Tips & Tricks of Construction
The purpose of this page is to provide details for some of the steps involved in this process.
If you have any questions please contact me:
If you have any questions please contact me:
Some of the materials you will need to finish up your mask
Gluing Seams
After having cut a seam that functions so the leather lays flat over the figure and after you leather has been rubbed and dried, you are ready to glue closed you seams. For a seamless look, make sure you shave down the thickness of the leather by the seam. If you do not shave this down very carefully or at all, you can still have a decent look. Depending on the distance of your audience to the stage, you might not be able to notice the seam on stage at all.
Begin by locating the seam you would like to glue. Most masks will have one seam under the nose. The mask has not been coated with Shellac by this point, so the finishing cut around the edge of the mask has not yet been made.
Invert the seam of you mask, like in the picture above.
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Get some Barge All Purpose Cement and use a scrap of leather as your brush.
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Apply Barge to both sides of the seam, outer and inner.
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Let sit for about five minutes. You can wait longer if you'd like but you should definitely give it a minimum of five. The Barge should feel dry to the touch when it is ready.
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Inverse the seam once more, so that right sides are out. Make sure you have the seams aligned perfectly because it will be near impossible to pull the seam apart for adjustment. Apply pressure for about 30 seconds, and your seam is sealed.
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Let sit for about five minutes. You can wait longer if you'd like but you should definitely give it a minimum of five. The Barge should feel dry to the touch when it is ready.
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Inverse the seam once more, so that right sides are out. Make sure you have the seams aligned perfectly because it will be near impossible to pull the seam apart for adjustment. Apply pressure for about 30 seconds, and your seam is sealed.
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The same process can be used for other seams in the mask, like ones above the eyebrows.
Fine-cutting Eyes and Edges
After you have done a couple light layers of Shellac, you can cut out the eyes of you mask, and fine-cut the edge around your mask.
As you cut, angle the blade to ensure a clean cut. If you are looking at the mask from the outside, angle your blade down and away from the hole; if you are looking at the mask from the inside, angle the blade down and toward the hole.
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Make sure you are always cutting in the direction towards the hole, so that if you blade slips it will slip toward the hole.
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Make sure you are always cutting in the direction towards the hole, so that if you blade slips it will slip toward the hole.
Your eye should look like this from the outside. You can use this same angle technique to get a clean cut around the edge of your mask.
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Carefully apply Shellac over the fresh cuts, so that the entire inside is coated. Once dry, take a fine grain sand paper, a go over rough edges lightly. Feel the interior of the mask for any rough patches or sharp edges and sand or shave down with a blade accordingly. During this step you can take as little or a long a time as you have to ensure the mask will be worn comfortable.
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Always re-apply shellac to freshly cut or sanded areas.
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Carefully apply Shellac over the fresh cuts, so that the entire inside is coated. Once dry, take a fine grain sand paper, a go over rough edges lightly. Feel the interior of the mask for any rough patches or sharp edges and sand or shave down with a blade accordingly. During this step you can take as little or a long a time as you have to ensure the mask will be worn comfortable.
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Always re-apply shellac to freshly cut or sanded areas.
Methods of Attachment
Some masks cannot be attached to the actors face with simple tied elastic. One of our masks had a lot of pull on it, so we had to try a more sturdy attachment method.
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Measure the width around your the back of your actors head, from in front of one ear to the front of the other. Cut a piece of 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick elastic one inch shorter than the measured length. This will be the strap for your actor's mask.
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Measure the width around your the back of your actors head, from in front of one ear to the front of the other. Cut a piece of 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick elastic one inch shorter than the measured length. This will be the strap for your actor's mask.
Pierce two holes, close together, in the side of your mask with a leather hole punch. Sew one end of the elastic to each side of the mask with sturdy thread, using the two punched holes. Take care not to twist the elastic in the middle, unless you would like to aggravate the wearer of the mask.
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Place a small piece of Gaff tape over the inside of the stitch to secure and smooth over so the mask will wear more comfortably.
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Measure from the hairline of your actor to the center back of their head and cut another piece of elastic a bit shorter than this measurement. Do the same attachment with this elastic to the center top of your mask.
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Measure from the hairline of your actor to the center back of their head and cut another piece of elastic a bit shorter than this measurement. Do the same attachment with this elastic to the center top of your mask.
Attach the other end of this elastic to the center of your horizontal elastic.
Your mask is now ready to be worn sturdily!
