Liquid latex

I just acquired a litre of liquid latex from Para Rubber for a new batch of weapons. They told me it should be kept refrigerated. Anyone else have any experience with this?

(The previous batch, from a different suplier, wasn’t fridged, and has lasted two months so far without any noticable problems)

I’ve never heard that before.

Guess I won’t bother then.

Keep it as airtight as you can, that’s the main thing.

Liquid latex gradually solidifies when in contact with the air, and the process is sped up by heat.

Do NOT refrigerate it. Similarly, don’t get it warm.

Somewhere like a garage or basement is ideal. Unless either gets too cold.

After using the latex, put the cap back on and up end it, then store it upright as normal. The latex that gets on the rim inside will dry with the air that gets in through the cap. And seal the bottle.

When you think about it, or in passing, give it a little shake every once in a while. Latex can just coagulate in the bottle, and keeping it agitated a few times a year helps it store for longer.

You can also add a little ammonia to it if you feel it’s setting too quickly.

I should look around more before asking this but I’m at work so;

Is there anywhere in Auckland (North Shore hopefully) that sells small bottles of liquid latex? 500ml hopefully, other than Top Mark. (I haven’t been there recently but will happily go there is the answer is “no.”)

I couldn’t see any at the local Para Rubber.

I’m wanting it to paint/cover a mask I’m making with (mostly) foam.

[quote=“Alice M”]I should look around more before asking this but I’m at work so;

Is there anywhere in Auckland (North Shore hopefully) that sells small bottles of liquid latex? 500ml hopefully, other than Top Mark. (I haven’t been there recently but will happily go there is the answer is “no.”)

I couldn’t see any at the local Para Rubber.

I’m wanting it to paint/cover a mask I’m making with (mostly) foam.[/quote]

Gordon Harris sells it in 250ml and 1L containers
gordonharris.co.nz/advanced_ … ords=latex

Just the question I wanted answered, that the Liquid Latex that Gordon Harris sells is the stuff to use.
What kind of ratio do you use Derek? I was looking at some information that said 70/30 latex/paint, does that sound about right?

It’s worth doing a test…

You want as little paint as possible in the latex otherwise it alters the properties too much.

So it’s a balance between the paint needed to colour it sufficiently, and keeping the properties of the latex you need.

What’s it for BTW? If it’s for a prosthetic, you really want the absolute minimum of paint to retain translucency, and colour the rest with makeup.

For weapons, yes, you want it pretty opaque.

But write it all down! With the results. Otherwise you won’t be able to replicate it later on…

That’s been my mistake too many times.

[quote=“joker”]It’s worth doing a test…

You want as little paint as possible in the latex otherwise it alters the properties too much.

So it’s a balance between the paint needed to colour it sufficiently, and keeping the properties of the latex you need.

What’s it for BTW? If it’s for a prosthetic, you really want the absolute minimum of paint to retain translucency, and colour the rest with makeup.

For weapons, yes, you want it pretty opaque.

But write it all down! With the results. Otherwise you won’t be able to replicate it later on…

That’s been my mistake too many times.[/quote]

Mostly for a weapon, I do plan to document the entire process, so I can put it online somewhere for other peoples reference.
Although I will transfer a little bit to a small container for mask blending. I plan to put the latex on first, then paint/blend in with colour afterwards.

I have been reducing the amount of paint I add to the latex, because too much paint makes the latex brittle.

I would like to try using the tinting directly in the latex one time, that way I should be able to drop to under 1% dilution of the latex.

If you get past about 10-20% paint, I find that the latex tends to crack instead of stretching.

Chris, there’s a company in Ngauranga Gorge that sells liquid latex in 1L, 5L (and maybe more) containers.

5L is about $80. It’s the same latex Bryn and I used for shields, so it seems to work well…

And certainly cheaper than Gordon Harris.

I’m completely blanking on the name though.

I’ll try to find it. I can tell you exactly where it is, just the name escapes me.

[quote=“joker”]Chris, there’s a company in Ngauranga Gorge that sells liquid latex in 1L, 5L (and maybe more) containers.

5L is about $80. It’s the same latex Bryn and I used for shields, so it seems to work well…

And certainly cheaper than Gordon Harris.

I’m completely blanking on the name though.

I’ll try to find it. I can tell you exactly where it is, just the name escapes me.[/quote]

I bought some at lunch time, but the information will be useful for the next lot, should I actually need more later.
At the moment, I think I have enough raw material for two items I am interested in making.

1 x 110cm walking stick
1 x 200cm Staff

Each item might be slightly shorter, the first is my main priority for when I head off to Knightshade. Of which there are still 5 player spots I believe :smiley:

Place is called Trig Instruments, web site is : http://www.triginstruments.co.nz/catalog/index.php?osCsid=f6ff655d9a635508f3ad5088c3d1ed8e

They are at 7 McCormack Place, Ngauranga Gorge

From what I remember their price is $20 for 1 litre, and then they have 2 sizes above that (with a smaller price per litre).

And like Norman I can highly recommend the latex.

Nice pricing, I might take what I bought back for a refund of “I got the wrong stuff” and head to Trig.

Will see how i’m placed for the next few days, Gordon Harris was certainly better for being convinient.

If you’re making walking sticks and staves, talk to Bryn.

He’s had, shall we say, some experience.

We also made a mold with a slight wood texture to it that you may be able to use to skin such items with…

[quote=“TazzyD”]I bought some at lunch time, but the information will be useful for the next lot, should I actually need more later.
At the moment, I think I have enough raw material for two items I am interested in making.

1 x 110cm walking stick
1 x 200cm Staff [/quote]

What are you using as a core for the staff, and where can I get some? (I’m still interested in making spears, now that I’ve got the head design sorted)

I have a long 20mm pvc pipe, which I found at work.

I bought some $5 camp mat off trade me. Since this is my first time, i figured it was all about the trials and testing. I realise it might be a bit thicker than some of the weapons out there. But we’ll see how it goes.

You can get 10mm diameter fibreglass rod in 2000mm lengths from RD1 (rd1.com/) for very reasonable prices. I had to order it in, but the price was right.