First Successful Silicon Mold

I took the sculpted red gemstone for Shalamayne's hilt and created a silicon mold so I can cast gems in translucent red resin. I used Tap Plastic's RTV silicon, it was much more viscous than I expected, next time I'll need to use more rigid mixing containers.

I built the mold using the top of a drink cup and the lid of an old container. I used hotglue to seal the cup to the lid, then a dab of hot glue to secure the gem in nearly in the center.



For my first attempt at a mold I think it turned out pretty well. There was a little leakage around the edge of the gem, so the very bottom edge of the gem will be uneven, but that part will be hidden when the gem is incorporated into the sword.

Shalamayne Prop Update 4

I completed sculpting the red gem for Shalamayne's hilt. I used 320 grit sandpaper to smooth the facets and try and give the edges a sharper look. I am going to do a little wet sanding with 400 grit sandpaper before I create a silicon mold. The better the surface now, the better the cast gem will look.

I plan to cast two red tinted clear gems, I might create a second pair with LEDs embedded in them.

Varian Update - Lions

Not sure what to call them, but Varian Wrynn has two lion head brooches, cloak pins? That hold his cape in place.



Well, after about two days, I finished sculpting a lion head medallion from Sculpty. They are shown as octagons in-game, but most of the concept art I have seen show them as circular, I think I can alter them slightly to circles if need be.



I will be using this as the positive to create a mold and cast this in resin. I am going to research what sort of resin would be best for this.

Blizzcon 2011 - No Varian Wrynn

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I can finish the Varian Wrynn costume in time for Blizzcon.

There are so many little details left to make plus the wonderflex I was waiting on to finish the shinguards and build the bracers hasn't arrived. The biggest reason is there is a lot of painting to be done and no time for it to dry or cure.

So I'm going to have to save this costume for next year, on the plus side that gives me a twelve months to finish it.

Varian Update - Knee and Shoulder Harness 2

The lion faces for the Knee part of the shin armor are being primed, they will need a coat or two more before sanding.



The harness to hold the shoulder armor in place is nearing completion. I need to trim the outer part of the shoulders so it doesn't interfere with the way the armor sits. Then I need to add rings to fix the armor to the harness.

Varian Update - Shalamayne and Armor Prime

I have begun painting Shalamayne. I rigged my mini-paintbooth with a base so the blade can stand up. The photo is after two coats of silver spray paint.



The shoulders are primed, need to sand them smooth and start painting. I think I will go with a blue spray paint base and a dark yellow spray trim. Once the base coasts are on, I'll put in details with light blue and lighter yellow and gold for the highlights.



The breastplate is also primed and ready for sanding. I know I want to go with a dark blue base coat, then various levels of silver on the highlights, but I'm not sure if it will be spray paint or acrylics. I plan to use the same techniques for the gold trim on the armor as I use on the shoulder.

Varian Update - Belt 5

I did a lot of sanding over the weekend, I didn't take many photos of the sanded items, but I do have this nice pic showing the leather portion of the belt with the primed buckle. The leather will be stained a darker brown, fur trim needs to be attached to the top and bottom, and of course finishing the paint job on the buckle.

I should have more pictures up soon.