Sharks and More Sharks

I had the molds from the commision build so I decided to go ahead and use them to make another display piece. I really like the paint on this one better than the last. This is partly because I strayed from the color of the movie shark and had my own interpretation. This one is going up on EBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=280557641144&Category=4249&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D1

Shark Casting

The shark is coming along really well. The molds are complete and the first cast came out needing only minor fixes along the seam line.

After working on the seams I primed the entire model. It was then that I wasn't happy with the results. Alot of the detail on the sculpture was just too harsh. It just wasn't what I had intended so I took a gamble and tried something. I picked up a bottle of Golden Extra Heavy Matte Medium and mixed it with some gray paint. This made the consistency of the paint the same as tooth paste. When I painted it on the surface if filled in alot of the deep line and made them shallow. This was exactly what I wanted to happen and it did!

Don't forget to shake well!

The sculpture is almost complete so I've started molding some of the parts. I kept all of the fins separate from the body and have molded them.

Next I have to mold the inside of the mouth which I'm hoping to have done before the weekend. I did run in to a problem when molding the fins and it was completely my own fault and a really bone head move. I simply forgot to shake the catalyst before I mixed it into the silicone. The result was only half my mold cured and the other half remained a gelatinous blob - not good.

Instead of letting this set me back I just got back to work and fixed the problem. I removed the sculptures from the silicone and cleaned them up. This is easier said then done with silicone so I wiped off as much as I could and then I soaked them in some De-Limone. This stuff is pretty potent but it's the only thing I've used that can clean off silicone. It smells alot like Goof-Off. The worst part of the whole thing was the wasted silicone which isn't cheap.

Finally!! A New Post!

Happy Belated New Year! It has been far too long since I have updated this post but it has not been because of a lack of projects. Awhile ago I started work on a Studio Scale Probe Droid from ESB.

Somewhere along the way I go side tracked and decided to build a CNC Router for my shop. This has been a really interesting project and I will continue updates ans construction progresses.

But the project that has taken precedent is a commission from the person that purchased the Orca from me. He has asked me to do a piece to compliment the Orca which would resemble a scene in the film.

This is a bit of a challenge because in order to match the model the shark would have to be 24" long. I have begun the sculpture of the shark and once approved I will be molding it soon. The biggest obstacle ahead is going to be the depth of the water. Most of the crystal clear products out there are highly toxic and I don't wish to use them in my garage. I will be testing a few different options so stay tuned for that.