Thorssoli's MkVI Costume Buildup

[JangoFett140]

all i can say is EPIC ARMOR.... i only wish i had this much time and money to do that. Keep it up man!!

 

[thorssoli]

With making a "void between the prototype and the mother mold", what exactly does it do?
Also, Some more info on using microballoons would be very usefull.

I thought I was making this pretty clear, but I guess not. Here goes moldmaking 101.

First off, everything you want to know about microballoons can be found by clicking here.

The method I'm using to make the molds is one that I picked up in The Prop Builder's Molding and Casting Handbook by Thurston James. If you don't already have a copy of this book, I highly recommend it. It has information about every aspect of moldmaking that you will ever need.

If you're molding a complex part (one with lots of undercuts and details) in a rigid material, you need to build a flexible mold. In this case, I am using Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) silicone rubber to make the mold. Because silicone is so flexible it needs to be very thick or it will collapse under it's own weight. Because the silicone is expensive, this can be cost prohibitive. Instead, you can build a rigid "mothermold" to support the flexible "jacket mold" during casting. The mother mold can be removed easily and then the jacket mold can be peeled off the final casting.

For another example of the same technique I used on the toe of my boot, here's a shot of the heel cup and instep strap before I started making the heel cup mold. The left heel cup is in the right of the picture:

I built up a cardboard barrier to make a mold surface that would be slightly larger than the final part. This will make it easier to build up material all the way to the edges of the finished part. Then I went ahead and built up a clay wall over the whole part:

The clay is sculpted to whatever shape I want the silicone jacket mold to be when it's done. The trick is to build it in such a way that all of the silicone can be poured in from one place without trapping any air bubbles along the way. This is why I've built in what will become a funnel at the top of the clay part:

Once I'm happy with the shape of the clay, the next step is to form the rigid mothermold over the entire thing. The mothermold in this case is urethane resin with microballoons (a filler that makes it easier to sand while increasing the viscosity) and a layer of fiberglass laminated in to add strength. Once the mothermold is set up, the next step is to pull it off of the prototype and remove the clay:

With the clay removed, I then reassemble the whole arrangement. The space where the clay was will be filled with silicone. To do this, I build a barrier around the edge (using more clay) to prevent the silicone from pouring out. Then I pour RTV silicone into the top of the mold:

The silicone fills the void where the clay was removed. This method allows me to make sure the mold is thick enough to hold itself togther without wasting any excess material along the way. Once the silicone cures, I pull the whole thing apart again, remove and discard the prototype, and lay the silicone jacket back into the mothermold. Now I have a mold that I can use to laminate or slush cast copies of my heel cup.

I will be making pulls today. Here's a shot of yesterday's pulls from my toe mold:

From left to right you can see the prototype, a fiberglass-reinforced resin casting, a fiberglass-reinforced resin casting with some aluminum powder dusted onto the surface of the casting, and a cold molded aluminum casting backed with fiberglass.

This is the first pull of the toe with my prototype right heel and instep strap:

The black rubber toe cap will be cast on when I cast the soles.

Stay tuned.

 

[timecon]

thats excellent! work and very helpful I'm currently trying to complete my boots and this was the best tutorial yet on molding

 

[WetOkole]

Stay tuned.

OMG....please tell me, is that how you weather your Fett boots?? I need to konw because mine is totally brand new and havne't even thought about weathering them yet!! LOL

Great job Sean, keep it up and very ineteresting build you gots going on here!!

PM being sent after this

 

[LastSpartan]

So the RTV Silicon you are using is a pourable one right? What is the advantages of using pourable or brushable? Seems harder...


Great tutorial tho. thanks for make it clear!

 

[thorssoli]

OMG....please tell me, is that how you weather your Fett boots??

Actually it is. I started with a quick dusting of black automotive primer and decided that it didn't look old or random enough. Since then I've taken to wearing them in the shop. Now they've been splattered with all manner of random drips and drops and the only problem is that once in a while the spots are too brightly colored. I darken those with a Sharpie.

So the RTV Silicon you are using is a pourable one right? What is the advantages of using pourable or brushable? Seems harder...
Great tutorial tho. thanks for make it clear!

Using this method I can make sure to pick up all of the surface details (the main advantage of pourable silicone) without wasting any excess materials. In the past I've made molds by brushing the silicone on (look back at my helmet molds for an example) and it tends to take way too damned long. This way it takes a bit of time to do the prep work and build the mother mold and then I can just pour the silicone and walk away. When I brush it on I have to either add so much thixotropic goo that it won't pick up details or I have to spend all day scooping silicone goo off the bench and brushing it back onto the master.

I suppose you can do it however you like. I like my way.

As for updates, I've now got molds built for both heels and the toe. I'm halfway done with the instep strap and should have castings of all of the hard parts by the end of tomorrow's work in the shop. Tonight I will begin sculpting out the soles and toe caps, and tomorrow night they should be ready for molding.

Stay tuned. I'll probably manage some slightly more interesting pictures in the next 24 hours or so. I'm in a big rush to get a pair of boots put together so I can at least have the molds done before I ship out at the end of the week.

 

[rowan]

Ahhh!!! now i get it... thanks Thor, ill be buying that book later today.

 

[thorssoli]

Yesterday's progress:

Pictured here you can see both sets of cold-molded aluminum hard parts as well as the resin cast toe cups with the beginnings of the rubber caps and soles being sculpted on.

Here's a shot showing the current state of the boot:

And from the other side:

And a front view, because that makes it look really shiny:

And because I'm in a picture posting mood, here's another shot from the ankle hole showing the fiberglass interior:

And a close-up of the untrimmed toe and instep strap for the left boot:

And another shot of my sculpt for the rubber parts to attach to the toe:

Sadly, the mold for the tiny little clips that hold the instep strap on has failed after only two successful pulls. I'll need two of the clips for each boot (four per pair) so I'm going to have to make another mold out of slightly tougher silicone. Blast!

Today I'll be smoothing out the sculpt for the toe caps and soles as well as sculpting out the soles for the heel portions of the boots. With a little bit of luck I should be able to produce a complete set of boots by close of business tomorrow.

 

[Adam]

this topic rocks for the boots alone.

 

[thorssoli]

Thanks.

It's worth pointing out that the only paint in those photos is the primer on the cap and sole sculpts. None of the aluminum parts in those photos are painted at all.

I've only got this week left until I leave the country again, so I'm determined to at least finish the boots before I ship out. I figure when I get back I'll probably be in a big rush to finish the project for Halloween and it'd be nice to have the boots done already.

 

[kensai111]

Definitely can't wait to get the first pair of these Thor. They're going to go great with all the other guys work. Beautiful job.

Cheers,
Kensai

 

[LastSpartan]

I just hope you'll make boots for a shoe size of 13! ^^

it's magical

 

[Radioactiv]

Okay because you posted that Storm trooper armor...

Couldn't resist.
I love the boots, almost done.
How are you going to attach the toe cap to the shoe?

 

[Bloodl3tt3r]

Okay because you posted that Storm trooper armor...

Couldn't resist.
I love the boots, almost done.
How are you going to attach the toe cap to the shoe?

Dude, I love that poster.

Anyways, I think he said he'd custom-mold a rubber part that would be glued into that little part between the toe and the heel/strap part... He did mention custom-molding the soles and stuff, so I'm just assuming he'll do all the soft parts out of the urethane and then just pad the insides so it's comfy to wear.

Also, I'm surprised at the blatant lack of threats to raid your workshop, usually threads with this kind of epicness have an insane amount of raid threats.

 

[thorssoli]

Quick update and a couple of responses...

First, here's the current state of both of the boot soles:

The toe portions are about 95% finished. They'll just need a bit of texturing and I can start on the moldmaking. The heel portion is at about the 40% point. I still need to sculpt on the rubber portion that will wrap around the bottom of the heel cup. It should go quick though since it's much simpler than the rounded portion of the toe cap.

And here's a random winning shot of the Mad Cobbler (me) at work on this particular piece of the insanity:

Still hoping to have the first pair of soles poured tomorrow. It's going to be tight but I think I can do it.

I just hope you'll make boots for a shoe size of 13! ^^

I'm outfitting a group of costumers with a wide variety of shoe sizes. These are designed so that the final products will be perfect for me (since I'm making these things) and good enough to fit everyone else. The hard parts will all be the same size regardless of the size of the finished boot. The only difference will be the length of the black portion between the toe and the instep strap. I can probably do it, but by the time I stretch that out to fit a size 13, it may look a bit wrong. Think "Mjolnir clown shoes."

How are you going to attach the toe cap to the shoe?

The plan is to build a mold that will clamp onto the fiberglass hard parts and use it to cast the rubber parts directly onto them. I've done a few tests with the urethane rubber I'm going to use (another winning product from www.jgreer.com) and it bonds very effectively to the fiberglass as well as the urethane casting resin.

So for each boot I'll start by casting the rubber part of the heel onto the fiberglass part of the heel, attach a donor shoe which will provide all of the integral shoe parts (i.e. insoles, padding, etc.) to the inside, then lay the assembly into the mold for the forward end of the sole along with the fiberglass toe cap and cast the forward end of the sole to include the rubber cover over the toe cap. That will be enough to make a wearable boot. Then all that will be left is to put a foot in it and clip on the instep strap. This will all become much clearer when I've got pictures to post.

I'm surprised at the blatant lack of threats to raid your workshop, usually threads with this kind of epicness have an insane amount of raid threats.

I'm surprised too. I was figuring I'd have to rush to finish one of my other projects to ward off the occasional costume burglar:

 

[Bloodl3tt3r]

Oh dude, I LOVE that tank!

Make a Scorpion When you have time, of course. Also, when you make castings of the boots, how are you going to make the soles for the copies? Will you custom-attach each sole to the boot by itself or do you have some trade secret p) that allows you to cast the sole, heel, instep strap, and toe in one?

 

[LastSpartan]

The plan is to build a mold that will clamp onto the fiberglass hard parts and use it to cast the rubber parts directly onto them. I've done a few tests with the urethane rubber I'm going to use (another winning product from www.jgreer.com) and it bonds very effectively to the fiberglass as well as the urethane casting resin.

So for each boot I'll start by casting the rubber part of the heel onto the fiberglass part of the heel, attach a donor shoe which will provide all of the integral shoe parts (i.e. insoles, padding, etc.) to the inside, then lay the assembly into the mold for the forward end of the sole along with the fiberglass toe cap and cast the forward end of the sole to include the rubber cover over the toe cap. That will be enough to make a wearable boot. Then all that will be left is to put a foot in it and clip on the instep strap. This will all become much clearer when I've got pictures to post.
I'm surprised too. I was figuring I'd have to rush to finish one of my other projects to ward off the occasional costume burglar:

Oh dude, I LOVE that tank!

Make a Scorpion When you have time, of course. Also, when you make castings of the boots, how are you going to make the soles for the copies? Will you custom-attach each sole to the boot by itself or do you have some trade secret p) that allows you to cast the sole, heel, instep strap, and toe in one?

The post right above yours.

 

[Bloodl3tt3r]

The post right above yours.

Er... I knew that

Lol... shows what a lack of sleep can do for my cognitive abilities... Sorry bout that

ok, that answers all my questions for now, I'll just sit back and drool now

 

[thorssoli]

...I'll just sit back and drool now

More drool-fodder. Here's the bottoms of the masters before molding:

I didn't manage to finish the molds for the rubber parts today like I'd hoped. Fortunately I've still got a couple of days before I actually ship out.

Stay tuned.

 

[Bloodl3tt3r]

*grabs a towel and cleans the surface of my desk*

I'm too poor to afford any of this... I needs a job. lol