Using Liquid Latex for Large Props

8571 Views 18 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Bruzilla, May 2, 2016

rxnb90

Discussion Starter · Apr 17, 2016

I was considering using liquid latex to create wings for a demon prop this year. I've never used it before, can someone who's used it for anything similar sized please let me know if I'm off track?

If I create an outline of a wing on the garage floor, pour liquid latex & allow to dry, will it lift up? Or will I have a big sticky mess?

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· #2 · Apr 17, 2016

I don't know you probably need a mold of some kind for the wings or it will stick on the ground.

ooojen

· #3 · Apr 17, 2016

I did a small flat project fairly recently. It's not the scope you're talking about, but the principles still apply. If you pour directly onto the floor, you should probably have a thin coat of mold release under your pour. Some people use cooking spray for small molds. I don't know why it wouldn't work for larger areas. It has been suggested that any residual oil should be washed off after. I don't know whether it would have a negative effect on the latex, but best not to risk it, I guess.
Also, when you peel your finished product up, it can stick to itself and be difficult to re-smooth. A little dusting of cornstarch, baby powder, or similar helps keep that from happening.

Maybe you've already considered and dismissed the idea, but I'll bring it up anyway. Sheet latex might be cheaper, and you can get it in various thicknesses and a wide variety of colors. It's what I'm working with for bat & gargoyle wings. You could texture it or build it up in spots with liquid latex (if you prep it for adhesion).

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oaklawn Crematory

· #4 · Apr 18, 2016

ooojen said:
I did a small flat project fairly recently. It's not the scope you're talking about, but the principles still apply. If you pour directly onto the floor, you should probably have a thin coat of mold release under your pour. Some people use cooking spray for small molds. I don't know why it wouldn't work for larger areas. It has been suggested that any residual oil should be washed off after. I don't know whether it would have a negative effect on the latex, but best not to risk it, I guess.
Also, when you peel your finished product up, it can stick to itself and be difficult to re-smooth. A little dusting of cornstarch, baby powder, or similar helps keep that from happening.

Maybe you've already considered and dismissed the idea, but I'll bring it up anyway. Sheet latex might be cheaper, and you can get it in various thicknesses and a wide variety of colors. It's what I'm working with for bat & gargoyle wings. You could texture it or build it up in spots with liquid latex (if you prep it for adhesion).

That's very insightful Jen !

I've never heard of sheet latex....

Expound....What is sheet latex?

Don't say you don't give a sheet !

What size's does it come in? And where might we acquire some?

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rxnb90

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 18, 2016

I've never heard of sheet latex, so thanks! A quick Amazon check turned up some sheets, but too small and too thin. If there's another place to check out online, please let me know.

Thanks also for the cornstarch and other tips. This will be the first time I do anything with latex, so that's helpful info. I may just try a couple small pours on the garage floor, one with nonstick spray down first and the other dry. See how they behave. When I do the wings, I'd like them to be 3 or 4 feet wide, each. Would also like to put something in to simulate veins. If I put a light on them, the semi-translucent material (I hope) will look pretty cool.

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ooojen

· #6 · Apr 18, 2016

From the way it's presented, I gather the biggest market for latex 'fabric' sheets is in fetish costume construction. I tend to prefer cotton T's and jeans myself, but the stuff makes wicked bat wings. I ordered from a place in Canada the first time I got some, but I don't remember the name of the supplier. More recently I ordered from MJTrends. I got some adhesive from them, too, but haven't tried using it yet. The sheeting is good quality, and you can order by the yard. Shipping costs were within reason, and they were quick.
They do have translucent options. I like transparent smoke, but it's not available in the thicker fabrications. It's tough stuff, though, even in .2 mm

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oaklawn Crematory

· #7 · Apr 18, 2016

ooojen said:
From the way it's presented, I gather the biggest market for latex 'fabric' sheets is in fetish costume construction. I tend to prefer cotton T's and jeans myself, but the stuff makes wicked bat wings. I ordered from a place in Canada the first time I got some, but I don't remember the name of the supplier. More recently I ordered from MJTrends. I got some adhesive from them, too, but haven't tried using it yet. The sheeting is good quality, and you can order by the yard. Shipping costs were within reason, and they were quick.
They do have translucent options. I like transparent smoke, but it's not available in the thicker fabrications. It's tough stuff, though, even in .2 mm

That's excellent info...

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UnOrthodOx

· #8 · Apr 18, 2016

I think I would cut mosquito netting to form and dunk/coat it in the latex, then hang over a form to dry.

http://www.amazon.com/Mosquito-Barr...d=1461013041&sr=8-1&keywords=netting+mosquito

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oaklawn Crematory

· #9 · Apr 19, 2016

UnOrthodOx said:
I think I would cut mosquito netting to form and dunk/coat it in the latex, then hang over a form to dry.

http://www.amazon.com/Mosquito-Barr...d=1461013041&sr=8-1&keywords=netting+mosquito

That's a fantastic idea ! Perhaps wedded to wire hangers to give some strength?

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ooojen

· #10 · Apr 19, 2016

Just remember that liquid latex will flow before it sets, and if you drape dip-coated netting over a form with higher and lower areas, you'll get thick and thin spots. Also, if you use a non-elastic reinforcement like netting, your finished product will lose the elasticity of just latex. That may or may not be an issue for you, but it's something to bear in mind.
The medium is fairly pricey. If you choose to dip, you might want to consider a little small-scale experimentation before you go for the real deal.

UnOrthodOx

· #11 · Apr 20, 2016

ooojen said:
Just remember that liquid latex will flow before it sets, and if you drape dip-coated netting over a form with higher and lower areas, you'll get thick and thin spots. Also, if you use a non-elastic reinforcement like netting, your finished product will lose the elasticity of just latex. That may or may not be an issue for you, but it's something to bear in mind.
The medium is fairly pricey. If you choose to dip, you might want to consider a little small-scale experimentation before you go for the real deal.

One thing I've been doing (and it depends on what look you're going for on the wings whether it's a good idea or not here) is mixing liquid latex with paint, and then dunking fabric in it to use in some kind of cross between monster mud and Mr Chicken style corpsing.

About 3-4 parts paint to latex. (I mix small batches and don't measure exact) It stretches the latex out quite a bit, driving the overall cost down ($5 mismatched paint, yay!), is proving much lighter than monster mud, and more weather resistant without sealers. "Down" side is that unlike monster mud you'll never have such a thing stand on it's own, it will need a form. The latex content makes cleanup easy: allow dry, and it will peel off skin non-porous floors.

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DannyK

· #12 · Apr 20, 2016

as for peeling off the garage floor or something similar, you may want to lay down a serious coat of automobile wax (turtle wax or some other paste wax) and rub it out before you try this. The latex will most certainly stick to the floor (and itself, great tip on the baby powder / cornstarch earlier). make sure you go at least 6-8 inches past your intended size on the floor to account for any last minute creativity while it is down. You can also do multiple applications of latex while it is down to build up the thickness until you are happy with it.

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whichypoo

· #13 · Apr 24, 2016

wow gonna have to try

rxnb90

Discussion Starter · #14 · Apr 27, 2016

I have a much better concept now of how to proceed, thank you for all the great input. To summarize & add a little bit:

- Spread mold release, cooking spray, or auto wax on garage floor prior to pour
- Use a form to outline the shape, or pour extra and trim into shape later
- Pour a layer and allow to dry
- Apply Mosquito netting across entire surface, and rigid bar of some sort across the top to provide structural strength
- Add thick red threads for vein/ vascular effect
- Pour another layer of latex on top of the netting
- After cure, dust with corn starch to prevent latex from sticking to it's self or other things

UnOrthodOx

· #15 · Apr 27, 2016

You forgot:
- take pictures and post to forum.

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Bruzilla

· #16 · Apr 29, 2016

I would advise against using latex. When you're making wings, there are two critical issues you have to deal with: gravity and wind. You are always going to have gravity pulling down on the wings, and latex will eventually tear. Worse, latex that is thick enough for what you want is heavy, and the heavier the wing is, the heavier your struts and mountings are going to need to be. You also have to deal with wind, which can be as little as the breeze from an A/C vent. Wind pushes laterally against the wings, and coupled with gravity places even more stress on the wing material.

The best wing material I've found is a brown nylon shower curtain. They are lightweight, about impossible to tear, paintable, waterproof, and cheap.

We made the wings for our Jeepers Creepers Creeper out of two curtains and some PVC pipe. We used red and blue Sharpie markers to draw on veins and arteries and used flat dark brown and black spray paint to add highlights:

They held up great, but as light as the PVC was, it made the wings too heavy. These are the Gen II wings we made, using 1/2" bamboo struts in place of the PVC. Made them much lighter and easier to handle. And as you can see in the two pictures, the reduced weight allowed us to angle the wings higher and look more imposing.

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Trex

· #17 · Apr 29, 2016

That looks excellent Bruzilla.

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rxnb90

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 1, 2016

Thanks for the "heads up" on latex wings. I saw someone from the TV show "Face Off" use latex for wings, but of course they have access to alot of materials I don't. Also, they don't have to deal with wind. It's an excellent point, I do have wind sometimes, occasionally strong wind. I could cut some holes in the wings to reduce the "sail" effect, and also make the figure look like it's been in many fights.

Where did you get the bamboo?

I will re-think my intent to use latex. I already ordered at small test amount, but I can re-purpose it.

Bruzilla

· #19 · May 2, 2016

What we did to deal with the wind is the wings attach to the figure using a board with six antenna clamps, three on each side. The wing arms are a "Z" shape, with one end of the "Z" being a pole that slides down into the antenna clamps. This enables the wings to move forwards about 20 degrees, and backwards a full 90 degrees, when the wind blows. We then have a bungy cord that connects the wings on the front and runs under his clothes to return the wings to their resting position.

Another thing you can do if you want to make the curtain fabric look more 3D is spray some Great Stuff foam on it, either in skinny trails to make it look like bulging veins, or spray on a mass and spread it thinly with a putty scraper. Then paint over it.

The bamboo can be ordered from Home Depot for about $30. The only problem is you order a pack of 30 or so 1/2" (or whatever diameter you choose) rods, but only about a third were actually 1/2". The rest were smaller, which would have been a big problem if we didn't need just eight. The nice thing with the bamboo is they give you a nice bony-kind of look. We considered using old fishing polls, but they are too perfect a line and don't look as natural.

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