the seams at all.
That's all I have for now. I'm hoping to finish the construction of the tail within a week or so. Any thoughts so far?
I was pleased to find out my 2.5 gallons of leftover latex was still good. I was concerned, as it's been sitting in the corner for a year.
My main complaint about my first tail is that the body is cast waaay too thick. It hardly stretches at all, which means it has major fitting problems.
18247
You can see how thin the new sheets are from the light shining through them. The old ones are a monster 1/8th of an inch at their thickest points. What was I thinking??? These new ones are so much stretchier.
I was a little concerned about tearing, but it's probably going to be fine. I'm adding more latex in places that will need a little more strength like the waist.
Two more things about casting- I'm using a very small scale mold. I have to make six sheets and join them together- most people make a large mold and only have to do two. The good news is that since I'm casting them so thin, they're drying much faster than last time (having a ceiling fan going constantly helps!) I started casting last night and am waiting on my last coat of latex to dry on my sixth sheet now.
Which brings me to the second thing- my new favorite latex tool is an old credit card. It's a little more flexible than the other ones I have for crafts, and works really well for pushing the latex around. Since it isn't a brush, it doesn't get gummed up or have crumbs messing with the smoothness of the latex. When I'm done I can scrape everything off or wait for it to dry. It's awesome.
18246
Here's how I'm attaching my scale sheets together. I left my last row of scales thinner than the rest so it wouldn't be super bulky (one of the things that give a seam away, I think) and left the raw edge on the top of the lower sheet (also cast thinner in that area.) I used more latex like a glue to attach the sheets together after carefully lining them up. I'm betting that after I paint it, you won't be able to see the seams at all.
That's all I have for now. I'm hoping to finish the construction of the tail within a week or so. Any thoughts so far?