Thread: Tell me about "Bucky!"

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I am getting ready to corpse for the first time, and I have seen many tutorials. However, there are many things they do not tell me. Is the finished corpsed Bucky weather/water proof? If not, how do you make him to be? Do you need to worry about fumes during corpsing...meaning can I do it in my home, or should I do it in the garage? Where can you buy liquid latex, or do you have to order it online? Once you corpse a Bucky, is he still poseable? Or do you need to pose him before you corpse? How long does it take to dry? I am I will come up with more questions, I am a newbie to this so be easy on me!! I am just tired of cheesy, poorly made store bought props...and these corpsed skeletons look soo awesome! Any tips you can give on this process would help greatly...and if you could direct me to any good how-to tutorials that would be a bonus. Thanks and Happy Haunting!

Hopefully someone will post that has done this, but I know a few things just from reading.

One of my fave project sites: HauntProject.com - Your visual source for Haunting How-To's
Another good one: Monster Page of Halloween Project Links

Is the finished corpsed Bucky weather/water proof? If not, how do you make him to be?
Yes, it is weather proof - IF you use latex (paint and or the carpet adhesive stuff). Latex is a polymer. Once it's dry, it is waterproof. If you're using a plastic bucky or blucky (the cheapy blow mold skelly) then everything should be okay out in weather. If you complete the whole process using the stains and such, you'll want to use a sealer to give it extra protection (like a polyurethane sealant). Now whether or not you leave it out for weeks is your choice - I'd be worried about it getting taken after all the work put into it.

Do you need to worry about fumes during corpsing...meaning can I do it in my home, or should I do it in the garage?
Yes somewhat on the fumes and also allergic reactions to latex (skin rashes). It is also MESSY so do it in the garage and put down drop cloths to keep from getting gunk all over the floor. I've read that some folks get either surgical gloves or put on lotion to make the stuff easier to get off your hands.

Where can you buy liquid latex, or do you have to order it online?
You don't have to use liquid latex. You can use latex carpet adhesive and I'm pretty sure you can find it at the home improvement stores like Lowes or Home Depot.

Once you corpse a Bucky, is he still poseable? Or do you need to pose him before you corpse? How long does it take to dry?
I wouldn't think you'd be able to change the pose once it's dry. Once the latex sets up, it's going to be pretty much frozen in whatever position you've posed it into. Drying time would vary depending on how thick and how many layers you've done of the medium. I'm not quite sure, so I'm leaving that one for someone more experienced to answer. (and correct me if I got anything wrong on the others )

If it was me, I'd start small and cheap to get the hang of it. Get one of the blucky blow mold skellies, do an arm, just the torso or maybe a ground breaker (upper torso/arms/head).

Good luck!

Thanks for your help! Where does one procure a "Blucky?" Does the latex adhesive work in the same way....you dip the papertowels in it and wring it out, then place them on your skelly? Are all these chemicals (latex adhesive, polyurethane, stains) ok to use together without some chemical reaction?(LOL--but HEY...it could happen!) And is it okay to handle the finished products with bare hands..meaning it isn't toxic? I am just a well of questions...but excitied to start!!

I've had a bucky for 2 years now Paganmama and I'm still afraid to corpse it.lol

Don't pay more than $100.00 for a Bucky. I have three and each was arround $100.

Budget Bucky Skeleton 4th quality 5'6" tall w/o stand - eBay (item 250492427790 end time Jan-30-10 18:04:15 PST)

Frankie's girl is right on! She has said everything I was going to say.
Latex can be found on ebay or some prop supply places.

Paint on the latex, add your other stuff, ie: nylons, string, etc. Layer some more. Add your stain gradually and lightly, darken it SLOWLY. Go slow, don't do too much too fast. For a first time you want to work slowly. Touch up areas with black spray paint.

Good luck and post some pics for us

Thanks everyone! So what are the latex options...I keep hearing different things, and I wonder if people are referring to the same material. One suggested latex carpet adhesive, but some pics the person was using something that had the consistency of milk. What are all the options out there, and what are the pros and cons to them? Sorry to ask so many questions, but I want to have all the proper things ready when I get started. Also , what are some good color stains to use? I have even seen a green of some sort done over a brown to give "moldy" results...especially when spanish moss is added.

I personally like the 'skull and bones' version of corpsification with carpet latex and stockings. They have a great tutorial at -

skull and bone corpsify

There is good/bad sides to using carpet latex.
it's cheap = good
remains sticky till it has a good weathering outdoors = bad
it's cheap = good
if you get even a little bit on you it's there for good till it wears off = bad
it's cheap = good


I got the carpet latex from a home improvement store....Menards I think for $5 a quart and I only used about half the tub so with the stockings and stain I was able to corpse it for well under $10. All latex should remain bendable after curing so no worries about bending it and such. Here's a couple of pics with the skull and bone meathod during and finished:

I had to build most of my torso from scratch (see my album). What I do with my latex is use it straight, then put a last coat or two with a few drops of artists acrylic paint at about 1 part to 8 ounces of latex for color. Not only does it add color, but it also makes the latex a bit more stiff and gives it a coat that isn't tacky. Maybe it's my luck but the liquid stuff I get gets gummier over time. When done I hit it again using Acrilic Medium either gloss for bloody, or matt for aged. This gives it a sealing coat that is also regid but with some give.

I do my pigments last and not while layering because of the difficulty in mixing to match the color of the batch before.

About latex glue I've heard it can take weeks before it cures where it's not tacky to touch, but I have no experience using it.

Hope my invented slant on things helps. Before I knew there was such a place as these forums I was winging it. There are obvious great results on other's props with tried and true techniques, but through trial and error what I'm doing works for me.

Looks great FirstSpartan. But with latex how does the stain (I assume wood stain) work out? Cured latex wont take staining being galvanized at room temperature, not to mention wood stains are oil base and latex is water.

Originally Posted by Yubney

About latex glue I've heard it can take weeks before it cures where it's not tacky to touch, but I have no experience using it.

Looks great FirstSpartan. But with latex how does the stain (I assume wood stain) work out? Cured latex wont take staining being galvanized at room temperature, not to mention wood stains are oil base and latex is water.

I've did some research on the tackiness of latex glues last year and what I came up with is that the main ingredient in most latex carpet glues is natural (not synthetic) rubber that when cured is tacky. So the latex carpet glue you get at the home improvement store is cured after 24 hours but will remain tacky indefinitely due to its natural characteristics. But after a week or two outside it will pick dust, dirt, etc and eventually lose its tackiness. The left bucky in the pic above remained tacky in my shed for about a month but after a couple of weeks out for Halloween, it's much much better.

AFA the stain goes I don't believe it's actually penetrating the latex but rather laying on top of it which is just fine for Halloween decorations. It remained tacky for a little bit as well but nothing major and it seems pretty permanent. It was regular minwax wood stain.