I plan on trying to provide periodic updates for our members and for other "troopers" out there to see how my progress is going.

I initially started out about a month ago trying to make my molds the "traditional way". I started out with a rough clay form. But I bought a water based clay instead of an oil based clay (like Plastilina). Rather than go buy the correct clay (because I wanted to get started), I went ahead with the process to make sure I wanted to go with this method.

I let the clay dry (it shrank about an 1/8"), sprayed it with acrylic clear coat (which I read would be a good releasing agent) and then poured Hydrostone on it. I planned on making a clay positive, then a Hydrostone negative and finally a Hydrostone postive. But the clear coat didn't work and the clay and plaster stuck together. So that was a bust. I thought I would try to make something out of nothing and try sculpting the plaster I poured over the clay. Man, this stuff is hard!!! 13,500 psi compressive strength dry!!! I even tried to use some chisels and didn't get much of a dent. So…in the trash everything went. Back to square one.

I then thought through my previous process. It seems like I'm just making extra work for myself by having to go through the positive -> negative -> positive process. Why couldn't I just sculpt an original positive? I scoped out the boards on clonetroopers.net for some suggestions.

The best suggestions came in the form of foam. Several members had used 2-4lb. high density foam. But it's very expensive. I'm looking for a cheaper alternative. After receiving a PM from member pixelFiend and PM'ing back and forth, we came up with a possible solution. Construction insulation board.

Lucky for me, there's about 8-10 houses going up in my addition, so I went dumpster diving after the construction workers left for the day. I ended up with pink and blue foam, varying in thicknesses from 1/4" to 1 1/2". This could work.

So, here in all it's glory, is my first attempt at making a useable foam buck (mold). This is still in development and I'll keep everybody updated on it's progress.

Equipment used: Scroll Saw, Hot-Wire Foam Cutter, Power Drill, Orbital Sander, Belt Sander, Dremel with Fiberglass Cutting Wheel

Materials used: 1 1/2" thick insulation board, 1/4" plywood, 6 1/2" wood screws, Gray Primer Paint Spray Can, Spackling Paste, Bondo, Spray Adhesive

Well, as I said above, I went a got some discarded insulation board from the houses being built. I think I should have enough to get started.

Before I got started on anything, I did some material tests. I applied the primer paint, spray adhesive, powder spackle and paste spackle to four different small foam pieces. The reactions were as follows: the powder spackle was too dry and brittle; the paste spackle dried hard and was easy to sand; the adhesive had no notable reaction and held two pieces together perfectly; and the paint melted little divots into the foam, but it hardened. Hmmm...interesting. I then put paste spackle on the painted foam. No reaction but the divots created a perfect connection between the two materials. So, this is the method I will use.

Here's the process I used for producing the left outer forearm mold. Other pieces "should" follow the same process (hopefully).

First step was to cut the foam in the lengths I would need and use spray adhesive to put them together. Spray adhesive on both pieces. It will create a better bond between the two. I then stood!!! on the foam to press them together. There was hardly any deflection which leads me to believe they should hold up pretty well when vacuuming the plastic.

Next, I traced the outline of the forearm piece and fired up the hot wire table. I know it's not pretty (it was my grandfather's scratch built table), but it gets the job done. I then cut out the foam I didn't need.

I then drew the desired shape on both ends of the foam.Using a variety of sanders and Dremel, I began trimming the foam. Don't worry too much about cutting too deep with the Dremel. All those cuts and marks will be sanded and filled.

Now I sprayed the primer on the form.

While the paint was drying, I then traced the shape on the 1/4" plywood. I actually left about an extra 1/8" around the edge to support the paste and Bondo. I then cut the shape out on the scroll saw. I also traced the shape on three pieces of foam for the other forearm pieces.

After the base was cut out, I drilled six holes in the board in which to attach the screws. These screws would hold the board to the foam (hopefully). I then attached the foam to the board.

Finally, I spread the paste on the foam using a rubber spatula. I'm now letting the form dry overnight, but initial "finger poke" tests show the paste to be drying very solid. I hope to sand it and apply Bondo tonight.