Fibreglass
Fibreglass is an crucial technique to master as it is used very often in the industry to make moulds of sculpts and manyother materials. The process can be potentially very dangerous and must be approached with care as to not cause any accidents or waste materials. Once mastered is a very effective way to create moulds for running many various pieces and is used in the industry at very high levels. Fibreglass moulds can be resused many times making them cost effective and efficient, however if completed incorrectly is useless and all the previous work created beforehand may be unuseable.
Fibreglass Demonstration
We received a demonstration on the process of creating a fibreglass mould, the process, materials and photographs of the process are shown below.
Fibreglassing is an important technique to understand as it will create durable and substantial moulds that can be used many times with the core, which similarly can be made out of fibreglass for a long lasting base. Special Makeup Effects, T.Debreceni states the important of safety procedures that must be implimented when creating a fibreglass mould. Debreceni reiterates many times the necessity of making sure that the environment in which the moulds are created is safe and fully equipped and the mould-maker has all the personal safety equipment required.
To be safe in a fibreglass room, everything must be completed carefully, with thought put into each process. The room must be well ventilated in order to remove the harmful materials which are released during the process. There should be fire hazard precaution available and in close proximity. Personal safety equipment involves wearing a respirator, which will filter out any harmful materials or substances that are airborne. It is recommended that a mould-maker wears protective clothing such as overalls as these protect the skin and can be pulled off quickly if a product is spilled onto them. Gloves can also be worn to try and prvent fibreglass splinters from hurting your hands, however these cannot be latex gloves, they must be Nitril or Vinyl based. It is important to be vigile and constantly aware of your environment when creating a fibreglass mould, this is probably the most important thing to consider. Use common sense and be aware.
Creating My Fibreglass Mould
There is a video created by Stuart Bray at Learn Makeup Effects detailing the process of creating a fibreglass mould. There are elements involved that were not used in the creation of the second fibreglass mould, however would be worth considering when creating another piece as the logic behind the process makes sense and may produce a more detailed result. The videos created by Bray are very helpful as they give a visual aid as to the processes described in books, and show every element clearly stating every element included. If it is necessary to create another fibreglass mould for this projecct using the technique of using small fibrglass chips, as seen in the screenshot of the video to ensure that the detail is picked up. This is important as the first layer of the fibreglass is the closest to the sculpt.
Stuart Bray (2012) Using Fibreglass Part 1 [Online] Available From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMOvEnjvaZg#t=746 Date Accessed: 15/01/2015
Materials
As mentioned in the process of creating a fibreglass mould which is shown above it is important to know and have all of the necessary materials available for use. Therefore I have made a list of the products and their definitions from Special Makeup Effects, T.Debreceni (2009).
Fibreglass - A material consisting of extremely fine glass fibres suspended in a polymer resin, used in making various products, such as yarns, fabrics, insulators and structural objects or parts. An excellent mould material, extremely strong and lightweight.
- Fibreglass Mat - A coarser, stronger material than cloth, has bigger shards of fibreglass, creates a strong base, however the finish is not aesthetically pleasing. Mat, is loose and disorganised which makes it stronger than cloth.
- Fibreglass Cloth/ Veil - A fine material, the fibreglass is much finer and delicate, provides a much smoother finish, can be used to finish off a mould or for use in a situation where only a small mould is being made. The strands of glass are neatly woven and do not intermesh.
Fiberglass is a strong lightweight material and is used for many products. Although it is not as strong and stiff as composites based on carbon fiber, it is less brittle, and its raw materials are much cheaper. Its bulk strength and weight are also better than many metals, and it can be more readily molded into complex shapes. Applications of fiberglass include:
Aircraft • Boats • Automobiles • Bath tubs and enclosures • Septic tanks • Water tanks • Roofing • Mould making
Lamminating Resin - Resin is used to breakdown the fibreglass sheets for application. It contains styrene which softens the cloth and mat, to make it pliable and mouldable. Styrene is the main reason for the ventilation precautions .
Gel Coat Resin - A thick polymer resin coat used in fibreglass fabrication; the gel coat is used as a detail or brush-up layer before applying resin and fibreglass mat or fibreglass cloth as strength layers.
Catalyst (Benzoyl Peroxide) - Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (MEKP), Organic Peroxide. 2% Catalyst should be added to the Gel Coat Resin and Lamminating Resin to begin the reaction.
Loose Chopped Strands (Choppies) - Loose strands of fibreglass that can be used for a fine detail layer before applying the matting.
Lay Up Resin - One of a group of synthetic resins that undergoes polymerization during curing. It has excellent adhesive properties, high strength, good chemical resistance; esp. used in laminating
(Tindall.P. (N.D) Processing silicone prosthetic - Using Fibreglass (GRP) [PDF] Available From: https://mycourse.aub.ac.uk/fdmse/files/2011/09/Processing-silicone-prosthetics.pdf Date Accessed: 15/01/2015)
These are the primary materials used in the creation of a mould, however there are other materials involved such as talcum powder and petroleum jelly. It is important in everything that is done to fully understand the materials being used as there could be errors in judgement which could seriously harm a person or create a dangerous situation. Full understanding is a requirement in order to work safely and effectively.
It is important to know which filters block out certain harmful gasses as the gases which are being used may not be filtered out through the respirator, therefore potentially causing a harmful effect to the wearer. This chart shows the coding for the respirators and the gases which are prevented from causing harm.
Fibreglassing the Lifecast
After taking a lifecast in silicone it is possible to fibreglass directly into the negative, this will produce a fibreglass positive of the model's face. This means that the process of creating a fibreglass positive is massively reduced saving on time and materials. To create a fibreglass positive from a silicone mould the gel coat should be applied directly into the negative, this was pigmented blue in order to allow easy visibility when sculpting. While fibreglassing in order to have easy removal a wooden bar was placed in the back of the positive, this can be used when the other element of the mould has been created and the piece is being run. The process is described with photographs below.
Creating a Fibreglass Two Part Mould
As the plaster mould for the spines did not work, it was necessary to create another suitable mould that would hold the silicone spine moulds, whilst be cast with the fast cast resin. To do this a fibreglass mould was created using two parts the bolt together holding the silicone in place securely. This fibreglass piece was created by building a wall of wet clay around the silicone mould to create a flat surface onto which the fibreglass could be layed. This ensured that there were no overlaps and the two halves did not lock together. This wall can be seen in the first photograph, It was also necessary to create keys for the fibrglass to slot into after being pulled apart. This mould worked particularly well when holding the silicone in place, it also looks very aesthetically pleasing. The outside of the mould is smooth and neat, the edges have been sanded down to create a good edge that fits perfectly over the other piece. Overall the result of this piece was very effective and fulfilled its criteria for useage well, and will be strong enough for multiple uses.
Examples of Professional Fibreglass Moulds
Fibreglass Mould (2013)[Online Image] Available From: http://www.learnmakeupeffects.com/blog/page/2/ Date Accessed: 25/02/2015