Post in progress as I complete this prop… photos and details behind the cut.
Stage 1: Make the master nice and shiny – carved insulation foam, coated with Smooth Cast 320 plastic, So-Strong black tint, then painted with auto spray primer and gloss black.
Step 2: Wax the master to prep for silicone – using Sonite Wax II. I’ll probably switch to a spray-on mold release from now on, the wax leaves trails from being brushed on.
Step 3: Apply layers of silicone to make the mold – using Mold Max Stroke and So-Strong black tint. 3 layers, with registration keys added to the second layer to make sure the mold seats properly in the mold shell when making castings.
Step 4: Make a mold shell – using Rigid Wrap plaster cloth.
Step 5: Start casting – using Smooth Cast 320 and fiberglass surfacing veil (shown with a stand-in for the sword).
Step 6 (aborted) – lining the inside. At first, I wanted to line the inside of the scabbard, but after I finished, I realized that the lining would drag against the painted sword more than the plastic of the scabbard would. However, the way I did this was to glue fabric to the inside of the scabbard with tacky glue, in case anyone wants to include this step. I later made a new scabbard without, personally.
Still to come – combining the halves, and painting. Soon, soon…
