An Update on Making My Doll

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Sun Jun 17, 2018 11:59 am

RE: skeleton. Some plushy dolls use heavy insulated electric wire.
You can buy this by the foot for around $1.00 per foot.

viktorsx · Post by **viktorsx** » Mon Jun 18, 2018 9:22 am

What does the manual say about Releasing Agents ?

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:51 am

viktorsx wrote:What does the manual say about Releasing Agents ?

More likely the use of petroleum jelly and baby oil as a release caused the foam failure.

Omega_Vato · Post by **Omega_Vato** » Mon Jun 18, 2018 9:59 pm

rubherkitty wrote:
viktorsx wrote:What does the manual say about Releasing Agents ?
More likely the use of petroleum jelly and baby oil as a release caused the foam failure.

That was the problem. I didn't purchase Ease Release 200 but once I buy more foam for the initial casting, then hopefully everything would come out alright.

A few questions do come to mind. 1. Since the mannequin's height is about 170 cm, is it possible to just only use three gallons of Flex Foam-It instead of five to reduce cost? 2. After making the fiberglass mold (provided I've gotten the gelcoat for the mold), would it be possible to pour the entire foam into the said mold, do it in halves, or do it in layers? 3. Should I put in the wire skeleton on one half of the mold?

animals32 · Post by **animals32** » Tue Jul 10, 2018 10:28 am

Pretty impressive.

Sodium · Post by **Sodium** » Tue Aug 07, 2018 8:38 am

Any updates?

Omega_Vato · Post by **Omega_Vato** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 3:57 pm

Sorry everyone for not updating as I should. Well, last month in my personal life was ridiculous and this month was rather ok. I didn't really want to post anything until I have gone to the next step which is fiberglass casting. Right now, I'm still in my sculpting phase because I wasn't truly sure as to what I want in the sculpture's body. The body looks like it's still too skinny. I need to at the very least put about a couple of more inches of clay on the thighs and hips. However, I don't want to spend more money on Chavant clay. So, since I got most of the clay sculpting done, I think I am going to get some plasticine clay, since it's non-sulphuric, at a local arts and crafts store or online (again).

I know you must be tired of me just doing the sculpture and not casting anything at all. So, I think around September or October I will FINALLY start fiberglassing. Just hope nothing else in my personal life is going to affect this project.

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 5:55 pm

Hey, thanks for checking in.

No sweat that you haven't had time to work on your doll.
I finally did some work on my doll after she sat for a year I think as I was discouraged over some things about her.

Omega_Vato · Post by **Omega_Vato** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 6:09 pm

rubherkitty wrote:Hey, thanks for checking in.
No sweat that you haven't had time to work on your doll.
I finally did some work on my doll after she sat for a year I think as I was discouraged over some things about her.

Appreciate that!:D

I hope your doll is coming out alright and let me know if you have any updates on that. The one thing I want to figure out is what type of mold release to use. I do know PVA on fiberglass molds work but I am aware that I need to remove the wax once the PVA cures (not a huge expert on fiberglassing). I thought about using Ease Release 200 or 205 though it says it's usable on silicone and I'm not doing a silicone mold casting. Also, one thing does come to mind. I know that plastilina and plasticine are similar to each other and most of the clays out on the market are non-sulphuric, but will the mold release work on plasticine? What do you suggest?

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:01 pm

Yes, I'll be posting some updates on my doll soon.

The only clay I've been using is Van Aken Plastalina (no sulfur) as they sell it at my local Hobby Lobby. They say Chavant is the best, but I'd have to mail order that.
I've cast polyester resin "Bondo", Plat silicone - Ecoflex and Dragon skin against the Van Aken and had no problems.

I use the Ultra 4 Parfilm release I bought from Smooth-on 12+ yrs ago and it works fine.
I'll look into the Ease Release. I think that's what Smooth-on carries now.
BITY carries the Ultra 4.

I know if casting silicone against Bondo you need to let the bondo cure, off gas. I always prime and paint the bondo first, but I'm not doing extreme detail where the bondo is concerned.

MrsMannequinMan · Post by **MrsMannequinMan** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:06 pm

Your progress is looking very nice. MonsterClay is good stuff, my preference as well !

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:17 pm

Smooth-On
EASE RELEASE 205 is a versatile liquid release agent that is used for a variety mold making and casting applications. This product will release liquid urethane rubber from cured urethane rubber and a variety of surfaces. (( It will also release silicone rubber from itself and a variety of surfaces.))

It appears the ER 200 in the spray can is not for silicone, but the 205 is OK. You have to use a hand pump misting bottle as they don't sell it in a spray can.

If you have to mail order, you might just go w/t Ultra 4.
I tend to buy Smooth-On stuff as I can go by a dealer when I go to town.

Omega_Vato · Post by **Omega_Vato** » Thu Dec 27, 2018 1:40 am

Hello everyone,

It's been at least four months since I've posted an update on my project and don't worry the project has not been canceled, more like on a brief hold until everything is squared away.

Well I figured that by me attempting to do 5' 6" was going to be a no-no until I've gotten the hang of doing it small. I have made a PVC mannequin with a stand so I can sculpt over it, but before I did that I wanted to make sure that the WED clay I've bought would stick to the pipe and lo and behold it worked. So, by the end of week I'll buy at least about 125 pounds or 100 pounds of WED clay including Krylon Crystal Clear spray as a sealant, NOT a mold release.

As for the PVC mannequin, I think I'll probably make it almost at least 4' 7" since I can probably do it myself without any other person; I might probably reduce it to 4 feet just to manage and cut the cost of clay while keeping in mind I MUST NOT MAKE THE DOLL LOOK LIKE A CHILD!!!!

In regards for equipment, I'll need a gram scale (preferably a scale that can handle up to 15 pounds), measurement cups, nitrile gloves, safety goggles (I have it at work), a respirator (less expensive one), a five gallon bucket, and possibly clamps. I've learned that you can make a fiberglass roller by using washers on a roller frame to which I just needed to change the nut size.

As for the foam, I've spoken with a representative from BJB Enterprises who has sent me samples of foams to try before buying the one I want. He also recommended a polyurethane skin for the doll and figured I'll give it a try... although I want to reduce the cost by not buying the polyurethane skin but we'll see. I'm going to go with BJB instead of Smooth-On since they have a more precise way of creating foam. The one important thing I need before foam casting is mold release.

I will give you an update once the sculpture has been completed but one question and this is in regards to casting. Do I need to cast each side first before putting the two halves together or pour the foam in all at once?

Omega_Vato · Post by **Omega_Vato** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 9:37 am

New Update...

It has been about a few months without any updates or comments but I'm not ending the project. I am FINALLY going to get started casting the doll. The first cast will be the head and I am going to use the head on the mannequin I have and I still have the fiberglass resin and mat that I've bought several months ago. The weather forecast says within this week, as I write this, it will be warm and that will give me the perfect opportunity to do this head cast... I hope.

As for the body, I will not be using the mannequin that I have sculpted since it would require another person to help me and I want to do this by myself. So, I have decided to just create a PVC mannequin (to which I should have done in the first place) and sculpt the body from that. I need to make certain to follow the guidelines of TDF while simultaneously making sure the doll is at least over four feet tall but workable for one person to create the doll. Furthermore, I also realize that I would need to be more careful about designing the doll since I want the doll to penetrate plus I need to create the clay wall for casting. I will update you on the body later.

As for the materials,

I have bought some Shellac as a sealant and I've also bought these:

: 20190309_130424.jpg (1.48 MiB) Viewed 1805 times

These materials will cover the head portion and will also serve as a test model before attempting to cast the body. The pigment of the doll will be brown and will be the base color but I will ask Reynolds Advanced Materials if it's possible to paint the doll once it's finished. More updates to come...