Chest Emblem Mold

Progress has been made on the mold of the top plate of the chest emblem.

Here's how the top half looked when I pulled it out of the box. I needed to cut a thin layer of silicone out.



Here is the back half. I'm going to use a brass rod to cut vents into the mold. This will allow air out of the mold when it is curing, so hopefully no bubbles.



Here's how it looked after the vents were cut.



The next step is to run a few pulls out of the mold. Two sided molds like this always take some time to figure out how they work. You need to play around with it during the pouring process to see where the air pockets tend to gather, and if necessary cut more vents or figure out a way to work around them.

Sonic and Molding

Today is Veterans Day, and I took this day off as an opportunity to get a lot of things done around the house, including working on some projects. I'm still trying really hard to maintain my "at least one step of progress per day" policy on my Superman Returns costume. It's been going well so far, though the steps are often really small.

I think the point of that policy focuses on momentum. Often the hardest part is getting started. But once you get started, things tend to keep going. Some days it works, and others it does not. Today was a good example of this working.

I put together another box in order to mold the front piece of the chest emblem. For one reason or another, this is the third time I've molded this piece. Let's hope I get it right this time.



And in the world of my prop collection, today my Sonic Screwdriver arrived from Millenium FX in England! This is (in my mind) the key prop as seen in the past few years of the british television show "Doctor Who". It hasn't quite caught on over here in America, but in the UK, it is CRAZY popular.



This is a prop I have been waiting to see done properly for a number of years now. I was even planning on taking a swing at it myself, and was all poised to purchase a mill and lathe to make it happen. Then I caught wind that this piece was going to come to market, so I waited. It took a LONG wait, but I think it was worth it.

I'm going to try to bang out a belt tonight, now that I've got the technique and the urethane problems solved. Time to move onto the final phase with that one, and then put that element of the costume to bed. I think the chest emblem will follow closely behind, as it will just be a matter of getting the mold to work properly.

CSM Wallets Arrive, And Get Finished

I arrived home tonight to find that my new, and hopefully properly sized wallets had arrived.



I pulled open the Adobe Illustrator files I had put together a few years ago, made a couple little changes to the text, sized them according to the new wallets, and printed them out. Voila!



For reference, here is the pic that was posted on Propstore years and years ago. Aside from the photo of the Cancer Man, I think I got it really darn close. And I think the new wallets are perfect!



Still a tiny bit of sizing to get right, and I will need to print the cards out on photo paper, but other than that, this one turned out great.

Confirmed: Urethane Problems Are Solved!

Alert the media, film at eleven, it's official: my urethane problems are gone. Today I got a PERFECT pull from the chest emblem back plate mold. Check this out:





Front and back, I cannot imagine it getting any better. The casting on the front side is without flaw. ZERO bubbles. The back side has a couple of small ones, but who cares. The color is even pretty close, which is great. I actually got the color a little better when mixing it, but decided it was not the color I wanted on my final costume, so I lightened it up a little. The real one has a bit of green and orange in it. While this may look great on color corrected film, it looks a little weird in real life, so I softened it up a bit.

But the opacity problems are totally gone, the tinting problems are totally gone. I'm very happy right now! Can't wait for my silicone to arrive so I can finish up the chest emblem and call that chapter done!

To push this post over the edge as far as geek factor goes, it's only fair to include these two bad boys:



Props from the latest Star Trek movie. Got these on markdown at Target. Could not resist. I am a huge tricorder fan, and this one actually looks nice. It only saw a couple of seconds of screen time, and wasn't even seen in full. The phaser is pretty cool too. Nothing spectacular, but for an off the shelf piece, it is indeed quite nice.

Glue and Opacity

Before I begin, I should mention that I ordered another wallet tonight from the same place I ordered the last couple. I think I've got the dimensions right for the CSM wallet. We will find out in a few days.

I stopped at Lowe's this evening and picked up some supplies. A bunch of different glues to try to get the fabric to stick to the back of the latex cape, and also some mineral spirits to thin out urethane, should I decide to do some experimentation with that on the cape.



The backplate of the chest emblem turned out just plain beautifully! The red is nice and opaque, though still a TAD bit milky. Nothing another drop or two of red pigment would not fix. But still, as far as I am concerned, this problem is solved, and I'm moving forward.



I also have a lead on some boot intel, but I don't want to spoil it quite yet. I will keep everyone posted when the facts materialize

Misc Musings and Progress

I have a whole jumble of little things to report today, but nothing really photo worthy.

I ordered some more silicone rubber for mold making. I order my stuff from http://www.silpak.com/. Always a pleasure doing business with them. I ordered a one gallon kit of their R1328A, and to kits of the R1324B catalyst. I ordered two because I still have some rubber left over from my last purchase, and don't want to see it go to waste.

I did another test pour of the chest emblem backplate, this time doing a test of the color red to see if I can get the color depth and richness I am looking for. Unlike last time, I powdered the mold for this one. I am curious to see how it turns out.

On the cape front, I ordered a couple of samples from different rubber sheet manufacturers to see if I can find a match for the diamond pattern. I'm really not sure what level of confidence I should have in this. It might be a shot in the dark, or there may exist some industry standards that make finding it easy. Who knows.

I took some measurements off the CSM XFiles wallet that I got in the mail the other day, and compared them to some measurements I saved from when Propstore posted it. The wallet is precisely one half inch wide. Great news is that the company that sold me the last one makes one that is precisely one half inch narrower. I'm going to order one. I need to do the same thing for the Alias wallet. I'm not sure why I am suddenly so passionate about finishing up those long dead projects. Maybe it's just because once I bite my teeth into something, I'm loathe to let go.

That's it for now. Tomorrow I should have some pictures of the chest emblem back plate. As soon as the rubber shows up, I will mold the top plate. Now that I've got my urethane problems all solved, the chest emblem should come together very quickly. And with the white opacifier stuff I found recently, I should probably revisit the belt, as I will now have great precision control over the final color.

So yeah, it's pretty much all coming up roses!

Opacity Problem Is Solved

A very exciting day for me over here at the Project Workbench. This morning, I am pleased to discover that I have found a solution for the opacity problems I was experiencing with my urethane!

Regular readers will know that I have searched high and low for a urethane that will cure VERY opaque, as that is what I want and need for my Superman Returns costume parts. I found a yellow pigment that works really well, but have struggled long and hard to find a good red.

Here's a sample that came out of the mold this morning



Granted, the color is off a bit, but that's not the point. The point is that it's REALLY DARN OPAQUE! And that is precisely what I was after. This is really geat news for me, as I can now move forward.

Here's the stuff I used. I put in a little bit of the white stuff, and it just makes it brick-wall opaque. Just like the yellow. Only without the yellow.



I'm very excited right now, and looking forward to moving ahead. This opens up all kinds of doors for me regarding different parts of the costume, and may also let me pursue a different direction with the cape.

SPEAKING OF THE CAPE, I'm still having trouble with it. Right now, I'm trying to develop a technique to attach the red fabric to the back side of the latex shell I have poured. I've tried using brushed on latex, and I've tried using brushed on urethane. None of those work as an adhesive. The next move is spray77, though I don't have high hopes for that. One thing that concerns me is fabric I am using. It is not the thickest stuff, and I think the final product will be. So I may hold out until I find something better.

In the mean time, I have been thinking about starting again with the cape, but this time making a rigid mold. This will allow me to be more flexible in the materials I use to pour it up. I'm no longer convinced that the originals were made of latex. Though an interview with the costume makers claims it is, there are some contradictory facts. I cannot say with utter certainty, but the cape I handled certainly didn't FEEL or move like latex, nor did it react like it. Hard to explain. It just didn't feel right. To make a urethane cape (which I feel confident now that I can do, seeing as how I've found a really opaque urethane mix!!) I will need a rigid mold, as the urethane just beads up when you pour it thin onto silicone. I will do some more testing to confirm this, and experiment with materials, but this has been my experience in the past.

So it occurred to me to make a rigid mold. The screen used cape was made using three sections of diamond pattern material. My guess is they picked up a roll of some industrial coating, cut three strips, lined them up, and then molded it. THe capes then came out of that. For the record, you can see the seams in the screen used cape for the three sections I'm talking about. I'm not just taking pot-shots in the dark on this one. Which means the trick is to find that rubber. I've had some luck lately using google, but need to do some more research. I'm not sure how to proceed. If I can find the EXACT same rubber that was used to make the capes for the movie, I think I will pursue a rigid mold. It will give me some more freedom, and eliminate some of the nagging issues I have with the current mold. It'll also be good in case the mold is somehow damaged, as it will be easy to recreate it if necessary.

Alias Wallet Done

Though not quite perfect, this is as close to done as it needs to be.



After looking a little more closely at the wallet and comparing it to some screen captures, I realized it is indeed NOT the exact same one. It's close. But then, I'm not a fan of "Close enough" props.

Still, this turned out pretty good. I think to the untraied eye, it would be hard to tell it wasn't pretty accurate.

I was thinking about doing a little more research into finding a better match for the wallet, but I think I'll just let this one go, and call it done. It's not a very interesting prop for me, and it's rather "yesterday" as far as my interests go.

Wallets Arrive!

I got home late last night from a really fun weekend in NY where I was fortunate enough to spend halloween. It was a total riot, and I recommend it to anyone!

I checked the mailbox and was very pleased to find that my wallet order had arrived. The punchline is that they are just about perfect!

The first one is the one I had pegged for Sidney Bristow. Honestly and seriously, this one is perfect. Dead on. Looks EXACTLY like the one used on the show. I have some screen captures that I brightened and enhanced, and when comparing to this one, I cannot tell the difference. Slam dunk!



My next task will be to print out the cards that I drew up a while ago, print them out, put them in, and this project will be officially closed.

The second piece is the X-Files CSM wallet. It's REALLY nice, and just like the Alias wallet, matches up VERY nicely to the pictures I have of the prop. Stylistically, it's a dead match. Same construction, same lines. I will have to compare to propstore measurements, but it looks good. if it was sitting on a shelf next to a photo of the real one, it would be indistinguishable.

The downside is that the outer layer is synthetic! I thought it was leather. But for all I know, the real one was synthetic too. It's just not consistent with the screen used Mulder and Scully wallets I own. Doesn't make it wrong! i will need to take a closer look at my stills and see if I can draw a conclusion.



It is still a VERY nice wallet, and will look really good when it is all finished. It's not like all is lost or anything!

On a final note, while in Brooklyn, I got ahold of a couple of "Snake Pit" matches, that are a "fantasy prop" from the world of Blade Runner. A "Fantasy Prop" simply means that it is something that comes directly from the mind of a dedicated fan, and was not seen in the film, created for production, or even intended to be. Just something inspired by the production.



What is even MORE funny is that I accidentally brought them home in my carry on luggage. Good job TSA. Keeping our skies safe.

XFiles and Alias

A couple of years ago, I was very interested in various credentials that were used by characters on TV shows. I also had a lot of free time to plink around in Adobe Illustrator, and as a result of some good reference materials, I made ID cards and wallets for both Sidney Bristow from the show "Alias" and the Cigarette Smoking Man from "The X-Files". The wallets were made by hand, and I was never entirely happy with them. But the wallet cards were really nice.

Just the other day, I was talking on the phone with a good pal of mine John D who is pursing another run of Blade Runner wallets, and he mentioned an online resource he uses for his wallets. I went to their website and poked around, only to find that they make credential holders that look EXACTLY like the ones I tried to replicate for CSM and Sidney!

I was very excited about this, so I came home and compared my screen caps and reference materials to what they offered on this site, and sure enough, they look really darn good.

Here's a link to the company that makes them:
www.perfectfitusa.com

And here is the reseller that I purchased them from:
www.epolicesupply.com

If you go into the "Double ID Cases" section, you can find the models I ordered. For CSM, I ordered 503 - Duty Leather Book Style Double ID Case, and for Sidney I picked up 508 - Thin Line Book Style Double ID Case. I'm really confident about the size on the Sidney one, though the CSM one is just an estimate based on some dims I got online. It may not be totally right, but it will look really good.

My personal feeling on the CSM wallet is that it was custom made, just like all of the wallets for the XFiles. Nothing to substantiate that claim, just intuition. The Alias wallet looks like an off the shelf piece, and this one matches really well.

When I get the wallets, I will re-print the cards, snap some pics, and post them here.