Silicone Props
Silicone Props, Medical Simulators, Novelties, and Doll Fabrication
Platinum silicones, such as our PlatSil Gels must be cast into compatible mold materials. Important! Casting Platinum formula silicone into molds that are not compatible will result in cure inhibition (silicone won't cure solid). When in doubt about a specific mold material, perform a small test cure to ensure compatibility.
In this first video we explain compatible mold materials and release agents.
Coloring translucent silicone is critical to creating a realistic prop or prosthetic. In this tutorial we explain the basics of coloring silicone using fast setting PlatSil FS-10. We used both flocking and silicone pigment to color the silicone.
In the next tutorial we show how to cast a very soft and squishy silicone heart from a resin mold. We used ArtKast resin for the mold and pigmented Skin Cast Silicone for the Heart.
Skin Cast Gel With A Gel-OO Encapsulating Layer
In this tutorial we use the very soft Silicone, Skin Cast Gel, to make a soft, realistic heart prop. Because Skin Cast Gel is VERY soft, we first brushed a layer of Gel-OO into the ArtKast resin mold. This allows for very realistic body parts to be made.
Using Smith's Prosthetic Deadener
Smith's Prosthetic Deadener may also be added to Skin Cast Formulas to simulate very realistic skins and other organic tissues. In this tutorial we use a thin membrane of Skin Cast 0010 and then back fill it with Deadened Skin Cast. This results in a very soft silicone part and may be used to simulated breast tissue in medical simulators.
Creating A Master Mold
In this next tutorial we show how to make a master mold (a mold of a mold) of a resin mold allowing that resin mold to be reproduced many times. We used Supralease PTR to release our EasyFlo 60 resin mold and then molded it with TC-5140 silicone. Defects were corrected with Protolina modeling clay.
Casting a Silicone Hand
This is a great beginner project that is a great way to get the "feel" for silicone and basic lifecasting. In this first tutorial we use the new FS-10 silicone pigmented with silicone pigment and flocking to create a realistic prop hand. This is a good crash course in how to pigment our translucent silicones such as PlatSil FS-10 and the PlatSil Gels.
Resin molds, such as epoxy or urethane resin, are inexpensive mold making options for silicone casting. In this first tutorial we mold a clay severed head using EasyFlo 120 thickened with PolyFiber.
In part 2 of this tutorial we explain the casting process. For larger props, like a severed head, a skin of Gel-25 can be sloshed into the mold and backed up with a core of flexible foam.
PlatSil Gels may also be thickened with TinThix or PlatThix and brushed over props or into molds to create realistic skins. In this tutorial we brush PlatSil Gel-00 over a skull prop to create a realistic skin.
Resin block mold may also be used for casting silicone. In the following video we explain a method for making EasyFlo 60 block molds that may be used for casting SkinCast silicones or PlatSil Gels. This is a great way to reproduce silicone medical simulators or adult novelties.
In-Mold Painting With Silicone
In this tutorial we show techniques for painting silicone in the mold to reduce painting required after demolding and also to preserve skin texture. We released our EasyFlo 60 mold (made in a previous video) with a light spray of 2500 mold release. We the cast a Skin Cast OO10 encapsulating layer followed by a solid Skin Cast OOO5 pour. We used pigment and flocking that can be found here.
In this next video we explain how to make resin eye forms for use in silicone busts. We use PlatSil FS-20 to mold a glass eye form and produce resin cast eye forms with TC-800 casting resin. The final silicone head was cast with a skin of Gel-10 and a core of Polyfoam F-5. Scroll down the page to see the complete process in the "Bride of BITY" videos.
Mixing realistic silicone flesh tones is an important skill. To get the most realistic flesh tone possible we recommend a combination of silicone pigments and flocking added to our PlatSil Gels. In the next video we explain the intrinsic coloring process for PlatSil Gels.
For fast body part props, PlatSil Gels may be cast directly into an alginate mold to create realistic parts. In this tutorial we pour Gel-00 into an Accucast 590 alginate mold to produce a realistic hand cast.
Once a prop has been cast in silicone, it must be painted to create a life-like finish. For this process you can use our Gel-10 painting kit to paint Gel-10, Gel-00, and Gel-25 parts.
To add additional realism to your cast and painted silicone part, hair may also be "punched" or glued onto a cast part. In this tutorial we show several ways of applying hair including our hair punching needles.
In this next video we mold a Monster Clay "Bride of BITY" sculpt using Hydrocal. We used White Modeling Clay for the dividing wall.
Once our Hydrocal Mold was made, we were ready to cast a positive with PlatSil Gel-10 and PolyFoam. We released the mold with Mold Soap.
Once our Bride of BITY was cast, she was ready for paint. We painted her with more Gel-10 pigmented with our silicone pigments and thinned for airbrushing with our solvent thinner. Naptha may also be used for thinning Gel-10.
Important!!! Use a respirator and work in a very well ventilated area when painting with solvents!