Thread: WTH?? Some of my props are dry-rotting!!! HELP!

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I went up into the attic this evening and my nailed down guy and my Grossferatu that I bought 2 years ago have begun to dry rot or something. The latex has peeled away and the foam underneath is showing really bad!

HELP!!!

I try to keep my props that are made of rubber or latex (like masks) in an out of the way part of the house that is climate controlled. Anywhere but the attic.
It probably gets 160 degrees in my attic in the summer. (Or more)
The cold winter is probably not good for them either.

I think moisture is pretty rough on latex...any problems with a leaky roof or something?

Also, did a quick search of the archives, and found some threads on latex preservation.
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Originally Posted by SouthernBelle

I went up into the attic this evening and my nailed down guy and my Grossferatu that I bought 2 years ago have begun to dry rot or something. The latex has peeled away and the foam underneath is showing really bad!

HELP!!!

southernbelle wore your props expose to rain last halloween then hit by sun then rain then sun ? those types of props do absorb water and when they get heated and dry off ( hard sun for example) it will make the foam latex disaggregate (sorry spelling) .....

Heat is really really bad for latex. I'm guessing that may have been the cause of it. I had a latex shirt once that I left in my room in the sun and it totally disintegrated, stuck to it's self and crumbled into a sticky mess.
As far as fixing it goes.... I would try getting some adhesive, put it on the foam and press the latex back over it. Any patches that are blank after that I'd use some liquid latex to cover and then paint over that when it was dry to match the surrounding color. There is also latex shine/conditioner spray for latex clothing that might work for props too, but I'd do a test patch first to see how it reacts with the paint and all. Rubber cement works great for gluing latex. You have to put a thin layer on the latex and on what you want it to stick to, let it dry and then press the two sides together. Thin latex wants to curl when you apply the cement so be ready for that if it is super thin latex. My guess is that it is much thicker than what I'm used to working with and you won't have that issue.
In the future make sure your props are kept out of the heat. Sorry to hear they are breaking down on you. That has got to be such a disappointment!

Definitely the attic...and being out in the yard.

I installed an attic fan and a thermostatic outlet that turns on two oscillating fans in my attic in an attempt to keep the temps in the 120 degree range. I really hope my props aren't ruined... I won't get to see them this year.

Last year my gravedigger's latex hands simply disintegrated from being in the weather for a few weeks.