Yep, the project we're working on is crazy ambitious! The key for things like this is to keep working at it. Even if there is a setback or roadblock, just keep hammering away at it and in many cases you can find a new solution that works better than what you thought was possible at first. "Advice" should be taken with a grain of salt. Most of the time you are relying on the limited capability of the person you are talking to and many times they just like to hear themselves talk.muesky6969 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 02, 2022 7:59 am
Well it seems this whole project is very ambitious, but things just seem to be coming together when I start to feel it just isn't going to work.. But that is literally how everything has been since I started working on these dolls. So many times I have been told "that's not possible" or "you can't do that". Silly rabbits that is like gas to a fire.. LOL!! Speaking of I actually found a connector that will work for attaching the hands to the skeleton.. I will be posting pictures of what I found once I go back to the hardware store and get smaller connection bolts.. Dumb me listened to a guy trying to mansplain what I need, and he had no idea what he was talking about..
Thanks for the pictures. As you said with the skeleton a picture is worth a 1000 words.. The method I am using I don't think will work for the dolls. So the molding process I am using is one I got off Smooth-On's website on how to life cast.. That is definitely a website you want to save in your favorites list.. They all kind of instructional videos.. So how you do it is you take a person or thing, cover the area being molded with a release agent, then you actually paint on the silicone/urethan/latex on to the person or body. (I have a silicone set of hands and feet I am going to use) Once it is dry, before you unmold the person or thing you puts one layer of plaster cloth to help the mold hold it's shape. Then you cut the mold off (carefully), and after demolding you add a few more layers of plaster cloth to make the casting rigid.. For this the mold seams are going to have to go down the middle of the hands and feet length ways. This is one of the most economic way or making life cast molds, as you don't have as much wasted molding material..
I really like how you did the head.. That was really cool.. Did you use hot glue to make the molding box? Hot glue is what I saw used in a video on how to make silicone molds but the person also used clear packing tape to to keep the silicone from leaking.. That was back when I thought I was going to have to mold the ears to graft onto Agares..Sure went a totally different way with that..
So why do you need neck connectors? Are you not going to mold the dolls whole? I mean that is my plan, in the future is to have the head connected.. This is something a few companies are doing right now but it is only on their really small dolls, because of the weight issue.. I will redesign the skull and neck connection but yeah.. That might actually be easier, and more realistic.. JS If you do decide to have where the head is detachable I do recommend going with the same system they have on the manufactured dolls. I bet if you ask around you might be able to get a few doll skulls. I have two dolls coming in tomorrow or Tuesday, one I am going to repair for the guy and the other I am going to keep. The last doll that came is the head is way too small for the body, so I am going to have to find her a bigger head. So I may have a doll skull if you are interested.
Oh crap!! That is what I keep forgetting to do is take a picture of Ebon's head.. Man he is beautiful and the head is big.. Much bigger then the heads normally made for these dolls but it will be perfect for a 6'+ doll.. He is going to need to be aged up a little bit, of course I will graft elf ears and I need to do just a bit of fine tuning on his cheekbones but other then that he is amazing. I will get some pictures taken before I start cutting his ears.
My daughter used to tell people that her mom could fix anything with duct tape and copper wire.. LOL!! One hat I have worn in the past was working as a costume designer and seamstress in a costume shop.. That is how I learned about fence wire.. It is used a lot in the costume industry..
Yesterday was a good day. I was able to find another solution to a problem facing building my doll.. Since me and mine have decided we are not feeling very celebratory about our country this year, we are not going to celebrate the 4th on Monday but have a nice get together tomorrow.. So I will have time to experiment with silicone..
I didn't think what I had been doing with mold boxes would translate too well for what you are doing. They are good for small items but get expensive very quickly since they aren't very efficient with the mold material. For my dildo and head molds they are ok since there wouldn't be much savings by doing a brush on mold like you have planned. For the 1/2 scale and full size models I will have to do thinner molds with a brush on mold and a hard mother mold on the outside. I have done brush on molds in the past with a plaster bandage mother mold, but I wanted to stay experimenting with different mixes of silicone for now and keep moving. For the larger molds I will really have to think about it. Plaster bandages are pretty flexible and might not work well to get good seam lines on the bigger castings.
For lifecasting small parts in a glove mold alginate works great. It's a one use mold and deteriorates after a few hours, but you can make a new master model if you need to make refinements before making the final mold.
Yup! Hot glue and foam core for the mold box. It's fast and easy. It's good for smaller box molds. When casting a part I use plywood panels for extra support on two sides of the mold and add mold straps to keep everything together. I ran out of plywood for the 1/4 scale mold so I just went with straps. Obviously they wasn't quite enough to keep the flexible mold from leaking at first. The foam core is good for irregular shaped molds since it is so easy to score and bend. If I don't cut all the way through the board it is water tight! I think my heat setting was too high on my glue gun and it was melting the foam in the core and causing tiny leaks. More isn't always better!
For the head connector, I'm just testing it right now. I have a ways to go before my final decisions on the full scale mold. I think the first Realdolls were all one unit with the head attached. Advantages of using a separate head is that the neck is more adjustable (even if the seam is somewhat less realistic) and it is easier to get more variety by swapping out the head. I also think it would be cool to do a couple of subtle emotions on the same head model and make them with different oral capabilities. Finishing and maintenance is a bit easier with a separate head. Just pop it off and put it on your workbench.
Thanks for the offer of the skull! That's really nice of you. If you could take pics of it from all around I might get some ideas. For testing I think I can 3d print skulls to refine the idea. If I find one that works I can cast it out of resin.
I'm so happy to hear that you are happy with Ebon's head! I can't wait to see the mods that you have planned for him. You're right, doll heads are usually pretty small. Way back I would use the head from My Gabe on the body with the fabric muscle suit (Wade). He's really pretty but at 5'7 his head was comically small for the 6'2 foam mannequin I was using. For Troy and Wade I have been using silicone masks over padded head forms. One thing I really like about them is that they are designed to be put on over regular sized people heads so they are a bit oversize and a good match for the big guys I've been working on.
I love making my own costumes! They require a lot of creativity to realize your idea. I've went to Burning Man a couple of times and one of my favorite things is to bring a bunch of random fabrics and put together outfits as I need them. They were pretty simple but it was about expressing what I was feeling on the outside through clothes. One time I wore a sequin pillow case as a shirt!
They look like crap but once I start sculpting them out they will be lovely..
