Reddit reviews Mark Alfrey's Standard Molds and Castings

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: "Mark Alfrey's Standard Molds and Castings"


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Canada|amazon.ca|




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If your goal is to have a very sturdy, production ready piece - using a mold that can cast many copies then a matrix mold, silicone for the detail and plaster/fiberglass/shell shock plastic material for the outer shell would be a method. This is the method that Stan Winston Studios used for the practical facial armor pieces in Iron Man.

The key to remember is if your final product is firm/rigid, like hard plastic - you need a "soft based' mold at the detail layer. If your looking for a soft final product (silicone/latex) then fiberglass or stone based molds usually fit the bill.
If you do use a rigid/hard mold material and you want a rigid/hard final piece, it is very likely your going to encounter a mold lock - or at the best a one time pull after the destruction of the mold (if your lucky!).

"Mark Alfrey's Standard Molds and Castings" may be a decent way to introduce some of the mold making concepts for this item or other future projects in one hit. Its essentially a video of Mold maker Pedro Valdez (well known FX mold maker) making a couple examples for hard or soft final products (latex mask or resin statue - that could also be used for a hard plastic helm!).

You would make or purchase an armature Here is one of the best there is that you can buy, of if you can volunteer someone competent it would great to get a head cast of yourself however - certain materials shrink a bit, depending on casting material keep this into account. If this is your first round purchase a durable, high quality armature to eliminate a lot of frustration. Build up clay to account for fitting and sculpt the face, then use the mold making techniques to create a long lasting and reusable mold. If all goes well you would be able to make and paint up as many masks as you like, the return of a good mold.

For materials of casting resin, plastic for the mask - silicone and other mold materials you should check out Smooth-On's products. They have a lot of tutorials and phone support to point you in the right direction.
Hope this helps, good luck! DeathStroke is awesome

*edit - if using silicone mold you MUST use a sulfur free clay like chavant NSP or highly recommended Monster clay (Rick Baker loves this stuff). Sulfur in oil clay from craft stores like "Michael's", etc - like roma plastilina will destroy your silicone mold, silicone will never dry if it touches sulfur- this is why the industry moved to the items listed above (or the always awesome WED clay!).