# Removing Graftobian From Masks



## tomanderson (Dec 6, 2007)

You can use 99% isopropyl alcohol if you like. In small amounts, this can be applied with a Q-tip and the rubber mask grease dissolved and removed. Try to use fresh swabs every so often so you're not dissolving the color and re-depositing it on the mask.

If you have a lot of color to remove, and if you're very careful, you can apply baby shampoo in small amounts to the mask, then massage into the color and dissolve it. The emulsified RMG can then be washed off gently with warm water. The rising water can be gently squeezed out of the foam rubber with dry paper towels.

I assume you are using the RMG color on smaller areas, like the blending edges around the eyes, etc. But if you are thinking about painting a whole face, or more, then perhaps you can consider using PAX paint, which is a mixture of Pros-Aide (acrylic-based prosthetic adhesive) and acrylic paint. You can prepaint large portions of the surface of the mask with such a mixture. Allow it to dry thoroughly and then carefully powder the color, as the PAX surface will stick to itself if left unpowdered (in much the same way as dried liquid latex will stick to itself if unpowdered).

The PAX will bond in a much more permanent way to the surface of the foam rubber--and once dry and powdered, it will not rub or smear like greasepaint will.

If your powder imparts a dusty look to your paint job, you can gently cleanse the excess powder away with a damp rubber makeup sponge.

Often, a mask will be 90% pre-painted in this way, and allowed to dry, and then powdered, well before the time comes to apply it to an actor. Then the mostly pre-painted mask is glued to the actor's face, and then the edges blended in, and colored with RMG. This approach exposes the mask to much less greasepaint overall.

You should bear in mind, of course, that foam latex appliances, with their delicate thin blending edges, will last only through a certain number of performances. The oils in an actor's skin, once absorbed by the foam rubber, can be enough to start breaking down the latex. In the film industry, foam rubber appliances are typically used only once, and duplicates are produced for filming on subsequent days.

Hope this helps!


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## Kingpin (Jan 15, 2013)

Hi Tom,

Thanks this does help. I'm actually not using foam latex prosthetics that are glued to the face. These are foam latex masks from greyland film that allow for "quick on and quick off". My makeup skills are horrid, and I could never do it with prosthetics.

What I'm looking do is slightly change some "real face" masks for plays and things. Like a female mask that I want to put different shades of lipstick on, on different eyeshadow. My thought was to use RMG as a "lipstick", and then remove that. I've also read that I could get "water based" makeup that could clean off too.

Again, these are the first masks I have ever bought, and I want them to last a while, and be versatile by changing things like I mentioned. Just asking for advice before I ruin a mask experimenting.


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