# How to Make Barnacles?



## Rahnefan

Does anyone know a good way to make fake barnacles, like for an old sea chest? Or perhaps just an unproven idea?

Alternatively I was wondering if there is a reasonable way to just anchor your object in the sea and attract real barnacles, limpets, and such to grow on it? Likely that takes a long time, eh? And if so, what's a good way to preserve it after you pull it up?


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## HalloweenZombie

Oooh, that's a good question. I don't have an answer for you, but I hope someone does. I live by the ocean and I think it takes a really long time for barnacles to form on something. It's not like they can be scraped off of a rock and added to a prop.


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## Mr_Chicken

You could sculpt a cluster of them in modeling clay, make a simple plaster mold, and make latex casts. or make a latex mold and make plaster casts. or make foam casts.
then just attach them to your props.


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## DarkLore

Mr_Chicken said:


> You could sculpt a cluster of them in modeling clay, make a simple plaster mold, and make latex casts. or make a latex mold and make plaster casts. or make foam casts.
> then just attach them to your props.


I agree with Chicken. Except I'd also consider resin.


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## RavenLunatic

*I think it also depends on what you want your barnacles to look like. If you're looking for the acorn looking ones, why not use actual acorns as part of it. I've also been experimenting with a mixture of dry( sold in 10lb bags) joint compound mix and latex. varying the mix creates different textures. I haven't tried using regular latex with it yet, I'm still trying to use up a 5 gallon bucket of carpet latex lol. the carpet latex usually takes a while to dry. but depending on how much dry joint compound mix you add to it, it can dry very quickly. you may want to try something like this directly on the prop instead of going through the trouble of sculpting,molding, etc. i do recommend if you make it very dry that you add some of the finish color directly into the mixture in case of chipping. but then i haven't gotten around to sealing anything yet. i've used it on a little box for my son and a baby doll crib. i do want to try it soon on bottles and such to produce something similar to the wine bottles big lots sells around halloween. i'd also like to see how it would do coating tombstones for a rougher texture than you get with just the foam and paint. geesh I've rambled forever. I blame it on the time. I've been up all night and it's 5am lol.  *


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## Fetch

How about this?










Search eBay for "latex barnacles" or go here:

http://tinyurl.com/oweapd

And check out the clump of mussels:










(I'm not affiliated with the seller... just passing along info.)


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## Bone Dancer

It always amazes me how creative the people in this forum are. In less then four hours you have suggestions for "how to make barnacles". 
By the way Pier One (a novelty decoration store) my have some materials for you to make your molds from, shells, coral, barnacles, ect. A simple latex mold should do the job and then cast in plaster or resin as suggested above.


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## Devils Chariot

I have thought about a way quick and easy way to amke thing like barnacles, bolt head, upholstery tacks etc for props. I have yet to try, but i thought that if I made one or few of what i needed in sculpey, I could bake it and then press it into sheets of clay to make a fast mold, and then just fill those impressions up with some resin. You could make a mold for 20-30 barnacles in a minute that way, and maybe for some have the impressions overlap to get clusters.


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## IMU

I actually used 100% pure silicone caulk as my casting material. Mixed in a little latex paint and then applied it into my molds. It worked out well for me and the caulk was less than $2.00 a tube. It sets up quickly, less than 15 minutes and I was ready to pull and cast again. Just another option if you didn't want to use resin, latex or foam.


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## Rahnefan

Wow, lots of good responses - thanks everybody.

You guys who cast them from molds, did you make the mold from real barnacle clusters, or sculpted?


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## Hallowennie315

check a fish/pet store. They might have some aquarium decorations that you could use...


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## dscrimager

*I bought them off ebay*

5 pounds of real barnacles for a few bucks plus shipping. The ones in the aquarium store have been sanitized and such and tend to be very expensive...

Freshly Doug


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## haunted canuck

Styrofoam doughnuts , cut out circles or shapes out of styrofoam take a heat gun to them voila intant barnicle


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## Allen H

I had to do a ton of barnacles for my pirate haunt last year. I made them three different ways. 
#1 I sculpted out a few sheets that had barnacles and crabs on them, did a simple plaster mold and I pull latex Barnacle sheets out of the mold. Super simple and they look great.

#2 for props and costumes I made my barnacles out of hot glue. I used low temp hot glue sticks and a pencil with Vaseline on its eraser. I simply poured out a dime sized puddle of hot glue then stuck the pencil eraser in it. after a few seconds I pinched the glue up around the pencil and then removed the pencil leaving a perfect barnacle shape. Then I hit them with some spray paint then a quick drybrushing and they looked awesome.
#3 Gray colored silicone caulk. Just put down a bit of caulk and pull the tip away to elongate it a bit. then "sculpt it b making the crease in the center with a metal pin or needle (I used an airbrush needle).

All these methods work great and gave a slightly different barnacle look.


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## Rahnefan

Wow. Great ideas. I would love to see pix if you have some.


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## scarymovie

Rahnefan so you are going with a pirates theme!


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## scarymovie

Did you find your barnacles yet?


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## Rahnefan

Nope, no pirate theme, just making a non-Hallowen prop or two. Probably I will sculpt them, as suggested.

Recently, Thing 1 turned 5, and we had a treasure hunt for his birthday! I had built and tricked out his treasure chest two years ago, and held onto it until he was old enough to enjoy it. I didn't add barnacles as I'd planned but that is fine because already Thing 1 and 2 have pulled off the shells, starfish, crabs, etc. that I attached to it.


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## IMU

I have a picture someplace (I think) of the mold I use to make mine. I used plaster as the mold and silicone as the casting material. I use just water as the release agent and it has worked fine.

Good luck and I'll post a pic if I can find it later today! 

*UPDATE: *Here is the mold.


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## deathstaste

*super cheap*

egg cartons cut and paint.


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## Rahnefan

Thanks for the pic, IMU!


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## Rahnefan

Here's something I tried and it seems to work pretty well so far:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?p=436289#post436289


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## bobzilla

Here are some barnacles I sculpted and cast in resin. I also made some mussels :


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## Fetch

I haven't posted in a while, but I had to break the silence... Nice Job!


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## wongie

*Barnacles*

I use polystyrene bean bag balls and casting plaster mixed together,let it set up and then melt out the poly with a hot air gun leaving just the craters .Try to get as many different scale beads as you can then paint with watered down acrylics.


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