I'm not sure on my invoice it says slip casting latex. Just my luck to order the wrong thing.

order number #MSKL-128

http://www.fxsupply.com/materials/latex.html

Slip cast is another name for the same thing I use. Hmmm. I'm not sure WHY your latex is too thick...but, tell me this: what's the consistency like? Is it as viscous, as say...mayonnaise? Sour cream? Or is it runnier like heavy whipping cream or gravy? If it's like mayo or sour cream, it could be mold latex, wrongly labeled, or could be latex that is old, or got cold. What time of year did it get shipped, and how long ago? Cold weather can freeze it, and render it pretty much useless.

What it SHOULD be like is really heavy whipping cream from a carton or bottle.
Let us know....all else fails, give the supplier a jingle and ask one of their tech reps what they know about it.
Good luck!
Larry LaFontsee
LaFontsee Character Design
Fox Valley, WI

I hope the Monster Maker's Latex is better than it was 10 years ago. It's the first latex I used. I found it to be too thick.

 I always buy mine in 5 gallons. I just looked and it seems the last batch I bought (maybe 2 years ago?) is from Douglas and Sturgess. It's the right consistency to me.


Billy - You probably got the right stuff. The number corresponds with mask latex. And some people do call it slip latex since that's that type of casting it's used for.

I re-checked it and is the consistency of whipping cream or salad dressing. I wasn't sure since I never have used it before. I guess I'm OK. Got my curiosity up now............ Will have to plan a project.

I can vouch for the Monster Maker's latex...it's very high quality, and the price is decent by comparison to many others. They now make their own formulas. I've never had a problem with their latex, and I've been using it for about 8 years now. Their staff is very knowledgeable, and helpful.
I'm curious, Rikka....what are Douglas and Sturgess charging for a 5 gallon bucket these days? Monster Maker's is $139.00...which is better than some I've seen, but the shipping can be a killer.
BTW...Monster Makers developed and supplied all the black mask latex for the Batman suits in "Batman Begins"...pretty good stuff, same as the regular mask latex, only with the black dye.
Larry LaFontsee
LaFontsee Character Design
Fox Valley, WI

Ah, glad to see the consistency is good. Salad dressing is just about the perfect description!! LOL
yeah, start a project, let us know how it goes....!
Larry LaFontsee
LaFontsee Character Design
Fox Valley, WI

Maybe Monster Maker's got better since I bought from them. Or maybe I got a bad batch. At that time, they were more expensive than alternatives. But researching some tonight, they seem to be pretty much the cheapest.
Douglas and Sturgess seems to be up to $202.50 for 5 gallons now. When I bought it last, I know it was much cheaper. Ah, inflation. When I have is used up (I probably still have 2 1/2 gallons left), I'll try Monster Makers again.

Billy - Yes, you should try a project. Maybe just a face for a puppet. Something which I've considered doing myself. Then you could try it and only have to deal with a one piece mold.

Quick question! Can you add clay on top of a plastic mannequin head as a base. Then mold from it or is it better to use a solid base of clay?

Billy, as long as you've got enough clay on the surface of the mannequin head, so that you don't get stuck in the hard plaster mold, sure....you need a bit of a clay "cushion"....you don't want the hard surface of the mannequinn head (or anything hard) to mechanically lock with the interior surface of the mold....
I use stuff like mannequin heads, doll heads, etc...but the best way is to make an armature you KNOW will fit in the center of your mold, and not too close to the interior walls of the stone mold...so that you'll have room to dig out the clay, then you can easily remove the armature.
One way to do this is to use Dow Corning extruded foam house insulation...you can buy it very cheap, in 4'x8'x2" sheets, cut down to small rectangles or squares, then glue together with any water based or silicone calk....rasp, file, sand (by hand, DON'T USE HIGH SPEED ELECTRIC SANDING OR DRILLING DEVICES...THE DUST IS REALLY BAD FOR YOUR LUNGS AND EYES) to the desired shape, then start slappin' the clay on it.

Larry LaFontsee
LaFontsee Character Design
Fox Valley, WI

BTW, the profile pic of me, with "Gus", is clay over an extruded foam armature, just the basic skull...no protrusions. That made it MUCH easier to sculpt, AND to demold.