Making a Prop Finger
Had a unique opportunity to create a fake finger.
Very interesting to see how movie props get made and learn about some of the practical concerns from an experienced prop maker. One of the main advantages of silicone is that it has a similar degree of subsurface scattering as human skin, making them look a bit nicer. Also they are far more long-lived than many of the older alternatives. The basic process went down as
- mix up the blue seaweed stuff
- when it becomes thick, introduce finger
- wait
- quickly mix up two-part silicone mixture
- pour a very thin stream (to avoid bubbles) and fill the mold
- wait
- remove fake finger, use alcohol based dye to gently paint some life in to it
How the blue stuff set was very weird. We had to use room-temperature water while the directions suggested hot water. I mixed for around three minutes with essentially zero effect, basically having water with blue flakes in it. Then rather suddenly the solution becomes homogenous, a much lighter blue, and very viscous.