My Dumb Projects
Friday, January 26, 2007
  "Bronze Squirrel" - Full Head Casting
My previous projects involving head gear were a complete pain to produce. I'd have to try it on to see how it fit and then take it off to make adjustments. The solution to this would be to work on a same size mannquin but as my melon is bigger than most standard forms, I'd have to make my own.

I didn't take any photos of the molding of my head, but I used the process detailed in this tutorial.

Tutorial

I assembled the 2-part mold and sealed up any holes.



I used a gypsum product, FGR-95 which is a super hard plaster to fill the base of the mold and when it started to harden, I scooped it up onto the sides to make a hollow casting. I mixed up a second batch and added glass fibers for additional strength and added it to the casting. After it was done, the casting was about 1-1/2" thick.



The demolded casting. Some nice detail but overall pretty rough....much cleanup to do.







Since I plan to use this for sculpting helmet and such, the ears would get in the way. I removed the ears from the head and re-cast my ears individually so they could be removable.



To dress up the casting when it's not being used, I made a base out of MDF and painted the plaster with a metal-based bronze paint.



I added small rare earth magnets to the ears and inserted screws into the head





I sprayed the painted bronze with Sophisticated Finishes Antiquing Solution.

Sophisticated Finishes

It actually reacts with the metal in the paint to produce a real bronze patina.



The final piece.



 
These are all the dumb things I find myself obsessed with building when I SHOULD be doing something more productive.

As a kid I built lots of plastic model kits, never knowing that one day those skills would actually be of use.

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Location: Phoenix, Arizona, United States
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