Post #807193 by MadDogMike on Thu, Jan 5, 2023 11:25 AM

I incised my lines with a trim router

Then used the router and an angle grinder to do some carving

My piece of wood is really crappy and fibrous in some areas, especially the mouth. I tell myself
One - The mask will be hung on the back fence and viewed from a distance so detail isn't real important
Two - The fibers give it more of a "vintage" look
Three- Worst case scenario, this was good practice for a better piece of wood if I find one

I took a torch to it to burn off some of the fuzzies, it helped.

This and my Tana'ao mask are pretty quick projects. Big and bold with not a lot of detail because of the viewing distance. Next is some dark stain to match the other masks on the fence, to contrast with the light fence, and to contrast with the abalone shell eyes.

Now the thought process for those 3 inch abalone shell eyes. I wanted something reasonably inexpensive, easy to work with, and sunlight resistant/weatherproof (my masks are outside here on The Anvil of Sun)
Abalone shells are reasonably priced, 8 bucks on Amazon, I would probably need two. But probably difficult to cut and shape and I think they faded in the sun
Polymer clay (Sculpty, Fimo, etc) can be made into faux abalone. It's easy to work with but requires several different colors of clay and other materials so price starts to add up. And I don't think it will last long in the sun.
My preference would be ceramic clay. I have the supplies and it lasts for centuries. But I couldn't come up with materials and techniques to mimic the shimmer of abalone

So I'm going with printed vinyl protected by epoxy resin. Found this printed stick-on laptop cover for $11. It has a bold pattern so it will be discernable as abalone from a distance rather than just some kind of blue/green color.

I'll cut 3 inch circles, drop them in 3 inch silicone molds, and pour epoxy resin over them. I don't think they will be very weather resistant, maybe a few good years. But I have material to make several so I'll have spares to replace them as needed.

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2023-01-05 11:29:46 ]