Plaster Mold Making for a Latex Halloween Mask DIY | Monster Lab

Plaster mold making tutorial to make your own Latex Halloween Mask. In Monster Lab 19, Ed Edmunds of Distortions Unlimited shows you how to make a mold from a zombie mask that he sculpted out of clay in the previous video. Monster Lab is a DIY instructional series that teaches you the skills to be a mask maker. Please COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, SHARE, & LIKE as that helps us keeping making these.
We have videos on molding, casting, sculpting, painting, masks, props, and a variety of Halloween creations. In the following episode we will be painting the zombie mask. distortionsunl...
Distortions Unlimited is known in the Halloween manufacturing industry for their animatronics, props, costumes, masks, Shocktronics, and more.
Monster Lab Episode 19
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[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Hi Everyone! Here is the second video in our Zombie mask and costume series! If you like this content and want to help us make more please COMMENT, SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, & LIKE.

[@crazyhalloweenguy3479]

DistortionsUnlimited already shared this video it’s amazing

[@Jac0bAar0n]

We all expected that more videos would be uploaded! they are very good! Do not stop producing more. Greetings.

[@nicholascolemanart]

DistortionsUnlimited thank you so much now I have a mask I can use for a Movies

[@azusenagarcia5289]

Hey i really love your animatronic its amazing

[@gailsheldon7989]

can you re-use the clay as long as you don't use the part that was painted. and what demo vid has the measurements for the flat working surface? thanks

[@Denizen-Unknown]

Eds calmness is very reassuring whenever I feel iffy when I make my own plaster molds.

[@Ibaneddie76]

I know I'm not the only one who watches these videos many times just to kick it with Ed while I'm working on a project!

[@wmonger]

If only there were a live video feed in the production area of Distortions, I would never tune into normal television again.

[@MrSaberine]

Ed Edmunds: The Bob Ross of monster making

[@zombiefresh7563]

I have to admit that when I see Ed work, he is much more focused and better with his two hands than other artists, so Ed and his team stay the best of times for me, thanks for your next cool video !!!

[@johnholmes6428]

So happy to find you here. My son and I watched your show religiously. Thanks for all the entertainment!

[@therealdannyboi5792]

I love these kinds of videos cause when ed works and he is amazing at what he does

[@TruthSurge]

I'll say this much, you applied some SERIOUS work ethic on that mold! I kept saying to myself, "good enough!" hehehe But I guess a mold is something you could use many times so making it right will pay off in the future. Been watching a few vids. Just finding the whole process rather interesting.

[@TheHairyBeastie]

Another great step by step tutorial. I've been doing makeup effects and mask making as a hobby for 30 years and i still really enjoy watching stuff like this. :)

[@watcheroffools366]

Thank you so very much for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

[@gabrielstudios1265]

Thank you so much for showing us this it helps me a lot

[@saratea]

Thanks! On my journey with WED clay and your tips are super helpful

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Happy to help!

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Best wishes on your projects!

[@neuroplastic3142]

I always wondered how companies made copies of molds to mass produce a mask. Thanks for that last tip in the video. Looking forward to the next one.

[@caseysperry7899]

Thanks for doing more of these videos. I always enjoying watching you work. You are so talented and have inspired me and the stuff I try to make.

[@torrycarlson6472]

Cool!!!!! So awesome! Love the old fashioned way of makes making .. this reminds me of Halloween 3 when they made the shamrock masks!

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Thanks so much Torry

[@howielane8406]

You've almost got me interested in testing out my own creative ability. What I want to learn is your way of correctly cleaning the tools and equipment. Thanks for the schooling. Great camera skills as well.

[@rockyxbautista]

Another great vid- a lot of extremely valuable tips and information, as well as the cherry on top of Ed and his personality and stories (that Alien mold must’ve been crazy!)

[@billhuggins6999]

Awesome as always guys!!!

[@oliviaannejohnson9689]

Great job ed I appreciate your kind words you are my hero in these videos they cheer me up

[@ZomBRaider]

Hard to believe after 40 years Ed's biggest tools are his hands and a piece of sheet metal because he couldn't find a paint mix stick....LOL....I much prefer the "wing it" method myself...I'm glad to see he's passing on all this great info...It answers some of the questions I had from the Making Monsters show....Thanks for sharing your knowledge Ed....Not sure I'll try plaster because of the weight but I thoroughly enjoy this series as much as I enjoyed the Making Monsters show .....Thanks for taking the time......

[@maxabeles]

Thanks! I can now see why I've gotten stress cracks on the interior of my mold. I let the print coat dry before adding more layers so the gravity just crushed the print coat. I started doing box / pour molds with plaster but if the original model is big enough thats a big waste of plaster. So, I guess the trick is to do it all in one shot. I also have hydrocal and I understand why pottery plaster might be a better option because hydrocal kind of snaps hard, and the setting time of pottery plaster seems much longer. /rantover

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Hey Max! Thanks for the super thanks. Glad the info helped. Let us know what Monster Lab videos you might want to see in the future on mold making. We hope to make a few more new Monster Labs this year. Best wishes to you!

[@maxabeles]

@@DistortionsUnlimited Thank you for the wonderful content! I need to scan through the video library, but off top a video detailing animatronics could be neat - what type of servos, microcontrollers etc. Of course, that might be treading into "trade secrets" territory, if its not posted already ;)

[@zombiefarmsofathensga]

Holy Plaster! Did I just discover the master of mask making, Ed of Distortions Unlimited, showing us how to efficiently make molds in full detail? There is literally no one in the world I'd rather teach me. THANK YOU! Your love for the business shows through and spreads like a virus through out the world into fellow monster lovers like us.

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Wow! Thank you so much Zombie Farms for all of your kind words and support. It mean a lot!

[@eviledwin777]

Zombie Farms Wow!! I really appreciate that!!!

[@oliviaannejohnson9689]

Wow awesome job ed

[@monniebrentart8842]

I really enjoy watching your show...thank so much for the helpful tips....I've learned so much from ya....

[@MINDSET4LIFE143]

Thanks for making these videos, they're great!

[@stevevaughn2040]

Ed...for some reason your recent vids were not coming up for me but, I know this is older, I want to thank you for all the new vids over the last couple months. I really enjoy them as I cower inside from the silent killer that is.... reality..

[@miam7755]

This was relaxing to watch! How fun!

[@behemoth3562]

Keep these videos coming Ed, I can’t get enough of the teaching you provide. This is gold ! Thank you so much!

[@Industen]

Great work!

[@chrisfry7915]

Awesome as always. Great tips and advice.

[@jeannemarie555]

Thank you Ed. Your tutorial video is superb!

[@lostwisdom7789]

Thank you for sharing your work and teaching us your techniques!!

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

You are so welcome!

[@philipdefibaugh7127]

I use Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic spray and the clay comes off easier. I just subscribed! I enjoy the process of making a rubber mask from start to finish.

[@eviledwin777]

Yes Krylon CC works and it is what Rick Baker recommended so many years ago. I don't use it because if it does stick I want to see it so I can get it off.

[@Carusone_Daniel]

Love these you guys are the greatest

[@ShomsPhotography]

would like to see a video on making a master copy for producing multiples production molds

[@TrickrTerrorhaunt]

Love these videos Ed!

[@CallousCoder]

I hate mould making and especially with plaster. Such a dirty material 😁 I was glad that when I did special effects we had some great mould makers to make moulds of parts that I’d created also mechanical engineers. It’s a joy working with experts in their field. But you need to know enough to be dangerous and self reliant too. But it’s truly something amazing watching professional mould makers at work.

[@lukeprocopio3584]

Typically what I see when mixing plaster over the years has been that it seems to double in volume once the plaster is fully added, so I always use about half water of the overall amount I think I'll need and let the plaster raise it the rest of the way.

[@eviledwin777]

You're right!

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Check out our list of what clay we use and supplies in the video description. (Amazon Affiliate Links)

[@oliviaannejohnson9689]

Good job guys keep me posted on your projects and I will let you know when I’m done with my Halloween masks and stuff soon

[@Kanishka-b6p]

The guy at USG who taught Ed about how to apply the plaster deserves a raise

[@maxabeles]

great vid!

[@alper8825]

I'm planning to make a short film and I watched your videos to make my own mask I will paint it and maybe add hair if its not too hard. Keep up the good work :)

[@ballwelder2857]

Alper04 what’s the short film?

[@SpencerDavis2000]

I love watching these. So creative and full of skill :-)

[@cdhodg7104]

You're instruction is so smooth, just talking through it as you work; really superb! I'm just trying my hand at mask making (@ 50yrs), so I've been watching and re-watching your labs... About how many pulls would a mold like this be good for? And would hydro-cal or ultra-cal generally allow for more copies?

[@eviledwin777]

About 50. the other plasters are stronger but instead of slow deterioration like #1 big chunks come out making the mold done. That said all three are fine.

[@candyqueenify]

Never clicked so fast on a video 😂😍

[@maximilians917]

15:11 i Love this Animation 😂😻

[@Icelandlover]

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and passion. This is so inspiring!

[@Healer_-um9yp]

Thanks a lot! I’m going to attempt and make my first mold. Wish me luck!

[@eviledwin777]

Good luck!

[@lycanx900]

This was awesome

[@sammy4395]

fascinating to me ! Wondering , can the clay used to make the original mask for making the mold be used again even though it has been painted ?

[@SunBear-kh2td]

Why not fill a container with the plaster mix and dip the sculpt down in it, keeping it there until the plaster dries? I'm new to the craft but as long as you have a way to keep the sculpt suspended so it doesn't go too deep, I feel like that could work. Thoughts?

[@TheWilleysOnOffGrid]

I've wondered the same. The "shells" would be easier to store that way. I think I'd brush on the initial first layer though just to ensure no bubbles.

[@takumeme545]

There would be no way to open up the mold without likely destroying it.

[@electricwombat5967]

You will get horrible air bubbles and you can’t work the plaster into the fine detail without brushing it in.

[@Krack213]

Thank you Ed!

[@ballwelder2857]

If the sculpture is oil based clay, should you still spray it with the krylon brown?

[@eviledwin777]

I would, the oil in the clay can mess with the absorption a little.

[@maximilians917]

Avery Avery good question

[@bretjohnson6086]

For some reason, the voice and face, u remind me of Otis from Devil's Rejects

[@TheEricworthen]

mixing plaster right now for a mask!

[@maximilians917]

Could you please make a fiberglass mold somewhen ?

[@new.asteroid.tracker]

This is going to be such a great workshop series on how to do a Latex Halloween Mask! After the first application of plaster, would it help to add a substrate of material like cheesecloth during the second application to add some straight to the mold?

[@bottlecap7533]

I would think so, it would strengthen the mold by giving it more layers and structure rather than a solid mass

[@louishodge7404]

Does the spray paint technique work if you use NSP clay? Thanks. 🤙🏼

[@Hauntbots]

Excellent video and series, although I have to admit, the background music kept making me think I had minecraft running

[@MidnightVCoco]

I would love to be able to do this because I love goosebumps and the haunted mask 1 and 2 are my favorite episodes

[@RayFox145]

Can you use the Krylon spray on oil based clay as well, or is it better on WED?

[@gutrotproductions410]

These videos are amazing. Quick question, would this method work with dragon skin silicone?

[@Theinkcircus]

Question, if the pottery clay is still wet after 5 days should I put it out in the sun to dry it faster? Hope I didn't mess up

[@MisMomentosConDios]

Hi!! Would this method work on a large rubber mold for a statue? Thank you!

[@halloween1993]

Hey Ed! Your tutorials have helped me a ton, but I've run into an issue and I have no idea what went wrong. I made a pretty good half-mask clay sculpt out of WED clay. I kept it wet and bagged every day for about 2 weeks until I was ready to do the Krylon and make the plaster mold. Every step of the way seemed to go surprisingly well, until this morning. I did the Krylon seal over the mask about 3, maybe 4 days ago. I checked on the mask just now because I was preparing the materials to do the plaster mold, and I noticed the whole thing had cracks over the entire mask. I know this usually happens to WED clay if it isn't kept wet, but since I did the Krylon layer, I didn't have any need to keep it wet. What do you think went wrong? Is there a window of time after doing the Krylon layer that I should do the mold within? I'm wondering if I left it too long before getting ready to do the plaster mold. If you get a chance to read this, thanks in advance, and thanks again for the great videos!

[@studio78a]

is this process the same for full head masks or would you use a 2 piece mold style

[@BananaRama76]

Question: why do you spray the sculpt with spray paint?

[@MeMe-td7tr]

Is there a way to make the Michel Myers 2018 mask bigger? Maybe as I wear it use a hair dryer over tight spots? Any help is much appreciated

[@bradt6478]

Did you paint the mold while it was still wet? Or did you wait till it dried and then paint?

[@eviledwin777]

Let it dry out a bit.

[@Horror_Hero]

Truly enlightened people can hear butterflies

[@IGarrettI]

Can I use silicone instead of latex for a more realistic mask???

[@ashleymills9632]

Can you use silicone spray instead of

[@kennethjones4483]

I have a question I'm going to attempt to make my own predator suit so I'm wondering what would be the best clay to use to sculpt it out of

[@veedubb67]

LOL - You need to replace the batteries in your clock Ed!

[@johnholmes6428]

Lol

[@eviledwin777]

We bought an atomic clock now.

[@fulcifan6946]

Ed, do you kids make your master molds out of this same pottery plaster or just your production molds?

[@eviledwin777]

Right or wrong we use it for everything!

[@calumevans271]

Why do some use silicone with plaster outer shell and some use just plaster mould ?

[@TheMelFischer]

Do you reclaim any of the clay after you mold the sculpt, or is it all waste?

[@eviledwin777]

Yes, you can save some of it.

[@DarkCoversYT]

Can I use a plastic base form mask and make a copy of it by using plaster and latex? If so how?

[@ashleymills9632]

And how long do you leave the clay to... I left mine and bit cracked

[@cadillacescalade5428]

Hi would Plaster of paris work for mask making ?

[@chopsonyou2007]

I am a big fan of weighing my plaster and water

[@CreepyCoasters]

If I was to want to mold a pumpkin to make latex reproductions of the original pumpkin, would I use this same process? Also, how long after the mold has been poured should you take out the latex?

[@Echo3_]

can you mix it with an electric paint stirrer ?

[@eviledwin777]

Yes, just try not to whip bubbles into it.

[@AriKolbeinsson]

One thing I am wondering: if you (or I) did not paint the clay, could I salvage the clay, wet it a bit, and use it at least as a base layer for my next sculpture? (I know clay isn't that expensive for smaller projects, but I would imagine that larger projects might benefit from cost reductions. Also, I seem to recall Jordu being unhappy at using old clay in some episode of the TV show)

[@eviledwin777]

YES!!

[@BluelightGaming1]

I wish I could find usg no. 1 but there appears to be a shortage of it right now according to what one supplier told me.

[@rivercarson5763]

Roughly how much plaster would you say you need to make a mold?

[@rooinmaggot1892]

OKay...So I DID paint the clay first and am still having difficulty getting the clay out of the details. Any help is appreciated.

[@LopezNightmares]

Hey Distortions! I’ve been wanting to make a foam filled prop for a while now, what’s the name of the foam that you guys use? Thanks.

[@figurashechasamanolacavern6775]

Hello... How long you leave the latex inside the mold to create the mask?

[@SunBear-kh2td]

Most people recommend 30 minutes to an hour depending on the thickness you want.

[@Kralkaos]

Hi there is there an alternative to krylon or what is important to the paint? i got the information sheet but i am no chemist :D i live in germany and apperently krylon is not available in the EU. today i broke a 3-piece plaster mold when i was demolding it and it stuck at just one point at each backpart. :(

[@camillesunde6379]

Does anyone know how you would clean the clay out of something like a werewolf muzzle with teeth? That sounds impossible to do.

[@camillesunde6379]

I almost feel like the only way to do something like that is to make a cross section down the midline and mold each half individually..?

[@finn_wiegmann]

Whats the Name of the latex? Please answer👏👏

[@murd_bird]

answer

[@eviledwin777]

Monster Makers RD 407 on Amazon

[@maximilians917]

At which store did you sell your own masks when you were young? Or which stores bought masks from you? 🧐

[@eviledwin777]

The Party Palace in Greeley.

[@Sir-IKON]

is that 70/30 plaster/water or water/plaster?

[@eviledwin777]

plaster water.

[@Horror_Hero]

Is plasticine clay ok for this?

[@eviledwin777]

Yes, but check out our video on WED clay [brand new]

[@DonWalkerProductions]

How do you make a full head mask?

[@eviledwin777]

We have other videos on 2 piece molds.

[@ballwelder2857]

How much plaster will you need?

[@eviledwin777]

Depends on the size of the monster!

[@countwackadoodle1905]

Can you reuse clay that your spray painted over?

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Hello! Don't reuse the clay that has spray paint on it but it is perfectly fine to use the clay underneath the layer that has the spray paint on it.

[@jessicamorales9018]

Wow great job ed are you trained to make masks?

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Thanks so much! Ed founded the company Distortions Unlimited over 40 years ago, which makes props, masks, animatronics etc.

[@eviledwin777]

I had to train myself mostly.