gerg29
Registered user
Registered: 09-2009
Posts: 364
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Higgins Mask thickness ?
I have never held an original Higgins mask. Are there any owners of original Higgins masks that can share the approx. average thickness of the shell ?
From pictures I estimate 0.19 - 0.25 inch
Thanks
|
4/28/2015, 8:57 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to gerg29
Send PM to gerg29
|
MONTREALER
Registered user
Registered: 09-2005
Posts: 2208
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
I'll guess that it depends on the era.
At first they were reasonably thin or thick depending on how you see it.
But as time went on and he got to his ultimate design they became thicker & heavier.
Favell's Higgins was surprisingly light, but it was also alot smaller than you would imagine from seeing only photos of it.
The heaviest mask (of any style) that I ever held was a mask made by Ernie Higgins for a teenager in 1972 or so, that puppy weighed in at around 2 1/2 lbs, incredibly heavy.
see it here: http://bvintagegoaliemaskdiscussionpage.runboard.com/t17645
even some extra large & heavy replicas I've had come through here were much thinner & lighter than that Higgins.
|
4/29/2015, 9:18 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to MONTREALER
Send PM to MONTREALER
|
gerg29
Registered user
Registered: 09-2009
Posts: 364
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
Thank you for great info Marc. Wow that original Higgins that you reproduced was super thick ! Outstanding reproduction work !!
|
4/29/2015, 10:04 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to gerg29
Send PM to gerg29
|
Plante
Head Administrator
Registered: 05-2005
Posts: 8594
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
My original Higgins is about 1/8 inch thick through out or slightly thicker and not heavy or sopped full of resin.. Slightly thinner in the nose. The Key to a great mask is the even thickness throughout the mask and getting the excess resin out IMO. Often I see new mask makers making masks that are extremely uneven in thickness throughout the mask and heavy as sh*t because half the resin is still in the mask.. I think Higgins masks should range from 1.8 - 3/16 thick I have heard of some 1/4 inch thick in spots but that is pretty thick. Harrisons 1/8 and a lot more even through out the mask.
|
4/29/2015, 8:13 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Plante
Send PM to Plante
|
bunnyman666
Registered user
Registered: 08-2014
Posts: 140
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
Half of getting the excess resin out is proper squeegeeing of the resin. "But Martha, won't you unravel the material by squeegeeing?", you would ask. My answer is "crappy cloth unravels, a good weave will withstand light squeegeeing, then you have your porous peel ply and your bleeder cloth when compacting the piece. The cut edges will pull away, but I always measure my cloth AT LEAST 1" outside of the mould. Weighing the cloth versus the resin to mix is huge, as well. When I was producing composite parts, I got my compaction ratio down to 40% resin, 60% fibre, but that was due to advanced compaction methods. No matter my compaction method, I made certain to match the weight of the resin to mix to the weight of the fabric.
1/4" thick is crazy!!!!
|
4/30/2015, 4:12 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to bunnyman666
Send PM to bunnyman666
|
MONTREALER
Registered user
Registered: 09-2005
Posts: 2208
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
You've explained why Higgins masks tend to be thinner at the nose area:
Being that this is the peak point during the layup (think of the mask as a mountain with the the nose as the summit) the resin tends to flow down from that point.
By pressing more on that area, the resin moves downwards and some of it drips out from the edge but once it begins to cure it sets in place.
I read about Higgins using a sheet of plastic and pressing down a lot to move the resin downward and flatten the glass to a better lamination, but it can only be so good without a 2 part closed mold set-up.
|
4/30/2015, 6:30 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to MONTREALER
Send PM to MONTREALER
|
elkleaf
Registered user
Registered: 12-2009
Posts: 966
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
|
4/30/2015, 5:00 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to elkleaf
Send PM to elkleaf
|
elkleaf
Registered user
Registered: 12-2009
Posts: 966
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
mostly 1/8 inch except heavier chin and 1 cheek slot 1/4 .
|
4/30/2015, 5:03 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to elkleaf
Send PM to elkleaf
|
gerg29
Registered user
Registered: 09-2009
Posts: 364
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
Great input ! Thank you !
|
4/30/2015, 5:28 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to gerg29
Send PM to gerg29
|
elkleaf
Registered user
Registered: 12-2009
Posts: 966
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Higgins Mask thickness ?
|
4/30/2015, 6:53 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to elkleaf
Send PM to elkleaf
|