How to Seam a Mask

by Vance Hartwell and Neil Goldsmith

I first trim as much of the flashing and seam as possible with the scissors.  I trim as close as possible, too, but don’t cut below the surface of the mask.  It’s best to leave the seam “up” as opposed to cutting a trough. 

I then use a Q-Tip and put some of the solvent onto the seam, kind of soaking the latex.  This swells and softens the latex a bit, making it easier to Dremel off.  I then use the cotton bullet to buff off the seam.  You’ll find that going one direction is easier and faster, but leaves the seam kind of “fuzzy”.  Go that way first.  Then go the opposite direction.  This way is a bit more difficult to control, but it leaves a much cleaner seam. 

I then put more of the solvent on with a Q-Tip.  This cleans whatever residue is left.  Just do a few inches at a time and you should have a nearly invisible seam.  You can also “sculpt” in detail across the seam with the Dremel and cotton bullet, too.  Many times you’ll have wrinkles or something that cross your seam.  Just use a bit more pressure and carefully cut these back into the latex.  This will help disguise the seam.

If you have a hole or damaged detail to repair you can do what I do.  Use some V-Thix to thicken some latex.  Make it pretty thick. Now add some Pros-Aide.  I like about a 50/50 mix.  I make the latex thicker than I want because when you add the Pros-Aide it thins it back down.  You want a nice thick paste consistency.  Use this to patch/fill/sculpt any holes/detail/whatever.  The Pros-Aide in the mix makes it stick to the already cured latex and the latex in the mix makes it easy to Dremel.  You can also tint this mix if you’re repairing something that’s already painted.  By doing this you may not have to paint your repairs, if they’re small enough.