Looking For Alternatives To Veg Tanned To Save Money

[Imaya]

More pictures of the cast to come, I am just bumping this thread for any more input.

After stepping away and looking at the cast, I was not happy. I fussed with it quite a bit, tearing half of it off, and eased the angle on top of the nose quite a bit, getting it fairly flat on top. I will study the pictures closely before the final layer, and decide how much of a ridge, if any, to add in. It seems the beak is quite flat and wide, so I need to fire up the game to confirm all the angles.

The cast is drying now, and I think it is a much closer base than it was before.

[Imaya]

Only have had a bit of time off from work to poke at this, but I made a shrink-wrap plastic mold around the plaster one, then cut it and measured it to get an idea how much leather I need. Roughly 18" x 18". I will make another cast with the proper face fit, eye holes, etc to use as the actual pattern.

I need to order the leather ASAP. What is the ideal weight of the leather? I have found good prices for everything from 5oz to 9oz, and just want to make sure I get the right balance of workability and stiffness.

Also, what tools will I need? I am pretty new to all of this, so I am keeping it simple and just hand stitching along the mouth. What do I need? And what should I look for in paints/ stains (need white, but it is ok if it looks a bit 'rough' or 'rustic' in the finish). I have a decently thick box knife to cut with as well.

[billybopp]

If you need white leather ... buy it pre-dyed white, or plan on painting. White leather dye is just about impossible to use. I found out the hard way.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=56722&hl=%2Bwhite+%2Bdye

Hope that helps

Bill

Edited October 15, 2014 by billybopp

[ChuckBurrows]

FWIW - the mask in the last two images posted definitely looks like rawhide and not leather based on the off white color and mottled appearance - regular cow rawhide from Tandy and others should work fine and the thing is you DO NOT Have to bake it, just let it air dry completely before removing it from the form.

[Tgrlily]

The mask in the images is from a video game. It's an animated image, not rawhide or leather on a real human. That said, I would imagine that molded and dried rawhide would feel pretty darned uncomfortable on a real human face! Eek!

I use paint when I make white masks. Liquitex, Jacquard and Golden paints all have great flexibility and adhesion on leather. You'll need multiple coats, then apply a leather finish over the paint and lightly antique for an aged look. I recommend a spray sealer once the antique is the way you want it.

[Imaya]

Here are the promised pictures. The white cast:

And the shrink wrap pattern, which I used the cast beak and a dollar store halloween mask. Fits great, the eyeholes just need to be carefully cut out with the lenses.

The rawhide does seem to match quite well, but I am concerned with it for a few reasons, mainly just it's reaction to water and uncertainty with the types of paints/ chemicals and sealers I can use on it. Comfort is easy to work in with a nice lining, so that doesn't concern me. The price is only a bit less than the veg tanned, however, so I am not sure if it is worth it. Might be easier to work with in some ways, harder in others.

How many layers of paint will I need? I have a tube of Windsor and Newton acrylic, but it is almost out. Any excuse to buy more paints is a good excuse for me, however! I also have some white acrylic gesso (decent quality, but not top shelf), as well as cheap enamels. Plenty of good quality oil paints too. Does one brand or type perform better than the other in this application? Any sort of priming I should do? What do you mean by 'leather finish' (just aging or wiping off, perhaps?) For antiquing, you just mean to lightly brush on some darker colors to age it, yes?

[ChuckBurrows]

The images I noted above don't appear to be painted, but any good acrylic or even earth paint will work on rawhide. To seal and waterproof American style rawhide goods I make I use a good quality satin finish (or gloss if you choose) varathane or the more traditional spar varnish.

[Tgrlily]

I recently came across this tutorial:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Leather-Plague-Doctor-Mask/

Craft store paint has a tendency to crack, which is why I recommended the paint brands that I use. I've never used the brand that you mentioned.

White is a pain right in the butt and requires more than one coat. How many? Honestly? When it looks like its done. There is no accurate way to tell you how many coats it'll take. Antique in your case may be best achieved with darker paint and a sea sponge. I like Liquitex sealers, but I've also used some from Tandy.

[Imaya]

The Windsor and Newtons (aka, Wintons) are artist grade acrylic. Better than Liquitex, not as good as Golden (as least the student grade stuff I have isn't). There isn't anything wrong with Liquitex, but it is pretty low quality in terms of artist paints, and is pretty inexpensive, which is why I ask if one is better than another. Obviously, I would grab Liquitex if all is equal, as Golden can be spendy. But It isn't like I wouldn't use up the rest of the tube on my own paintings, of course.

I ask about gesso since it is made to be applied to canvas directly as a sealer and flexible opaque base. However, it is of a lower quality than actual paints, so there may be good reasons not to use it on leather. I also imagine it would go on pretty thick!

Thanks for the tutorial, I didn't see that particular one. The other ones I found didn't look very good. The idea to prototype in foam is a great one, I think I will pick up a sheet. It is cheap enough, and as close as I will get to leather!

I am still considering rawhide too, just nervous about working with it and things going horribly wrong...

[Imaya]

Need to figure out how I am going to do this soon, so I am trying to narrow in the exact shopping list.

I discovered the 'Speedy Stitcher'. Seems to be quite popular on Amazon. Thoughts? The price is right, and seems like it might simplify this project. I am only stitching, not sure if I will have time to even make a belt strap. I might just sew on fabric or something to tide me over, since the straps will be covered. Anyways, all the tutorials show sewing that involves leather stacked on top of each other, lined up edges, simple. However, with the mask, I won't be lining up anything perfectly, and need to keep both layers properly aligned as I stitch. A rotary tool will mark the top piece, but the bottom one will require constant checking and adjusting. That is why I am thinking the stitching awl might not be the best idea, since the holes will not be prepunched. It seems I will need to punch all of my holes ahead of time. To save time, perhaps I could glue edges together with something? What should I use? Or, I have a dremel tool and some really small bits that can zip a nice hole through both layers if I line them up together. Prepunching both pieces individually with an awl seems like a lot more time than I need to be spending on that part. Of course, if I am using wet rawhide, sewing should be really simple.

I might throw a punch into the mix just so I have it if I decide to make a belt strap. I imagine craft stores will readily have some rivets and buckles available I can grab at the last minute if need be.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Imaya