Fiberglass Wookiee

Since this will be my first ever attempt to make a fiberglass mold, I was expecting some "hiccups". I got them.

But now I know how this stuff works (other than reading about it - big difference for a visual thinker like me) and I can tackle further parts with more confidence and excitement.

Bondo/Resin Gel Coat

I wanted to do at least 3 layers of fiberglass but ran out of resin and had to settle with two. The photo above is the mask flipped over and I am ready to put up the clay wall for the second half of the helmet. As you can see, there is a lot of clay stuck to my fiberglass mold. It didn't demold at all. I had to clean off every inch with a solvent. It was horrible. I didn't use PVA because I thought I could get by without it, and I probably still can, but this event had made me see its value, and I think I will order some ASAP. It's a sealant that helps the mold come off easily.

I forgot to take a photo of the cured fiberglass, but I am not happy with it. It's crude. I'll post photos of the finished mold when I have them.

Wearing a burlap sack

I haven't had much to post lately, I took another week vacation and spent some time in San Antonio. However with the help of my wife (she did all the sewing for me <3 ), I now have a mesh shirt.

It's a really low shirt, it comes to the bottom of the crotch. It ends up looking like a dress with all the hair on the bottom. I think it needs to be shorter but I am not going to mess with it until I have everything latch hooked.

Click for larger image.

It's interesting to see how the colors look almost completely different in the sunlight, compared to indoors. The darker areas are a lot harder to spot in low indoor light. It's a little hard to tell, but the grey hairs come to just above my hips. It may be a little high, but I can always go back and address it later. It's bascially to meld into the dark color of the pants, to give a bit of a seamless look. Again, it may be too high, but I can adjust if necessary.

The hair is really thick! It looks like a cross between chewbacca and a stuffed burlap sack.

It's kinda sad and bloated, but I know it will thin out with a lot of grooming. I had thought about latch hooking in shorter lengths, and started to do that under the armpits, but overall I think I will stick with the longer hairs (roughly 10 inches) and groom it with my thinning shears. 

I love those things. I picked them up at Petsmart. Who knew.

Anyway, I have a lot more latch hooking and then grooming left to do.

I kept putting my mask off because I didn't want to waste materials or screw it up because I haven't tried anything like it before, but I will get on it next week! I have a little extra free time now that the kids are in school again. 

hehe

See ya, and check this out.

Pinky Ball

Amazon.com: High Bounce Pinky Ball 2 1/2" - Sports Exercise Equipment - Set of Six (6): Sports & Outdoors

This ball is used for the ends of the Bowcaster prod. Originally I ordered them online because I couldn't find them locally.

Yesterday I found them at the same place I buy my plaster (United Art and Education). Odd.

Hair Everywhere

I'm starting to straighten and hackle all my hair.
There is hair everywhere! I have a rolling office chair that no longer rolls because of all the hair stuck in the wheels. I even found wookiee hair at my kids tae kwon do class.
I realized I didn't have enough dark hair, so I had to order another 10 packs!
With the kids starting school, my time spent working on the costume has been less than I want, but once we all get used to the new schedule, I should be able to dedicate time to work on this project. My self imposed deadline of October 10 may not happen. Time will tell.