posted 12-15-2000 09:01 PM
Crazy Lou is right on the money, as usual.Foam latex is widely used in make up for prosthetic appliances, but it is also used as a casting material for animation models with internal armatures.
Rubber is a category of material, not a product. Rubbers can be latex (partially or wholly based on vulcanised rubber tree sap), or they can be synthetic (urethanes, silicones, vynil, etc.)
Foam rubbers are lighter, much softer, and inherently compressible, while solid rubbers are generally just elastic and have memory. Foam rubbers simply are a foamed solid - the rubber material is encapsulating air bubbles, much like a sponge does. Hot Foam is a name for foam latex, which ust be vulcanised with heat. Cold Foam refers to polyurethane foams, which require no heating.
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Jeff F - Moderator
Magic and FX
Amazing the Masses
P.S. While Cold Foam doesn't require vulcanisation, I have heated my molds when making prosthetics in the fall. With the lethal fumes given off by the chemical reaction involved, working outside is the only acceptable procedure without professional vapor management equipment. Sorry, even organic filters don't work on Isocyanate gas, so forget a respirator. Since the reaction should take place at 70 degrees F and the outdoor temperatures have been lower, I have had to compensate with a warm mold to keep the reaction from being inhibited.
[This message has been edited by Jeff F (edited 12-16-2000).]