We covered this topic in episode #61: battleswithbit... but this is specifically about cutting edges on flat moulds. The blog post for this episode is here: battleswithbit...
Cutting edges on appliance moulds do the work of separating the fine appliance edge from the flashing and excess, allowing the mould to close properly and achieve the feather thin edge you have sculpted.
The exact width of the distance between the cutting edge and the actual edge where the sculpt stops and the real skin begins varies between artists and techniques, preferences and materials. One thing is sure - make it too narrow and there isn’t enough mould to provide a stable cutting edge and make it too wide and you have an excessive amount of cap plastic bordering your piece which can cause unusual wrinkling, flatten hair or skin textures and generally make a piece have a larger footprint than necessary.
In a typical rigid core and mould made from plaster or resin, the ‘cutting’ action of the mould on the core is caused by the thin edge being pressed down using a clamp, strap or weight usually. The appliance material (usually silicone or foam latex) is essentially a liquid and therefore responds to the pressure exerted on it by the cutting edge (assuming the mould is accurate and material strong enough to withstand the closing pressure required).
With flat moulds, however, there is no core being squished into a mould. Instead, typically the back of the mould is left open and wiped clean with a rigid scraper to arrive at a clean border of cap plastic around the appliance. This clean border should have no silicone residue on there, which allows it to be then melted away on the skin later and thus blending into the skin.
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29 авг 2024
