INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

CREATURE CAST RUBBER is suitable for brushing/spraying onto a variety of surfaces such as EVA/L-200 urethane foams, styrofoam and plastics as well as all kinds of direct textile fabrication (felt, cardboard, cotton, spandex, etc.). Below is a guide to help you determine when to use it, which rigidity to choose, and how to best utilize this amazing line of products.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES:  

Always work in a clutter free, well ventilated area using proper eye, hand, and lung protection.  

In case of spills, use dry paper towels, earth, or clay to soak up excess rubber before using damp paper towels to clean surfaces.  Work safely and carefully to prevent spills.  It's not fun to clean up puddles of liquid rubber.  Trust us.

Small spills of CREATURE CAST can be safely flushed to a drain, if allowed by applicable Federal, State/Provincial, and Local regulations.  Repetitive spills or large spills (more than 4 liters [1 gallon]) may cause plugging of drain systems due to coagulation of the polymer, as well as regulatory problems related to wastewater discharge.  Large spills are best cleaned up by absorbing the liquid with solid materials (Vermiculite, clay, etc.)

EYE and SKIN PROTECTION

Eye protection should be used as a matter of course where CREATURE CAST is handled.  Gloves, long sleeve shirts or other appropriate skin protection should be used in those situations where splashes and spills are possible.

In case of eye contact, immediately flush eyes with plenty of water for at least 15 min.  Call a physician.  Eye contact may cause irritation with tearing, pain, or blurred vision, corneal opacity or clouding of the eye.  In case of skin contact, flush skin with water.  Contaminated clothing should be washed before reuse.  

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE:

FOAM COATING:

Creature Cast Rubber is highly adhesive and suitable for coating a variety of surfaces.  Most commonly, it is brushed and/or sprayed onto EVA and L-200 foams for Cosplay costume and prop creations.  It is an excellent substitute for aerosol plastic/rubber coating products, not only outperforming them, but due to the absence of harmful solvents it is safe to use in the home.

There are several methods within the cosplay/fabrication communities for applying Creature Cast to foam.  It is always best to start with a scrap piece to test the compatibility and penetration of the product.

Regarding rigidity (when coating foam):  The rule of thumb is - The more rigid you go, the easier it is to sand, but the higher the tendency to leave a crease when bent.  So take into consideration the kind of action a particular piece will be expected to perform. 

BY BRUSH:  As a test to get to know our products, we recommend starting with the raw (low viscosity) liquid rubber as it comes.  Use a disposable brush to apply some of the liquid rubber onto the scrap foam.  Take care to back brush any drips that appear.  You can then use a hot hair dryer to set the rubber.  At this thin viscosity, many layers would need to be applied to build up a sand-able surface.  So most often, a raw application such as this is only used to penetrate the pores of a rough foam surface before applying a thickened coat of product (see thickening, below).  Build up as many raw or thickened layers as needed for your application (usually 3-5 coats are sufficient for heavy use items).  Allow to cure overnight before sanding/painting for best performance.

SPRAYING:  Creature Cast Rubber can be sprayed through any paint spraying device (including Critter syphon feed devices, airbrushes, and HPLV guns).  Test the raw liquid through the device before thickening with Neo-Thix (or thinning with water in the case of some fine needled air-brushes).  Spray just as you would latex paint, being mindful of drips.  Hair dryers can be helpful in setting the rubber before successive passes.  Paint guns/spray devices can be cleaned with hot soapy water (Acetone may be used to break down cured bits).

THICKENING:  Many applications require the liquid rubber to be thickened.  Thickening the rubber helps to build layers quickly and prevents fish-eyeing during spraying.  We developed a polymer we call NEO-THIX just for this purpose. One 8 oz. bottle of NEO-THIX is generally enough to sufficiently thicken one gallon of liquid rubber.   Mix the NEO-THIX in small batches in a separate cup (DO NOT ADD TO THE JUG).   NEO-THIX has a different shelf life than the liquid rubber so it is best to not contaminate the entire supply.  Apply a few drops of NEO-THIX to a few ounces of liquid rubber and stir thoroughly for 30 seconds.  You will notice the rubber's viscosity increasing.  Need it thicker?  Add a little more NEO-THIX.  Need it thinner?  Add a little more liquid rubber.  Do not exceed 20% NEO-THIX (by weight).  Keep leftover rubber tightly covered for longevity.

PAINTING:  

CREATURE CAST RUBBER accepts all kinds of paint without the need for primers or solvents for adhesion.  Take care to choose high quality paints with flexibility that reflects the needs of the object you are painting.  We recommend Liquitex acrylic products.  CREATURE CAST RUBBER (off-white) can be tinted for intrinsic coloring by using acrylic paint or universal tinting products but the final cured surface must be painted and sealed to mitigate browning caused by oxidization. If concerned about browning, contact us with questions or use the black version.

Links to prop makers who use our products to great effect -

Evil Ted Smith (prop and cosplay wizard with many years of hollywood experience):  eviltedsmith.com

Bill Doran (cosplay and prop engineer with large online following):  punishedprops.com