How to Make Elf Ears - Casting Silicone Elf Ears (Part 6)

Now we are to the point where you make the Elf Ears that will fit over your own ears. Custom Elf Ears. The silicone used in this video is a special prosthetic grade silicone called, PlatSil Gel-10. You can also use, Dragon Skin silicone (Clear). There are other types on the market so if you want to use another brand please do your homework and don't use anything that is not designed for this purpose. Follow the steps in this video to ensure that you use a mold release is used before pouring your prosthetic grade silicone into your silicone molds or you could ruin your beautiful molds and all the work you just put in will be a waste.
I would recommend using a platinum silicone for the molds as well. Some people say that they are getting a reaction from the Platsil Gel 10 were is isn't curing and that is because it is reacting to the Tin-Cure silicone. So it is better not to mix silicone types.
The silicone I use to make the ears is called, Platsil Gel 10 prosthetic grade silicone.
shop.brickinthe...
The mold release, Smooth-On Universal Mold Release I am told by other artists that it isn't the best mold release to use for this purpose because it may react to the silicone. The best mold release to use it either vasaline or a spray called Pb Ultra 3 (or 4) Epoxy Parfilm
moldrelease.pri...
The silicone tints are special tints used for coloring silicone. The tints can be purchased at the same link for the Platsil Gel 10 silicone.
Here is where I get the silicone pigment to color the silicone for ears also I add a pinch of red flocking to the mix:
www.amazon.com...
To simplify the materials here is a list of what you need to make silicone elf ears.
THE PLASTER used in this process is called Hydrocal B11 White. This plaster is best because you can scrape it and clean it easier than Ultracal 30 plaster. Which either one is good it's just I prefer Hydrocal.
THE SILICONE used in the molding process can be either a Tin Cure silicone or a platinum silicone. Platinum preferred my most effects artist. I have been using Dragon Skin 30 for the molds instead of the blue (Tin Cure) stuff lately.
For the prosthetic ears use either use PlatSil Gel 10 silicone or Dragon Skin 10. (PlatSil is a little more expensive but I love its feel better than dragon skin.)
For coloring the silicone use the recommend silicone tinting products.
The plastic material I use in the video for making the ear forms is called Repo 1 (Reproduction plastic). You can also use Smooth On Smooth-Cast® 385. I think it might be cheaper and easier to use.

[@saratonin2625]

You really are so meticulous.And thats great. I've also never seen anyone in the fx/prosthetic world work so incredibly neatly.Usually everyone makes such a mess ha.

[@EggHeadFX]

Thank you 😊

[@brickintheyard]

Great tutorial! A few pointers I would like to offer: Make sure your negative molds are PlatSil silicone, such as 73-20 or 73-15. Tin cure silicone will result in cure inhibition on the surface of Gel-10 especially when the tin cure mold is new. Also, Universal release is only for urethane molds. It is pure silicone oil which will either make your part more prone to sticking to the mold or it may inhibit the surface cure. Use Ultra 4 Epoxy Par Film or Pol Ease 2350 for better results.

[@EggHeadFX]

Brick In The Yard Mold Supply Thank you. I have never had any problems casting PlatSil Gel 10 in a Tin Cure silicone mold. Maybe some silicone have problems. I purchase my Tin Cure from www.fxsupply.com and have never had a problem using their brand silicone with PlatSil silicone. Also if you don't let the spray silicone mold release evaporate it will tend to leave the prosthetic ears sticky yes but besides that it has never given me problems once the liquid evaporates. I also use vaseline on occasion instead of spray mold releases. The information in these videos are technique I learned on The FX Lab www.theeffectslab.com/ So these techniques are not something I made up myself. They are proven and used through out the makeup effects industry.

[@brickintheyard]

Egg Head FX Glad those techniques are working for you! It's always a good idea to know the common contaminates to avoid casting issues.

[@EggHeadFX]

Brick In The Yard Mold Supply I agree with you. I appreciate your insight and input. I have also enjoyed and learned a great deal from your videos as well. Thanks again.

[@EggHeadFX]

Brick In The Yard Mold Supply I agree with you. I appreciate your insight and input. I have also enjoyed and learned a great deal from your videos as well. Thanks again. Brick In The Yard KZbin tutorial channel: kzbin.info

[@haleyholeman9955]

These videos are really informative. Thank you for posting them.

[@JurineErwee]

Those marks are so clever

[@SaraLOLADA]

Can you make a list of all the products you used in all the videos? If not it's not too much work of course :) Thank you for the amazing work! I'm looking foward to make some ears for myself! Thanks again!

[@EggHeadFX]

+Sarao ofCarim Each video has a list of what materials I use for each step and a link to where you can purchase them.

[@EggHeadFX]

Hi Sarao, Yes I can make a list. Give me a week or so to compile the list and I will put it in the information section of the last ear video. Thanks for watching and please share.

[@SaraLOLADA]

Egg Head FX Thank you so much!!

[@Ukababeyzacajhonor]

this has been soooo helpful thank-you!!

[@EggHeadFX]

You are welcome. :)

[@SaphriaAmourrFX]

I was going to use the body double as a replacement for the general purpose silicone that you are using throughout your videos ... I will give it a try and see how it works ^_^

[@EggHeadFX]

+Saphria Amourr Awesome. Please let me know how it turns out and when your ears are done please send me some photos so I can post them on Egghead FX Facebook page. facebook.com/Makeup-Effects-Egghead-FX-893952730638096/ I love to see what artist are doing and I love to show off their work. :)

[@isabelladavis1363]

excellent series extensively detailed..feel like I went to a class at an art college...thanks so much!! Question...how much do you think financially is invested in the products creating the end results?

[@EggHeadFX]

a couple hundred dollars probably. But you can make a bunch of sets of ears after that.

[@Avenacos]

Hello, those videos are super helpful. Sorry if I might have missed the information, but does the Platsil not stick to the silicone mold? Or did you use something to coat it first so it doesn’t stick? Sorry again if I’ve missed this information, English is not my first language :) thank you so so much for these videos, I’ve learned a lot!

[@EggHeadFX]

Not a lot of things stick to silicone except silicone, it sticks to itself that’s about it.

[@shaber19971]

Great tutorial! Can you tell us what you used to give the PlatSil it’s fleshtone? Is there a special product for the silicone?

[@EggHeadFX]

These are the pigments I use to color my silicone for ears. Also I will add a pinch of red flocking. www.amazon.com/Silc-Pig-Silicone-Pigment-9-Pack-Sampler/dp/B005ZH0SFU/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=silicone+pigments&qid=1631625947&sr=8-5

[@jorgeargentino976]

hi, what that product replaces plasil gel 10 using smooth on? (dragon skin 10 perhaps?). tk!

[@EggHeadFX]

Yes you can use Dragon Skin. It would be about the same.

[@samanthashawzin8526]

Hey great video- i noticed you didn’t use cap plastic? I was wondering why/ if it will effect the paint application?

[@EggHeadFX]

Hi Samantha, Great questions. Cap Plastic is the usual option. I found with the small area of an ear using silicone as an adhesive works great to cover up any thick seams. The method I use is simple and very effective. I use a skin colored Plac Sil gel 10 for the adhesive same color as the ears. The seams blend away really nice as you can see on the video. Also clean up is a breeze. No chemicals just lift and edge and they are off. Does not effect the painting. You don't need to seal them with cap plastic because there is no deadener in the silicone. I just use an alcohol based makeup palettes. The ears stay on all day. People have told me they have slept with the ears on and they stayed on the next day- which is funny. :)

[@samanthashawzin8526]

Thank you so much for the quick response- so you can just go right in an paint on the raw silicone? No primer needed?

[@EggHeadFX]

@@samanthashawzin8526 The silicone is a platinum silicone which is a prosthetic grade silicone. It is designed and safe to use next to the skin. I also tinted the silicone to match my skin. You can add more color directly onto the silicone. Don't use any other kind of silicone next to skin. Thanks

[@claudiaguzman6092]

@@EggHeadFX so if I understand correctly, if I use a silicone that does not require Depner like a ecoflex gel , which has the deadner in it, do I not need to use cap plastic to encapsulate it? It will not be sticky?

[@tonnyyoung9182]

Hi, Where can I buy your elf ear modes? thank you

[@bellbathory6648]

This videos are amazing :) I can't get Platsil Gel 10 in my country Would you recommend more dragon skin 10 or EcoFlex?

[@EggHeadFX]

Yes any silicone that is prosthetic grade will work. Dragon skin is also a popular brand. :) If you do make elf ears please post some pictures on our Facebook page.

[@bellbathory6648]

Of course and thank you so much! :D

[@EggHeadFX]

My pleasure. Best to you.

[@SaphriaAmourrFX]

I was wondering if you can use body double by smooth on to make the mold and then do the plasil gel 10

[@EggHeadFX]

+Saphria Amourr Body Double is a pretty thick material, it's used mostly for life casting and it handles like cake frosting. Because it's so thick you might get air bubbles when casting so be careful and I don't know how well your seam lines and feathered edges will be. You can experiment see how it works? Please let me know how it goes, I am curious too. I have never worked with body double from smooth on. Good luck. :)

[@amandakeddy3151]

what if i dont have skin colored pigment for the patsil 10? can i use watercolor paint or something like that?

[@jensenthom]

When I don’t have the right pigments, I have used a flesh colored makeup compact and crushed it into a fine powder and mix that into the silicone. It actually works really well. Silicone is not water soluble. So watercolors will not mix in.

[@amandakeddy3151]

@@jensenthom wow thank you. i am on this part of the series! only doing one ear at a time though in case i make any major mistakes. THANK YOU!!

[@EggHeadFX]

@@amandakeddy3151 I would love to see pictures of your elf ears sculptures and molds as you go. I can offer advice along the way :)

[@courtneypadgett5185]

Does this work with laytex???

[@jensenthom]

No but I am currently making a video on how to do latex elf ears :-) hopefully it’ll be finished by May 2021

[@arriendarkmyretallynn1433]

how much do you charge to make these ears for people

[@harmoniehp]

I want to try this but the platsil 10 is way to expensive for just doing one set of ears is there anything else that you would recommend instead?

[@EggHeadFX]

harmoniehp Hi Harmoniehp, If you want to try a different product you can actually use prosthetic grade gelatin in your molds. Lord of the Rings used gelatin and silicone for many of the elf ears. Gelatin will melt in hot temperatures but much less expensive. good luck.

[@harmoniehp]

Thank you for the advice :)

[@BoneCrackerQueen]

Is it possible to glue the ears with spirit gum?

[@EggHeadFX]

Yes you can. And if you are careful when removing the ears the feathered edge will still be fairly intact. Remove ears with alcohol to dissolve the spirit gum.

[@BoneCrackerQueen]

Thank you. That will help me a lot, i almost finish the first ear. I give you a link when its done.

[@EggHeadFX]

Awesome, I'd love to see them. :D

[@diesehexe]

Hello, I dont have platsil gel 10 in my country, can I use látex or something? What can I do? Please help, I am in the step 2 :'c

[@EggHeadFX]

+diesehexe You can use latex, it will take a long time to dry and you will have to do very thin coats of latex and allow each layer to dry before applying the next. I would recommend a prosthetic grade gelatin for this same process. Not just gelatin, you will need to mix up a batch of prosthetic grade gelatin. I teach it in one of my videos. But the materials I use is not professional grade. The types of ingredients I used in the video below may be found in your area. You could try the material I used. See how the ears turn out. Use vasaline as a mold release. Cheers. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2SwoZuVr8xnlck

[@diesehexe]

+Egg Head FX wow, thank you so much for your answer. In this moment I was reading about latex + flour, what do you think about? thanks!!!

[@EggHeadFX]

I think flower would make it very stiff and thick. Latex has strong enough to be used a lone. Good luck. :)

[@diesehexe]

+Egg Head FX thank you very very very very much!!!!!! :)

[@InGreed666]

Why do u need 100 molds? I don't get it. I bet you know exactly what you are doing. For somebody that doesn't it just seems unnecessary

[@EggHeadFX]

This is just one way of making ears there are simpler ways. You can search on youtube and find how to make latex elf ears which are much easier but they don't look as nice or look as real. Each process has it's challenges. To achieve finer edges and cleaner more realistic prosthetic ears the process can get complicated. It's not for everyone.

[@InGreed666]

Egg Head FX oh wow thank you for your quick answer. I didn't try to be mean or anything I just didn't get the so many molds part. I think this is way too complicated for me 😊 it's amazing though. Is this your job?

[@verindplays]

To be honest, this 7 step process seems like too much... I feel like at very least you could take away and skip part 4

[@EggHeadFX]

Verind Hi Verind,Part 4 is a crucial step if you want nice feathered edges, but I see you point. I could have not gone into as much detail as I did but I find many artists are starving for the details. Techniques more important then just content or just talking about the step to save time. I know some advanced artists who have skimmed through the videos and stopped at particular points that they feel are essential for them to review. My goal is to give everything I can to help people. And of course some artists don't need as much help.

[@verindplays]

Yeah thank you for replying! Detail sure is important! I appreciate that you went into detail cause yeah barely anyone goes into the crucial detail that you do! Do you know of any way that these could be made in a bit of a simpler or quick way with less cost of clay and making less molds? I understand if there isn't though! Thank you!

[@EggHeadFX]

Verind Thanks Verind,There are other videos on KZbin that show simpler techniques like latex ears etc. The ears aren't as real looking up close. I am preparing to do another set of videos using a three part plaster or resin mold. Less expensive then silicone molds and you get the same quality ears. And of course I will be showing a lot of detail. :)

[@verindplays]

Sounds good! I'll definitely watch it!