# How to make my rubber severed heads glisten?



## RainHerself

My husband and I recently purchased some rubber heads we are displaying on our balcony. We have a strobe light going on them at night but something is missing. The rubber looks dull and unrealistic. 

We are looking for a way to make our heads glisten for at least 3-4 hours every night while the strobe is going. 

We have two stipulations. We are renters so fake blood is not an option as it stains. And we also live on a subtropical island so humidity and bugs are a huge factor. Nothing too sugary that would attract our winged friends!

Also, I'm curious as to what I should AVOID so that I do not degrade the material.

Thanks in advance!

The Neil Family


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## Anda

I've been using Krylon gloss sealer on my pieces for a wet look and it's working pretty well for me. But I haven't used it on rubber and I'm not sure if it would damage. :undecidekin: The can says it's good for photography, artwork, wood, metal, paper mache, glass, plaster, ceramic, dried/silk flowers, paper, wicker and painted surfaces.


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## Haunted Spider

If you don't want to permanently paint it with a gloss, hit it with castor oil. It will shine up the latex, but won't damage it. Castor oil is designed to use with make up and latex appliances to blend the edges. It will gloss a mask in no time with just a little coat and will last a week or so depending on the weather. I put it on a creeper mask I had before parades to get the sheen and it never harmed the mask. 

That is my suggestion and the brand I used was by Ben Nye if you are interested.


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## BioHazardCustoms

5 minute epoxy. That stuff glistens forever. We use it on bloody objects, just paint it over whatever you want to look wet. You have to be able to work fast with it, though. It works better than Monster Makers Perma-Wet finish.


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## Fiend4Halloween

I too use epoxy, but you should test it on a small part before you coat the whole thing. A lot of epoxy turns yellowish after drying so unless that's the look you want, try a small amount and let it dry for about 6-8 hours at least. Though some brands claim to be 5 minute epoxy, not all are and you'll get a better idea of the overall color after it's dried that amount of time. Good luck..and post some pix after your done....lets see those shiny decapitated heads!!


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## fontgeek

With these being rubber heads (probably latex) you will probably have a problem trying to use an epoxy on them, the latex/rubber will flex while the epoxy won't wan't to, so it may tear away at the latex when the rubber flexes.
You might try someting simple like a hairspray. Flesh doesn't usually glow or shine unless it's sweaty or wet with water, blood, etc. So for a natural look you will need to be careful in how shiny you make it.


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## RainHerself

These are all awesome ideas. My husband will be hitting the back of our least favorite head with krylon today and we will see how she looks in the strobes tonight!

The 5 minute epoxy sounds good but I will have to see what's available at our BX. We live in Japan where my family likes to play "is it poison or is it candy?" we're never exactly sure what we're getting our hands on while off-base so our only option for items with English writing are on base and they tend to be scarcely stocked. I agree that a test patch would be a good idea if we do find something workable.

I think I will try the castor oil also since you said it only lasts a week I think it's best to start there and upgrade to the harder stuff later if necessary. Here's to hoping they stock it here! 

The reason I want them so shiny is our display is on the second floor and slightly hard to see. The gloss really makes them pop. So maybe realistic wasn't the right word, but "stand out" is certainly what we're going for! 

Thank you everyone, I will update as soon as our display is complete!


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## RainHerself

Oh, it was also suggested by a friend that we use Glossy Mod Podge? Anyone tried this before? Results?


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## BioHazardCustoms

My wife uses glossy mod podge sometimes. It is not super shiny, but it does have a decent shine to it in the right lighting.


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## RoxyBlue

I've used ModPodge for decoupage and it works nicely for that purpose. One concern I'd have is that it's not flexible when dry, so it may not be the best choice for a rubber head.


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## fontgeek

I'd try the castor oil or maybe baby oil, but test it on a small, inconspicuous area of the material first. If it works okay and doesn't damage the "head" material then great, but if it does do damage then you haven't lost the use of the heads.
You need to be careful with any materials you try/use, without knowing what the manufacturer used for the material or the paints/colorants, it's kind of a crapshoot for you.
You might consider just using individual LED spotlights or pin-lights to illuminate the heads. I would also put a flat black material around or behind them. That will make it so that it's just the heads that are seen. Black velvet works great for that.
Using lighting rather than something to try to make the heads glossy will let you have better control on how the heads look, and not risk damage to them or your household from oils, varnishes, etc. You can control the color, the angle, the intensity, etc., quite easily.


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## RainHerself

I tried the Krylon tonight and it looks like it didn't take. The area sprayed was as dull as ever. On the hunt for castor oil next!


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## Haunted Spider

castor oil is sold by make up supply stores and theatrical make up stores. Start there.


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## Lilly

maybe mineral oil would work also..
or even plain old vegetable oil ..Basil and bay leaves have been used for centuries as natural insect repellents.
infuse them together 2 weeks if you have time


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## RainHerself

I had been using spray olive oil and the head just keeps soaking it up! Just like it did the Krylon! This stuff just doesn't quit soaking everything up! I'm starting to think the epoxy will work best. I can't imagine the head soaking THAT up. But castor oil comes first. Last ditch effort before I move on to the hard stuff.

Hopefully our BX or commissary will carry the Castor Oil. Perhaps the on-base craft store even. I am on the hunt for it TODAY. 

Being pregnant has a real way of distracting you from the important things like Halloween and gore :0)


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## [email protected]

Drug stores will all have castor oil (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid). I'm not sure what the rest of the world is using it for, but hopefully it will make your severed head shine.


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## fontgeek

it used to be given, and maybe still is, as a laxative, used as a hair treatment, to induce labor, and a variety of other uses.


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## VillaHaunter

The BX pharmacy had castor oil when I was in Japan. Back when it was Grandmothers laxative.


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## RainHerself

Villa, that's awesome to hear. I will be there in an hour or so to grab some!


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## debbie5

Clear nail polish.


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## fontgeek

RainHerself, what did you end up doing to make your heads shiny?


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## RainHerself

So sorry for the delayed response, visiting family distracted me! So i couldnt find straight castor oil at the BX but someone did point me in the direction of a castor oil enriched hair conditioner. This really did the trick! Our area is heavy with Japanese Trick or Treaters and some kids were too scared to.come get candy from us! Maybe my Doctor Who costume was too scary also? But the kids mostly met our display with shouts of Sugoi! Which means cool  lots of pictures were taken too though i cant imagine any of them turned out well. Tried to take some pictures for you guys but they were all way too dark.

On a side note one of my heads did get a split on the bridge of his nose while the other split where his ring was holding him up. But i believe this was the work of the elements and not the oil used as the ring holding the one head was badly rusted. Okinawa weather/sea air do not bode well for Halloween decs.

Hope your halloween was as happy as ours! Thanks for all your help!

Rain


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## fontgeek

For the future...
Clean and wax the rings on the heads. A good car wax is made to hold up to the elements so it should help keep them from rusting to start with, and it will keep them shiny too.

For the photos, put the camera on a tripod, and shoot with a long exposure time. This lets you get a clearer picture (no shakes) and the longer exposure time lets more of the ambient light get captured in the photo.

Are the heads repairable/fixable?


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## Bascombe

I have used KY Jelly to make things shiny before, but I'm not sure it would last for four hours.

I had to make a rabbit pelt look like it was freshly skinned, so I painted the tanned leather back of the hide with acrylics and spread KY Jelly on it every night before the show. Worked wonders.


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