construction:appliances:cleaning

Cleaning of appliances

Depending on how dirty or how much makeup your appliance has on it, you may want to clean it. Soap and water will usually do the trick. A little time will do it as well.

Cleaning a foam latex prosthetic requires time and patience. Don't expect to get *ALL* the makeup off, as there will be some left. No matter what, do NOT wring the appliance, as you can tear it that way. You can squeeze it out of water, but make sure all soap is gone. You'll have a messy sink with makeup on it, yes, but that can also be cleaned off with rubbing alcohol or some good bathroom cleaner. Place the appliance in a towel, and press down on the towel, to take out excess water. Then set it aside to dry, as this can easily take a few hours.


From: Nightsky Bluewyrm
Subject: FL: Update on Lyonshel project (kinda long but GOOD!)

Hey, a big thanks and kittypurr to all those who wrote with advice re repainting a Lyonshel appliance. Keep reading, there's a surprise at the end of the post!

From: Tobias Schweitzer/Aragon Tigerseye


Well, I had some problems with the paint flaking off my “great cat” appliance from lyonshel a while agon, so I mailed Rick and he replied:
“I use water based airbrush paint by Createx and I mix in a bit of Adhesive to help the paint last longer on the foam.”

Yes - I spoke with Rick and he said he just uses Liquitex acrylic paint (available in any craft store) and a little bit of the Fang (pros-aide) adhesive mixed in to paint with. I believe that's what he uses in his airbrush.

Rick wrote about removing the paint:

“If you want to remove the paint, immerse in water and gently scrubb and rub off the paint. Using a little soap will make it easier.

I appreciate this advice. Although I was a bit leery of scrubbing a latex appliance, no matter how gently. It's such a fascinating appliance… I've never worn one before and I really think it's cool. I just have to be careful taking it on and off, as it has a tendency to stick to the back of my fingernails. I don't wear nail polish. I mention this because I know hot glue will really adhere to my nails if I have nail polish on. So if anyone else is considering using this appliance (and I highly recommend Lyonshel) just be careful to peel VERY SLOWLY so it doesn't rip!

Rick about permanent colouring of the mask:


“If you want a permanant, long lasting paint, you need to mix rubber cement,
rubber cement thinner, and universal colorants (like Tints-All). This mixture
will bite into the Foam and make it rub proof. (I dont use this because I have
to do so much painting on a daily basis and this mixture is not
healthy for that kind of exposure.) ”
From: Ysengrin Werewolf

I'll second that warning - this mix is pretty toxic until it dries (and has
long term effects). Use with a lot of ventilation and at least a dust mask
to avoid breathing in the “cobwebs” the stuff makes coming out of an
airbrush - if you use it at all.

Eww, no doubt! I figure acrylics would be permanent enough for my application, and probably everyone else's. It's not like I'm gonna be in The Dark Crystal or anything. (Saw that last night for the second time… WOW.)

From: “Kamau”


I'd suggest contacting them. I've had several dealings with them and they
have always been very responsive and helpful.

Kamau, you are right. I did call Rick and have a couple e-mails with him about it. He was fantastic (as you will see below.) I highly recommend that anyone with any questions like this take the time to call or email him. He will get in touch with you immediately. He has a strong sense of making customers happy.

It's a busy time of year for them right now so that may be why things got
messed up but I think they'll make it right by you.

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that he'd messed anything up! The problem was that I was looking for an appliance that was colored more like a true snow leopard, and what Lyonshel sells with the name “Snow Leopard” is just a regular Leopard mask but only in black and white. No yellow. Kind of like the way a white tiger is a black and white tiger, this was a black and white leopard. They didn't mess anything up at all - it was just that their product wasn't what I wanted.

Klix, you have one of these, right? Any tips you (or anyone else) can offer on its use? I was told by a non-fur to get something called “No Sweat” and put it on my face to prevent the appliance from absorbing all my sweat…. should I just put anti-perspirant on my face? EW! Will it still stick??

OK, now on to the surprise.

Yesterday, I was looking at this white leopard face, and trying to figure out if I could paint it, did I have enough skill and time, etc. etc. I wrote him and said while it was a lovely piece of work, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, and would it be ok if I exchanged it for a blank one? He sent me a really nice email apologising. Said he wasn't used to his customers being unhappy and was about to ship me TWO blanks. I was like “Whoa!” So I called Rick and we talked about it.

I inquired about a custom paint job, which only would have been $20 extra, but he said he didn't think he could get it done in time for me. (I need it for next weekend.) He explained what kind of paints he used, and I decided I'd send back the white leopard and take the two blanks, plus a little extra adhesive to mix in with the paint. This way I could at least try to paint it myself and have a spare if I messed up.

While we were talking, I made sure to explain that there was nothing technically wrong with his work, just that I was looking for a snow leopard, and how their facial spot patterning is different from regular leopards, and he said yeah, that the Lyonshel “snow leopard” was really just the regular Leopard, but in white. We ended the conversation on a good note.

Imagine my surprise when later in the afternoon I got email from Rick with an attachment of four photos. He said he had cracked open some books, sat down with the paints, and did the results please milady? The photos showed a newly painted appliance that actually was grey and spotted like a real snow leopard! I was ecstatic! It was exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't believe it.

Needless to say, I emailed him back and the appliance is going in the mail today.

Consequently, I have to say that if you are thinking of being a cat, any kind of cat, please do check out http://www.lyonshel.com/ and consider Rick. He has an understanding of customer satisfaction that is lost by many folks today. From tiger to tabby, alley cat to King of the Jungle, please, consider his fantastic work. He will work with you to give you what you want. Artists and gentlemen like him need and deserve our support!

Thanks for reading all the way down. Thanks for all the tips. :)

MEOW and ttys!

/home/furryfursuit/faq/data/pages/construction/appliances/cleaning.txt · Last modified: 2011/08/11 12:01 (external edit)

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