skulls

[Sickie Ickie]

I keep hearing ACC has $5 skulls, but the cheapest I can find full size there is $12 or $7 for a thrifty. Somewhere else I read people bought foam skulls from them? What am I missing here????

[Zombie-F]

You're missing the sale. The $5 skulls are only when they're on sale, and the sales are usually not formally announced on their web site. Vlad usually gets tipped off to the sales just before they happen, so keep your eyes peeled for when he posts the next one.

The other "catch" with the sales is that you have to call Marilyn Lack directly at ACC have a "haunt name" to ship the items to. I just tell them it's for the Unpleasant Street haunt in my case, and if you haven't created a haunt name just make one up when you order and you'll be good to go.

[krough]

You can also call Marilyn anytime and make an order, the prices are generally at a discount from retail if you do what Zombie said and give her a haunt name. I have the 2006 price list at home, I can check on pricing normally for a 4th quality Bucky skull this evening. I recall noticing that even with the sale the price wasnt that much off the normal "haunters" pricing

[Vlad]

I would also recommend calling her directly to see what the prices are. As far as foam skulls, you might want to ask Jeff (Frighteners E) what he has available. I know he was selling skulls a little while ago, and I'm still kicking myself for not asking him his prices and finding out what he had. I'm a skull fiend. For foam skulls, the best I've found, is to make a mold, and cast your own. After buying the 2 part foam, and making the mold, I found the final cost to be just about $5 each. I'll have a How To posted on this soon.

[Hellrazor]

where can you find a mold - now thats what I need...

[ruafraid]

Well I looked for a long time and ended up buying one from e-bay that turned out not to be what it was advertised as :( Soo I just made my own and have been working on perfecting my "skull mold" So far I have made a few out of 100% silicone caulk and it has a tendancy to "tear" at certain places but works fairly well. I have purchased some RTV rubber for my next skull mold. Similar to the mold made at this link. www.halloweencreations.com/skull%20molds.htm but that link is still not working :( I just checked again. These can be used to cast with plaster, resin, wax, or 2 part foam, and of course Great Stuff Foam that has a tendancy to shrink a bit a few days later but it works well most of the time. I have also bought a large candle skull mold off e-bay. I have used that with success with plaster and also with a spray mold release from smoot-in I have used it with foam as well.

[Vlad]

This will show you how to make your own skull mold. The only difference in making a mold to use with 2 part foam, is that the mold completely covers the bottom of the skull as well. >>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.terroronbeechwood.com/index.php?pr=Mache_skulls_from_mold

[Sickie Ickie]

I just bought a large candle skull mold off Ebay, so we'll see how things turn out from that...

[ruafraid]

I just bought a large candle skull mold off Ebay, so we'll see how things turn out from that...
If you are going to cast Great Stuff Foam in the candle mold you will need a mold release so the foam does not stick to the plastic. I have done this with success quite a few times and recently with the a/b two part foam which works soo much better than great stuff. The mold release I used was from Smooth-on the url is http://www.smooth-on.com/releases.asp and I bought a spray can of the Universal Mold Release. Hope this helps you out.

[Sickie Ickie]

Thanks, Ruafraid. I've heard through the grapevine that Pam or dishwashing soap also works. Have you had experience with these?

[ruafraid]

Not with Foam I have used it for plaster "Pam" . I did apply some car wax to it once as well for plaster. The Great stuff does not get hot like the 2 part foam does since they both cure differently. Try this "find a piece of plastic" and coat each piece with each of your releases then spay great stuff on each one and see how well it comes off. That will tell you which one or both work. This is better than messing up your new mold. Let us know the results I am curious as well now. If they work its cheaper than the spray mold release. We like cheap since our budget is Zero ! LOL

[heresjohnny]

I have a skull question. When you do the great stuff foam, have you tried just a single layer (maybe 1/2 to 1" thick)on the inside of the mold? I am wondering if that would address the drying and shrinking problems. It seems like the result would still be stiff enough.

[ruafraid]

HJ I have made 1/2 skull faces that dry with no problem I guess I have not had the patience to just spray some great stuff then wait then spray another layer and so on. It should work fine I have added great stuff to other things and it adheres well to itself. The clean up used to be a pain until I worked out a system to be able to re-use the applicator and straw after each use.

[Sickie Ickie]

And that system would be?

[ruafraid]

And that system would be?
What I have is a small square plastic container that is half full of paint thinner "turpentine" and a regular drinking straw. What I do is remove the great stuff applicator and straw then I use my air nozzle from my compressor to blow out the remainder into a plastic grocery bag then I remove the straw and applicator and place them in the tray then I get the straw and get some paint thinner in it by placing the straw into the paint thinner then holding my finger over the other end to hold the paint thinner in the straw and then put some back into the Great Stuff can opening to keep the remainder from getting hard. I am able to re-use the plastic straw and appicatir over and over this way. So thats my "system" LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Cool! Now if I had a air compressor w/a small nozzle...

[Sickie Ickie]

I just received my yesterday. I'm experimenting using a variation of Vlad's mache recipe and diswashing soap on the mold for a release.

Does anyone know how long it usually takes the mache to dry? I started yesterday eve and it is still wet this afternoon.