Stargate Props and Costumes

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Discuss those things that make intergalactic battles deadly
By brainshatterer
#567
ok, so I need some help. I have a prop replica of a wraith grenade. I'd like to duplicate it and make a working model. I have a rubbery mold substance that I was going to make a half mold of one half of the grenade, then duplicate that twice. What process do you use to make molds and what substances do you use?
Thanks
I also have a zat gun and ronon's gun that I'd like to duplicate and make electronic, but not sure of the best way to form a mold, then make a thin shelled replica.
Thanks
User avatar
By SG Merc
#568
There's various types of mold making rubbers on the market, but they basically fall into two main categories: solid or liquid. Solids come as a two part putty which you mix together and form around your model, and liquids must be mixed together and poured over your model (though sometimes you can get them in a thicker form and brush them on).

If you're working with a liquid, the best way to replicate a part is to get some oil based clay (make sure it doesn't contain any sulfur as this can hinder some silicons) and basically split your model in half. What I mean by this is to cover half of your grenade (or whatever) in clay, pour the liquid rubber over the uncovered half, turn it over, remove the clay, and then pour liquid rubber on the other half of the model.

There are some other things you'll need to do as well. You'll need to build a "mold box" around your piece. You'll need to include "keys" in your mold (basically notches in your mold so both pieces fit together correctly). You may need to include a "pour spout" and vent for air bubbles. And you'll certainly need a mold release between each half of the mold (most mold rubber will stick to itself otherwise). A good release agent is petroleum jelly, but you can also buy spray on agents.

To make a thin shelled casting you'll need to use a technique called "rotational casting". This is where you physically rotate the mold in your hands (or with a machine) until your liquid resin hardens. So you'll want to buy a resin with quick cure time obviously :wink:

I buy all of my resins and mold making rubbers from www.smooth-on.com, and recommend their products. But there are other products on the market too.

You should check out You Tube for some video tutorials. Just type in "mold making" and you'll get some results. I can then help you with any more advanced questions that you have. I can also show you some photos of molds I've made in order to explain some of the terms I used above. Just let me know.

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