Because Halloween is Every Day

In the Shop

zilzirk — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:00:00 +0000

Every wonder how those foam latex prosthetics are made?! Do you wonder what our shop looks like? I love going to other shops and poking around.

Here are some pictures of Ken de-molding an old age prosthetic.

Here's the prosthetic still on the mold positive.

We are still manufacturing and trying to keep items in stock. We make these year-round, so if we are out now, check back soon!

* Look for the End-of-Season Super Christmas Sale the Last week of October! *

Almost here!

zilzirk — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:03:00 +0000

We have about 4 more weeks before we cut off orders. This is the crunch time. We can just keep up with updating our web site and products come in and go out!

We are trying to manufacture a few items to keep up with demand. This year it seems that Lions, Witches, Demons and Corpses and the top runners.

How is your season going? Word is all the vendors are having a busier that expected year. Hopefully that means that this season will be a good one for everyone! Lots of successful haunts and the sole proprietor shops can keep going!

Watch for upcoming specials and after-season blow outs!

Tis the Season

zilzirk — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 03:05:00 +0000

Only 49 more days until Halloween. How are you doing? Setting up your Haunts and thinking about costumes and new props? Building like crazy? Worrying about help and consistant actors?

We are running full speed ahead ourselves! We try to get into the shop everyday and make more prosthetics, but time is flying by and with so much to do right now...

We may not post very often until the Season winds down a bit. So we'll check in when we can and keep ya'll updated on the lastest.

Tombstone Finale

zilzirk — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 14:53:00 +0000

All 3 of the tombstones "survived" the trials, for the most part. None of them were completely distroyed at least. We didn't set fire to them - not agood idea because of the toxic fumes both types of foam produce! Don't try that at home please.

The Mission: Still looks okay in the 'after' picture. Here is the close-up of the damaged cause by the trials...

The Skull:
Pretty beat-up. Dean't look that good on display, and close-up it's a mess.
The Rosette:
One display, this one doesn't look to good either. Close-up it is a mess too.

The Conclusion:

The Mission is in 1 piece
The Skull and Rosette are in 3 pieces each!
The Mission has scratches and dings, but not visually noticable from a distance.
The Skull and Rosette are very scratched and dinged and it is very noticable from a distance.

Don't beat your props up! Pack them carefully from year to year!
It may be a better investment to buy high-end poly urethane props than the more "disposable" EPS type.

Poly vs Beaded: Weight Limits, Trial #5

zilzirk — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 15:55:00 +0000

This is the cinder block.
We used it and some bricks to test the weight limits of the tombstones!

We wondered how much weight each tombstone could handle before it broke.
We set each tombstone up on 2 bricks and added weight.

Here is the Skull:

setting up...

1st brick...

up to 5 bricks... see it bend!

the 6th brick broke it!

* 27lbs weight limit on the Skull Tombstone , EPS

Here is the Rosette:

setting up...

1st brick...

up to 10 bricks... it's bending...

11th broke it!

* 50 lb weight limit on the Rosette tombstone, EPS

Here is the Mission:

setting up...

1st brick...

we switched to cinder blocks...

that's 3 cinder blocks and 10 bricks!
* 165 lbs - no bending!

Ken standing on a brick on the tombstone...

* 195+ lbs weight limit for the Mission tombstone, polyurethane

we never did break it...

Conclusion:

The thinner the tombstone, the less weight it can handle - Skull is only .75" thick, Rosette is 1" and Mission is 1.25" thick.
The denser polyurethane holds up much better than the EPS tombstones.

* That's the end of our trials. Check back on Wednesday for the conclusion and pictures of the tombstones in their final conditions!

Poly vs. Beaded: The Claw, Trial #4

zilzirk — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:35:00 +0000

The Claw: Just an average gardening tool.

I used this for a trial to see how the surface of each tombstone holds up under scratching condition. This was scratching in the extreme, but normal wear and tear of packing and setting up a display does come with scratching, dings and denting. Let's see how they stacked up...

The "scratching" was done using the same claw tool, by the same woman, trying to use the same pressure and downward motion, on the same day. (I did really scratch hard!)

The Mission

The Skull

The Rosette

The Close Up Details:

Mission, polyurethane

Defined Scratch lines
Foam just starting to 'peel' away in the center line

Skull, EPS

Defined scratch lines
Foam 'peeling' away / chunks missing
White foam under surface paint showing thru

Rosette, EPS

Defined scratch lines
Foam is peeling away
Chunks missing
White foam under surface paint showing thru
High relief design with serious damage

To sum it up...
The claw is a brutal tool. Don't use it on your display pieces!

They all took damage but the EPS tombstones show greater evidence.

Poly vs. Beaded: Meet "The Hammer", Trial #3

zilzirk — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:50:00 +0000

This is The Hammer:

The Mission, The Skull and The Rosette all battled against The Hammer:

This is the result:

The Mission close-up of the hammer dent.

very defined hammer indentation
crushed the foam
cracking on the inside of the 'hole'

The Skull close-up of the hammer dent.

very defined hammer indentation
crushed foam
cracking around the edge of the 'hole'
white edge just visible

The Rosette close-up of the hammer dent.

very defined hammer indentation
crushed foam
definate cracking around edge
distinct white edge showing

Morale of this story: Don't hit your props with a hammer! It's noticable and will crush the foam! Poly foam seems to hold up better - at least it looks better - No White foam showing thru.

Poly vs. Beaded: Meet The Brick, Trial #2

zilzirk — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 18:06:00 +0000

Meet The Brick:
Just an average size and weight brick. I dropped the brick from about waist high onto the tombstones. I did not throw it down, I let gravity do the work. I did not try to get the corner of the brick to hit the tombstone. As you can see, I did drop the brick the "long way".

All brick trials were performed on the same day, in the same conditions with the same brick dropped by the same person onto the same flat concrete surface.

Trial #2 The Skull and The Brick meet

The Rosette and The Brick meet

The Mission and The Brick meet

The Outcomes:

Skull aftermath:
You can clearly see the brick impression. The brick smashed the foam and actually punched a small hole in the foam (not just a chip, that white dot is a hole all the way thru).

Rosette aftermath:
You can clearly see the brick impression. It really smashed the foam and tore around the edge.

Mission aftermath:
The corner of the brick clearly dented this tombstone (the other lines are crack designs). No holes.

The Results:

All tombstones had a clear impression of the corner of the brick
The Skull, EPS, was severly smashed, has a hole and torn edges
The Rosette, EPS, was severly smashed with torn edges
The Mission, Polyurethane, was dented

* Note to self... dont't drop bricks on props! But if you must, make sure the props are polyurethane!

Next Trial - Mr. Hammer...

Poly vs. Beaded: Meet Mr. Shoe, Trial #1

zilzirk — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 16:02:00 +0000

Meet Mr. Shoe
Just a beater old K-Swiss on an average size woman...
I stepped on the edge of the tombstones and stood on one foot, gave it a good squish, but did not jump or twist.
All were tested the same day, on the same surface, by the same shoe, on the same person.

Mr Shoe stomps on Mission

Mr Shoe stomps on Skull

Mr Shoe stomps on Rosette

The Aftermath:

Mission:

No discernable sole impressions

just some dirt from the bottom of the shoe

Skull:

definate sole impression

a little tear at the bottom edge of shoe mark

Rosette:

very defined sole impression

tearing along bottom edge of shoe mark

Results:

The polyurethane foam passed this stress test with flying colors. This rigid foam just holds up under shoe abuse.

The two other EPS or beaded foam tombstones just don't have the internal strength to withstand shoe abuse. Both clearly show sole impressions and start to tear, and show the white foam under their surface paint job.

Take note - Don't walk on or step on your beaded foam props!

Poly vs. Beaded: The Players

zilzirk — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 21:52:00 +0000

These are the Contestants: Who will win?
We put the 3 tombstones thru multiple trials to test surface durability and weight load limits. These are the before pictures.

The Mission
The Material: tinted 4# polyurethane rigid foam (Disregard the surface discolorations - this is a 2nd quality we had around the shop. It looks funky but the foam is good)
The Size: 20" x 13" x 1.5"
The Weight: 1.0 lbs.

The Skull
The material: surface spray painted Expanded Polystyrene (beaded foam)
The Size: 20.5" x 14"x .75"
The Weight: 0.15 lbs.

The Rosette
The Material: surface spray painted Expanded Polystyrene (beaded foam)
The Size: 21.5" x 14.5" x 1"
The Weight: 0.30 lbs.

See the tombstones in their natural habitat.

They all look good in display.
Mission has a nice shape
Rosette's paint job is most realistic to an old tombstone.
Skull has well defined graphics.

No visual defects noted.

Let the games begin! Tune in later this week to meet the first challenger.

What's the difference between all these Foam Props?

zilzirk — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 20:14:00 +0000

That is a multifaceted question indeed!
Most foam type props are made from either Styrofoam(trademane), Expanded Polystyrene or Polyurethane foam. We'll examine the pros and cons.
Here comes some science...hold on tight...

Polystyrene is a polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum. At room temperature, polystyrene is normally a solid thermoplastic, but can be melted at higher temperature for molding or extrusion, then resolidified.
Expanded Polystyrene (or EPS) is a rigid, closed-cell, white beaded polystyrene foam.

Styrofoam is a rigid, open-cell extruded polystyrene foam.

Polyurethane foam is produced by mixing two liquids, a polyether polyol and a polyfunctional isocyanate. A rigid foam is produced which is many times larger than the original volume.

OK, so here's the low down on what each is typically used for...

EPS is what everyone thinks of and calls, Styrofoam (which is actually a tradename like Kleenex). It is that nice lightweight, insulative material for coffee cups and to-go food containers etc.
It is also used for packing material (think foam peanuts), building insulation, crafts and model building stuff - the foam in Fome-Cor boards.
The Pros: It is very easy to cut with a hot-wire cutter. So it is very easy to build non-weight-bearing props and architectural models. It is also inexpensive to make and thus end products are also inexpensive for consumers to buy! (aka the "props"at large department/discount type stores)
The Cons: It's cheap, not very durable and also readily available at those large department/discount type stores.

Polyurethane Foam comes in two forms: the flexible cushion-type and the rigid-type, both come in many densities. (Here's more science stuff...)
Density is defined as the weight of 1 cubic foot of the material. In other words, a 12" x 12" x 12" cube of 1# density foam will weigh 1 pound, that same 12" cube of 5# denisty foam will weigh 5 lbs. Higher density foams are harder to the touch and more rigid, but they weigh more.
Flexible Polyurethane foam is probably what you are sitting on right now... the padding in your chair, your cushions, maybe pillows.
Rigid Polyurethane foam is "becoming increasingly important as replacement products for wood in several applications where substrate consistency and resistance to moisture and decay are important. The excellent chemical and solvent resistance of urethane compounds makes them useful where many other resins might fail."
The Pros: Basically, this stuff is tough and weather resistant!
The Cons: More expensive raw materials than beaded foams and seems more expensive to purchase in relation to other "similar" products...

Rigid Polyurethane is our foam of choice for the props we manufacture and sell.

Tune in the next few days to see stress test examples.

Poly Vs. Beaded...

Elfin Ear Tips and Point Ear Tips

zilzirk — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:47:00 +0000

We carry and make both Elfin Ear Tips and Point Ear Tips.
We sell far more Elfin Ear Tips! I often wonder about things like this...
Are the points too "Spock". Or is it because of Lord of the Rings? and Elves are soo cool!? The Tips ar so subtle. I like that. Just a little change to tweek one's perspective. We also have 2 very large ears. A Sprite, like a very over sized elfin, and a Goblin, very long and kinda chewed-up looking. These are out of production currently: The molds are a Huge problem. We may try to get the molds right during the off-season...

Which ears do you like best?
Would you be interested in reviving the Sprite or Goblin?

Did you know ...

zilzirk — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:05:00 +0000

there are only

Take your Halloween costume to a professional makeup artist level

MostlyDead — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 02:24:00 +0000

Take your Halloween costume to a professional makeup artist level. Professionaly sculpted prosthetic masks transform you into your character. Be a zombie, werewolf, or even Frankenstein. Prosthetic masks simply get more attention and win more contests than many traditional Halloween costumes.

Creating a Halloween Costume that demands attention with a professional finish is not as difficult as it used to be. Foam latex prosthetic face appliances used to be available only to the movie industry. These prosthetics were custom made for actors by professional makeup artists. If you wanted one, you would have to take-up the art your self or hire someone who knew how to create this type of effect.

A complete character transformation is now as easy as choosing your pre-made components and them assembling them. We'll walk you through the process here.

Step 1
Choose your Prosthetic

The first step is perhaps the most important, and that is simply choosing your character. You can visit HalloweenDirect.com that offers foam latex prosthetics and other movie quality accessories for professional grade Halloween costumes and see what is available. You can choose a full face prosthetic mask, or mix and match parts like a forehead, ears, or nose.

Step 2
Create your character

Once you decide on a face build your character around it. Create a brief history of your character. This will help establish the continuity of your costume and make it easier to decide what else you need to complete your costume.

For example, let's say that your character is a flesh eating undead creature from Hell. An undead look may warrant more pale tones in your makeup selection, such as light flesh, or even pale gray with hints of blue. To ad the Hell origin, you may use some red, black, or even green. Flesh eating? Well, you'll need a full set of pointed teeth not just fangs that a blood sucker may need. Is the character a "crawl up from the ground" undead that has tattered clothes or a "slip through the street un-noticed" well dressed demon?

Have fun with this, and act the part. A costume is not just clothes and a mask, it is a chance to become someone or something else. Take the opportunity.

Step 3
Choose your accessories.

How far do you want to take your character? HalloweenDirect.com also has professional grade custom fit Creature Teeth and Fangs and even Theatrical Contact Lenses.

When considering accessories like these, keep in mind what you want to accomplish with your costume. Do you want to go all the way and try to win a Halloween costume contest at a night club? Perhaps you want to make a short "Trick-or-Treat" appearance around your neighborhood to shock a few kids. Could it be that you are going to a long party to eat, drink and be scary? Both custom teeth and Halloween Contacts can make a bold impression and get you noticed, but are not always practical. Eating and drinking in costume teeth is not recommended or even possible with many styles. Theatrical contact lenses can be the most impacting part of your look, but can be uncomfortable even for experienced contact wearers if kept in for extended periods. If you want to go all the way with your character and will be away from home, leave prepared to remove your teeth and contacts safely. Bring a case or other appropriate container for removal and storage. Don't sacrifice fun or safety for your look.

Weigh all your options and make the best decision for your purpose.

Step 4
Assemble your makeup and clothes

Both pre-painted prosthetics and those that require makeup application from scratch are available, so take note of which one you chose. Choose what colors of makeup you think fit the look you are going for. Tip: Buy some extra makeup even if your appliance is pre-painted, you may want to cover skin that shows around your mask with a color that more closely matches that of the mask. Do you need stage blood or crepe hair? Only you set the limits.!

What are you going to be for Halloween?

zilzirk — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 02:21:00 +0000

This is and was always my favorite question. As a child, I would ponder this and relish creating a costume, a persona, being someone or something else for a day. Every year I dress up. Especially when I must 'run errands' etc among the 'normals'.

I have quite a few characters. I add to them through the years. I like my classic Witch. I know it is over done, but the kids love it! Sometimes she is quite dressy: jaunty hat with a bow and a spider hanging down. Sometimes, at night, the wrinkly old hag come out... to scare unsuspecting children who just ring the bell and want the candy. Of course, our house did take some courage to come up the walkway!

This year I am creating a clown...

What are you going to be for Halloween?
What was your favorite costume?
Tell me about the Haunted House in your neighborhood!