YES! We use CanadaPost so as long as CanadaPost ships to your area* then we can ship to you!
*Please Note that depending on your country not all shipping options may be available (for instance CanadaPost will only ship Xpresspost or Priority to some countries - Expedited or International Air will not be available)
At a quarter of an inch thickness, it takes approximately 48 hours (two days) for Foam Clay to dry. If your piece is thicker, we recommend waiting up to a week before performing any deep cuts, or sanding. After this point the surface is strong enough for painting and or priming.
Foam Clay is an air dry clay, so putting your piece under a heat source is not recommended. Doing so can dry the surface too quickly for the inside layers to keep up, resulting in uneven surfaces. Do NOT dry your items in the oven, under sunlight, or with a hair dryer. The result will be a dried skin, and then the inside will bubble and puff up OR shrink down and collapse
Yes, craft foam or "fun foam" sheets ("Foamies" is a craft foam brand name) is EVA foam. "Puzzle mat" tiles often sold for garage and playroom floors are generally EVA foam (although some brands have a plasticized layer on the outside that make them unsuitable for crafting).
Test, test, TEST!
Platinum silicone* is a wonderful, amazing, versatile material. You can cast it in a mold, you can thicken it and build it up over a form, you can thin it to let it flow into a smooth, glass-like surface. It's relatively inert and non-toxic, wonderfully translucent, and a little tends to go a long way.
But aside from being a bit messy it has one major flaw...... inhibition.
No, your silicone is not shy. Silicone is normally comprised of a liquid A part and a liquid B part. When mixed together a chemical reaction occurs which solidifies the viscous fluid into the stretchy, rubbery silicone we know and love. Inhibition then, is when something (usually a foreign chemical in the mix) prevents the proper reaction between the A & B parts and keeps the silicone from solidifying. In other words - a big goopy mess.
The extremely frustrating thing about inhibition is it seems to be caused by extremely random things! Something as simple as wearing latex rubber gloves (latex and silicone are mortal enemies!) while handling and mixing your silicone will cause inhibition. Which is why it's extremely important to ALWAYS DO A TEST FIRST! Need to wash off your silicone pieces before painting/adding further detail etc? Test that soap first! Aloe inhibits silicone (see? Told you it was random) and guess what? A lot of soaps have aloe in them. How do you do a test? While wearing vinyl or nitrile gloves (which don't cause inhibition) wash out a small mixing cup with the soap you are thinking of using. Rinse well. Then mix a small batch of silicone in the cup. It doesn't have to be big at all - less that a teaspoon in total will more than suffice. Leave it for the recommended curing time (which will vary depending on the brand and type of silicone you are using). When you return, give it a poke. Has it solidified? Yes? Great - go ahead and use that soap! No? Then something in the soap is causing inhibition and you need to switch brands. You need to do a test every time you add an untested substance into your process. Just because one type of soap works doesn't mean all of them will. Ditto with glues, if you are attaching foam pieces together before you coat them in silicone. T'is a far, FAR better thing to sacrifice a teaspoon or two of silicone then forge on ahead and potentially ruin ALL your expensive silicone and all the time and effort you have put into your piece. if you learn nothing else about silicone your mantra** should always be - TEST! TEST! TEST! * This article talks mainly about Platinum-based silicones. Tin-based silicones are less prone to inhibition but have their own unique challenges. ** A mantra which, by the way, will serve you very well for a lot of non-silicone stuff too! Scientist-like habits can lead you to great artistic triumphs!
Worbla is the brand name for a line of easy to use thermoplastics popular in costuming and crafting. Worbla’s Finest Art was the first of these thermoplastics to be released and thus is often just referred to as "Worbla". Finest Art is a brown, opaque thermoplastic with a built-in adhesive and zero waste.
Since we have a showroom and not a formal retail store, we do require an appointment in order to purchase. Appointments can be made either by using our website, or by telephone.
We accept Credit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, & American Express), Interac (chip, tap, & e-transfer), cash, and PayPal.
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Payment on pickup is an option for cash, credit, or debit.
NOTE: During the COVID-19 pandemic we prefer pre-payment prior to pick-up through our website, but if those are unavailable to you, we can still take payment by other means.
We are unable to ship certain items either due to limitations of our distribution agreements for those items or because of the excessive cost in shipping large items that our customers would need to be charged.
These items are only available for pick up at our showroom or at our convention booths.
Tin Silicones are high-tear silicone rubbers that are known as the “work horse” of the industry because of their performance and economy. Tin cured silicone molds are used for casting wax, gypsum, polymer modifed gypsum, etc. but are best known for standing up to production casting of urethane, epoxy and polyester resins. They are also known as “condensation-cure” silicone.
Platinum silicones exhibit the lowest long-term shrinkage and have the longest library life of all mold rubbers. While good for making molds for casting a variety of materials, platinums also have application and physical properties that other rubbers do not. They are also used for making prosthetic and orthotic devices, skin safe appliances and effects, etc. Platinum silicones are also known as “addition-cure” silicones.
You have approximately 25 minute to half an hour of working time before the surface of the clay begins to dry out and ‘skin over’. This will make it more difficult to blend any seams or smooth the clay over. If you need to rehydrate your clay piece, adding a little bit of water to your fingers and working it into the clay will extend its softness.
Normally we do not offer deliveries. However, in exceptional circumstances we have made deliveries in the Ottawa area, within the green belt. In these circumstances a fee of between $10-$20 will be added to your order, depending on location.
Yes! Many different types of paint and pigment will adhere to EVA foam. However it is best to prime or heat-seal EVA foam before painting otherwise the foam will soak in more paint than needed, resulting in a spotty finish and a lot of wasted time and material.
Heat-sealing can be done with a heat gun. This will cause the cells in EVA to shrink and tighten, making it less likely to soak up paint. CAUTION: Too much heat will cause the foam to shrink visibly and harden/burn. EVA is often primed with materials such as Plastidip, Flexbond, and sometimes even white glue.
There are so many different thermoplastics because they each have different properties, with different strengths and weaknesses. Most people mix and match several different types of thermoplastics in the same project depending on the characteristics needed in each area (for example you might use classic Worbla for the base structure, Thibra or DecoArt for small, fine details, and Worbla Mesh or KobraCast Art for reinforcing where straps and notions are attached)
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Platinum silicones are very sensitive to certain compounds which may prevent the silicone from “curing,” or turning solid. This is called inhibition.
The most common inhibitor of platinum silicone is sulfur compounds, which is present in latex, natural rubber, neoprene, and wood. Make sure your work gloves are vinyl or nitrile.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are unable to book appointments for in-person consultations as we cannot ensure social distancing in our showroom. However, once the pandemic is over we will resuming in-person consultations.
If you are unsure what you need or what we can offer please give us a call and we will be happy to discuss what we can offer and how we can help with almost any project.
Unfortunately, we are only able to ship the Monstrous Make-Up Manuals to Canadian addresses.
If you would like to order and live outside of Canada you can visit the author’s website here (https://www.monstrousmakeupmanual.com/buy-now-international) to find a distributor in your region of the world.
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You can use a variety of mediums to seal your piece. We highly recommend Flexbond for priming dried Foam Clay.
Painting a Foam Clay piece is similar in feel to painting EVA foam. While you can paint foam with acrylic paints, for the best results we recommend sealing and priming your piece before painting.
Heat sealing is not required, as there are no open pores to seal shut like in EVA foam.
There are several different ways to smooth EVA. The first thing is to be as careful as possible when joining edges. Seams can almost disappear if attached slowly and carefully. Ragged edges can be sanded and shaped with the sanding drum on a rotary tool.
Gaps can be filled in with Foam Clay or thickened Flexbond.
Smoothing large areas can be done by heat-sealing with a heat gun (heat-sealing will cause some shrinkage of the piece), covering the foam with a thermoplastic such as Worbla, or priming with several coats of a primer such as Flexbond or Plastidip
Since we have a showroom and not a formal retail store, we do require an appointment in order to purchase. Appointments can be made either by using our website, or by telephone.
Worbla products can be cut with regular scissors, drawn on with pen or marker, sanded, glued with glues meant for plastics, and painted with anything from acrylics to spray paint.
A heat gun is the most common method for heating Worbla products. To cut relief designs, or to flatten out seams, a hot knife or wood burning tool can be used (with proper ventilation).
Gloves are necessary when working with TranspArt and Crystal Art, and recommended for other thermalplastics, and are available for purchase in the Daley Kreations store.
Foam can generally be shaped using a heat gun. Warm the area that you need to shape, making sure that the foam doesn’t get too hot and melt. Then shape the foam to the desired form and hold it there until the foam cools. You may need to repeat this several times to realize complex shapes. Always remember to wear heat-resistant gloves when handling the hot EVA foam.
Heat shaping EVA will cause the pieces to shrink and harden to a certain degree. Heat shaping L200 will cause L200 to expand and become softer.
YES! We love to answer questions. You can call us by phone, send us an email, or message us through social media and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.
The approximate shrink rate is 1-2%. This is only noticeable when placed in a silicone mold as the clay pulls from the edges while drying. This does not have any negative effect on the amount of detail that is retained. Once dry Foam Clay is NOT flexible. Thin pieces can easily be snapped so it is best to use Foam Clay over an armature or support.
Any orders of FuseFX products over $300.00 (before taxes) in Canada or the US will be eligible for free shipping on those items.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are unable to book appointments for in-person consultations as we cannot ensure social distancing in our showroom. However, once the pandemic is over we will resuming in-person consultations.
If you are unsure what you need or what we can offer please give us a call and we will be happy to discuss what we can offer and how we can help with almost any project.
The strength depends on the thickness, shore hardness, and density.
Daley Kreations carries two types of EVA foam; Hard-lite and Form-lite. Hard-lite EVAfoam has a shore hardness of 60 and a density of 200kg/m³. Form lite EVA foam has a shore hardness of 45, and a density of 125kg/m³.
L200 foam is generally much softer and more prone to tearing than EVA foam.
You can press the Foam Clay into silicone molds powdered with cornstarch/baby powder, or plaster molds. The thicker the piece, the longer it will take for the mold-facing side to dry. We HIGHLY recommend placing silicone molds filled with Foam Clay in the freezer and demolding once the piece is frozen as even after using a mold release the fresh clay can stick to the mold. For plaster molds we do not recommend trying to demold until the piece is completely dry. This can take several days to a week.
1) Make sure the piece you are painting is made platinum silicone.
2) If the piece being painted is made of tin silicone, make sure the surface is primed with a layer of BondFX Silicone primer.
3) Make sure the surface is completely clean. We recommend cleaning the surface with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol).
4) Make sure you have mixed Part A and the paint colour in the ratio of 1:1.
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Technically yes, - but we do not recommend it.
The activation temperature for most types of Worbla is 90 degrees Celsius/194 Fahrenheit. Most hair dryers don't get that hot since your scalp will start burning at around 60 C/140 F.
Depending on your hairdryer model it could possibly work with prolonged exposure on the “high” setting, softening a piece of Worbla enough to activate the adhesive and making it tacky enough to stick to a piece of foam. However that bond will likely be extremely weak – if the foam is flexed at all the Worbla will pop off.
With a hairdryer you ARE NOT using Worbla to its full advantage. If you don't get the Worbla to 90C you won't get it hot enough to stretch over curves, press into details, or roll into shapes – basically all the reasons you spent the money on the material in the first place.
Technically there are other ways to get the Worbla to 90C. You can stick it in near-boiling water, hold it over the steam from a kettle, or put it in a hot oven. These methods, particularly the water and steam methods, all have the downside that, although they work initially, make it difficult to go back and heat just a small area in order to make adjustments to your piece.
As a result we highly recommend using a heat gun (either a large "paint stripper" type or a smaller "embossing gun" model, although a smaller model will make it hard to heat large pieces).
For costumes? Occasionally. Our main expertise is in special effects make-up and suit fabrication - therefore Daley Kreations would not be a good fit if you are looking for a costume that is mainly sewn such as a very tailored coat or a historical gown (but we know people who are very good at those and are happy to pass along their contact information!)
For masks? Yes! Kate would be happy to create a custom masquerade or felted mask for you!
For a wood-burned piece? Absolutely! Tony would be delighted to burn you a custom pub sign, box, or design.
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Keep your Foam Clay in an airtight container at all times to extend the life of the clay. When well sealed, the shelf life is approximately a year. To avoid a "skin" forming on the top of the clay we recommend cutting a circle of plastic or plastic wrap. Spritz water on the surface of the clay and press the plastic down over the clay.
If you have a small amount in a large container, you can wrap the clay in plastic food wrap inside the container, or transfer it to a ziplock bag. If your clay is becoming stiff, kneading a touch of water back into it will help refresh the clay
FuseFX Silicone Pigments, as well as Smoothie concentrate have an indefinite shelf life. Once mixed, Smoothie is still useable as long as no mold develops.
FuseFX Silicone paints have a 3 year shelf life from the time of manufacture. Paints may work after 3 years, but it is not guaranteed.
FuseFX Royal Jel-E silicone mold release should be used within 3 years of purchase. While Royal Jel-E doesn’t truly ‘expire’, it becomes less effective over time and may need more coats to ensure a smooth release after three years.
Hard-lite EVA foam has a shore hardness of 60 and a density of 200kg/m³. This makes Hard-lite more suitable for durable props and making very sharp and angular details. The higher density is also excellent for shaping with a rotary tool such as a Dremel. 10mm thick Hard-Lite feels comparable to wood.
Form lite EVA foam has a shore hardness of 45, and a density of 125kg/m³. This makes form-lite the better choice for complex curves and pieces that need to remain slightly flexible such as body armour. Form-Lite is comparable to the density of "fun foam" sheets and floor tiles.
It depends entirely on the complexity of the costume, the timeline involved, and the materials needed. To give you a general idea - our minimum commission starting price for a 1 day build is $200 CDN.
We suggest making a paper pattern of the project first. After you have your pattern made, mark out an area on the floor or a table that is 1m X 1.5m (the size of a Jumbo sheet of Worbla).
Lay out your pattern pieces in this area (leave a little space in between each piece if your pattern does not include extra material for folding Worbla over the edges). Don't forget to account for pieces that are duplicated multiple times or that need Worbla applied to the front AND back.
If all your pieces fit within the marked area, congrats! You only need 1 Jumbo sheet of Worbla! If they fit within half the area then you only need a Large and so on (Worbla is sold in full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16th sheets). If you fill your 1m X 1.5m area and still have pattern pieces left over, then carefully remove the pieces, set them aside, and repeat the proceedure with the pattern pieces you have left. The number of times you fill the area is the number of sheets you will need.
L200 is a closed cell foam similar to EVA. It has a long history of use in the SFX and movie industry.
It tends to come in larger sheets than EVA, however it is softer and more prone to tearing. This can make it ideal for breast plates or abdominal plates that may need to flex to remain comfortable to wear. It can be covered in thermoplastic, shaped, primed and painted in a very similar manner to EVA foam. The biggest difference between L200 and EVA is that EVA shrinks when heated and L200 expands. Therefore a common trick in EVA foam smithing such as cutting a line and then using heat to cause the cut to expand and look machined will NOT work with L200. Cuts or scratches in L200 can actually be sealed with heat.
A basic animal felted mask starts at $80 CDN
A basic masquerade style domino mask starts at $40 CDN
More complicated masks will be quoted individually based on description and source material.
No, FuseFX paints may only be applied to painting pieces made with platinum silicone. The paint will not adhere to the surface, or may not cure at all.
The only exception is that FuseFX CAN be used to paint tin silicone but ONLY if the piece is first primed with FuseFX's BondFX primer.
Worbla’s products and leftover scraps are best stored in a dry, room temperature conditions – 15°C to 25°C (59°F to 77°F).
If stored in a cold area, allow the sheets to warm before working with them as very cold Worbla sheets can be brittle until warmed.
Worbla sheets are typically sold in tight rolls. If you are storing your Worbla, we suggest unrolling them into something looser. Worbla sheets may be picked up as flat upon request.
If your Worbla is curling when you unroll it, clear a space and lay it flat with weights on each corner for 24 hours. This should help flatten it for use.
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The majority of Worbla products will self adhere when heated, as well as adhere to other thermalplastic products and foams. When working with Worbla's TranspArt we recommend attaching pieces with an adhesive such as super-glue. Thibra will not stick permanently to EVA foam. We recommend applying contact cement to your EVA foam before applying heated Thibra overtop.
We have a variety of pre-cut wooden signs, creating everything from doorknob hangers to pub signs. Prices for these range from $10-$50 CAD.
More complicated designs will be quoted individually.
No! A snap-blade style box cutter and scissors are all you need to cut either EVA or L200 foam. The scissors are best used on thinner foam sheets (1mm-3mm) and the box cutter is best used for the thicker foam sheets (4mm-10mm).
Cutting foam will dull any blade or scissor quicker than normal (make sure you’re not using your fabric scissors!). They will still cut paper, cardboard, etc just fine - but it's best to keep a large stack of blades on hand when cutting foam and to switch them out frequently. A hand-held sharpener is very helpful for extending the life of your foam cutting blades or scissors.
Intrinsic colours (pigments) include the S, SFX, and BC series pigments. These products come in a single bottle and are meant to be mixed into a batch of uncured silicone to tint the entire batch a uniform colour.
Extrinsic colours (paints) include the M, F, and LY series paints. These come in 2-part "kits" - an uncoloured, 'Part A', catalyst, and the coloured 'Part B'. They are meant to be mixed 1a:1b and then applied to the surface of a cured, cleaned, silicone piece to paint it.
There is no specific tensile rating for most Worblas and it is not made to support weight itself. Unsupported single sheets of classic, black, white, Worbla Mesh, and Thibra will show stress lines and may crack, if bent double when cold.
Thermalplastic backed with EVA foam or other materials is much stronger. When thermalplastic scraps are combined into a clay and used to sculpt pieces instead it becomes much stronger depending on the exact shape. The thicker the piece the stronger it will be.
Worbla's TranspArt and KobraCast Art are much stronger and more tear resistant than many other thermoplastics. However we still do not recommend using either for supporting weight.
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With all FuseFX 2-part products (the F, LY, and M-series paints) the "Part B" is the coloured bottle. To activate the product you need to mix it 1:1 with the included Part A.
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NO - you MUST mix the Part A in a 50:50 ratio with the Part B otherwise the product will NOT cure. You can mix these by eye, as long as the ratio is close to 50:50 but other ratios will not work. To make a colour more transparent you can thin the mixed paint with an appropriate solvent (Toluene, Xylene, or Naptha) or you can add M/F-110 Clear PART B to the coloured Part B of your choice BEFORE adding enough Part A to equal the two B's _combined_. For example you might mix 1 part M/F-110 Part B to 1 part F-230 Darkest Brown and then add 2 PARTS of Part A to activate the mixture for painting.
For the sandwich and backing methods many people use foam sheets such as "Fun Foam" or craft (EVA) foam.
Daley Kreations offers a variety of foam products that can be used in conjunction with thermoplastics including EVA foam in various thicknesses and densities, L200 foam, and LED foam.
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Extreme temperatures may cause Worbla-based costumes to become soft and unsupported structures may begin to soften. Worbla pieces with a foam core will generally stand up better to extreme temperature conditions. Basically - if it's too hot for you to be comfortable it's too hot for your costume!
DO NOT store your Worbla or any finished thermalplastic-based costume pieces inside a vehicle. The temperature within a car will definitely soften and warp Worbla.
Yes! You will need an appropriate silicone solvent (such as Toluene, Xylene, or Naptha). To airbrush FuseFX: mix the FuseFX paint as normal (50:50 Part A and the coloured Part B) then dilute the mixture with 1.5-2 parts of solvent and continue to mix until smooth. Spray at approximately 15 PSI.
Because Worbla and other thermoplastics are, well, plastic, yes, they can generally hold up to getting wet. To be honest the paint finish on your piece is more likely to be damaged than the thermoplastic itself if you get it wet. Technically EVA foam is also waterproof but we would advise caution if wearing your costume in a pool or salt water as the chemicals may do residue damage to the foam.
Wearing your costume in the rain is likely to be fine - again damage to the foam underneath or to the paint is more likely than damage to the plastic.
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Mixed silicone can be thinned with Toluene, Xylene, or Naptha. These solvents are not always sold under these names (often they are sold as odorless paint thinner). It is recommended to do a test before using a new brand or type of odorless paint thinner to make sure it contains the correct solvent and does not contain other fillers which may inhibit platinum silicones.
Alternately you can get a dedicated silicone solvent such as Smooth-On's NOVOCS Glossy or NOVOCS Matte thinner. BEFORE mixing you can purchase a silicone thinner add-in from a supplier such as Smooth-On. Follow directions carefully as too much thinner can inhibit the mix.
Yes ... and No. For FuseFX paints and pigments the products are skin safe once they have cured. While the products are in an uncured state, however, you should wear vinyl or nitrile gloves (NOT latex) while handling the product. Smoothie and Royal Jel-E should be used while wearing vinyl or nitrile gloves.
You will have the best result by painting a silicone piece fresh out of its mold. In this case simply wash the piece thoroughly with soap and warm water to remove any mold release residue then dry the piece with a lint free cloth or lint free tisues.
If you are trying to paint an older piece that has been used or been on display it is best to wash it thoroughly with soap and water, scrubbing gently or even wet sanding with 400 grit sandpaper, then wipe it down with a lint free tissue or cloth and isopropyl alcohol or a silicone appropriate solvent (see the Solvent question in this FAQ for some suggestions). You may wish to apply a thin layer of BondFX as a primer before painting. Older pieces are prone to paint delamination (see previous FAQ question on "I have an older silicone piece - can I still paint it with FuseFX?" for more information).
If you know you will not have a chance to paint your piece right away after demolding it is best to either place your piece in a sealed plastic bag, plastic tote, or wrap it securely in plastic wrap. This will protect your piece from collecting dust and you should be able to paint the piece at a later date with no problem.
30g of catalyzed F-series paint can cover approximately 12sq ft if stippled in a thin layer. M and LY-series paints will go even further as they are typically painted sparingly to create a realistic skin look instead of applied as a continous layer.
For the S and BC pigments one 30g bottle can tint over 3,300g of catalyzed silicone (or approx. 7.2 pounds or 116.4 oz). The 500g bottle can tint over 100,000g or 100 kilos (approx. 27 gallons or 220 pounds) or more depending on the softness of the silicone. See the video below on using S-series pigments for tips on calculating the amount of pigment needed for a project.
YES! As long as the paint has not yet cured you can simply wipe it off with a lint free tissue and a bit of isopropyl alcohol. Once the paint has cured however, it permanently bonds to the piece and will have to be cut off to be removed.