Thread: Foam-filling a mask...Need advice

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I really need some help with this. I have a full head mask that I will be using with a life-sized prop and I would like to fill it with foam, however, I don't want to use Great Stuff because it expands so much and I don't want the mask to look like an overinflated balloon. The mask is bigger than the usual beauty shop styrofoam head, so it just kind of wobbles around. I would like to find a product that remains pliable but fills the mask (or fills the voids around the styrofoam head) and solidifies it, yet doesnt stretch it out and completely distort the face. So far, I have not come up with anything. Anybody have any recommendations? - I'm running out of time!!!

That's hard to do cheaply.
You could see if one of these places has an almost non-expanding two-part poly foam. (You need 2 part foam because all 1 part poly foams require moisture to cure. Usually it's the moisture in the air that does it, but sometimes you can get it to cure in a sealed place or in thicker applications by misting water on thin layers of the foam. That doesn't always work, and sometimes the foam will collapse later.)
I think a 2x expansion is around the lowest, and with even that low amount of expansion it'll be hard to keep the shape.
Normally when you see a foam-filled mask, it was filled while still in the mold. That keeps it from ballooning.

Good luck!

http://www.reynoldsam.com/
http://www.smooth-on.com/

Lurks is right. Molds are the safest way to prevent distortions as the foam expands. I have, however, seen a guy foam fill (with great sucess) mask's by flipping them upside-down (obviously) and clothes-pinning the mask around the base to the inside of a box. The mask is suspended in the box so to speak. Then, he fills with a 2 part poly-foam ( medium density) in several batches..foaming it up little by little. He seems to avoid distortion this way. It does take practice though...

good luck!

What if you covered the beauty shop styrofoam head with great stuff to increase its size then shape it down with a file or sand paper to fit the mask perfectly.

Originally Posted by Lurks in the shadows

That's hard to do cheaply.
You could see if one of these places has an almost non-expanding two-part poly foam. (You need 2 part foam because all 1 part poly foams require moisture to cure. Usually it's the moisture in the air that does it, but sometimes you can get it to cure in a sealed place or in thicker applications by misting water on thin layers of the foam. That doesn't always work, and sometimes the foam will collapse later.)
I think a 2x expansion is around the lowest, and with even that low amount of expansion it'll be hard to keep the shape.
Normally when you see a foam-filled mask, it was filled while still in the mold. That keeps it from ballooning.

Good luck!



http://www.reynoldsam.com/
http://www.smooth-on.com/

Thanks Lurks - we have a lot of helpful people and great deal of technical knowledge on this forum!

Thanks Chop - little by little might be the way to go, letting it cure before proceeding. Got to get my hands on some minimally expanding foam.

That could work Disco - the only problem is that I had to partially slit the mask up the back just to get the styrofoam head through the neck. Guess I could cut all the way up the back of the head. "Hand me that scalpel, Igor". Thanks, I just might try that.

I made a frame out of coathanger wire to hold a mask in shape, looks sorta like the world's worst birdcage. I needed the inside of the mask open for the head pivot mechanism (oscillating fan). Crimped loops in the wire with big pliers to make joints and used duct tape over the joints to keep them from slipping. An advantage is that I can adjust the shape afterwards.

I do this often using Great stuff. I cover the eye sockets, nose and ears (if any) holes with tape or piece of cardboard so the foam does not expand into those. I then put a light layer on the inside and let expand and dry overnight. I repeat with light layers until I get the expansion that I want without it being over expanded.

Mask I filled with foam:

I'm with Martha. The only difference is I usually glue in glass eyes and use those to block the eye holes. There's usually some paint around the inside of the eyes, and gluing eyes in is a PITA as they fall out if they pull the paint away from the latex. So I use the Great Stuff to fill out the head and secure the eyes inside the mask.

I layer it in a little at a time, let it expand, then add a little bit more where needed. Where people screw up is trying to fill the mask all at one time. Also, I know people who thought you can only use a can of Great Stuff once and the tube gets clogged up, but it's pretty easy to clean the tube out and keep reusing the can. I just run old small drillbits through the tube and it cleans it right out.