I was thinking.. plaster is cheaper and lighter than fiberglass. It may break easier, but it’d still be good for a shell.. anyone try it?
Might not make for a bad stunt pack.
that’ll take quite some time to dry though, my brother made a block last december, didn’t end being dry til march.
You would be better off with paper mache then plaster, the weight and incredible brittleness of plaster will create nothing but trouble…
Paper mache is significantly more brittle than plaster. Also whoever said plaster wouldn’t dry: plaster dries in minutes. We use plaster for quick and easily molded masks in the theatre here, and I just noticed the thickness of some of the masks we have would be ideal for a proton pack shell/mold
I would totally do paper mache over plaster.
You would need so much plaster to make it so it doesn’t break that it would weigh a ton.
Make one out of plaster and post it in the props section. Plaster is cheap. It couldn’t hurt. You might be the first person to make a plaster pack.
well he made it large box size, and it wouldn’t dry for him.
I’ll second AJ; enough plaster to be durable would weigh a ton.
A mask doesn’t weight that much, but when you get into something the size of the proton pack it’s a whole different story. I’ve rotocast statues around 2-2.5’ tall that I know weighed more than my fiberglass shell.
Not to mention that plaster is pretty, well, soft. You ever bump into a plaster wall with a piece of furniture you’re carrying? Something like that would not last very long with any kind of use.
If you’re going for a display-only pack, though, go for it.
I have seen it used to make molds of masks and other things but as far as making a solid piece I agree would take a LONG time to harden. I would suggest you make a pack out of wood, cover it in plaster to make a mold then SLOWLY and CAREFULLY get the mold off the pack in one piece if possible. Good thing about plaster is if it cracks it can be easily repaired. Then brush on more plaster on the inside of the mold until its thick enough. THEN crack open the mold and you got your piece. I would NOT suggest doing a plast shell unless you want it broken. This is also how you make good vac pulling molds.
How would plaster be lighter than fiberglass?
My fiberglass shells (with a wall thickness of 1/8") average 7 lbs. out of the mold. With everything assembled (all resin parts, motherboard, alice frame, etc.) it has a total weight of 15 lbs.
I doubt very seriously that a plaster shell (alone) can weigh less than 25 lbs. yet be strong enough to withstand all the drilling and mounting of the other parts.
Once said and done, you’d have “at least” a 33 lb. pack.
At that point you’re better off building it out of wood.
… balsa wood.