Contec
Master Member
You can get it where you by medical supplys or at the doctors.
Casting your own head?
- Thread starter jason1976
- Start date
You can get it where you by medical supplys or at the doctors.
Eaglewood
Sr Member
This is a pretty easy process actually. I have done my kids and even myself with the smooth-on body double. Never a problem with it at all. Just follow the directions and make SURE that you use a release agent. The stuff Smooth-on offers works but you can also use just plain glyceryn. I would suggest the smooth-on agent for the hair areas tho. Its a bit thicker and sticks better to the hair which makes for easier release. I can do a full face-not complete head to include the plaster shell in about 30 mins.
A full head would take about an hour and a half. It has never been unpleasant for anyone that has done it.
Body double has 2 types--quick set and slow set. Just be sure that you have everything ready before you mix it up and there should be no problems. The algi-safe is ok but it has a low tear strength so you have to be really delicate with it and put it on thick. It sets quickly depending on how you mix it and will set up in the middle of applying it if you arent careful. A little test batch would give you a good idea of how to mix properly. You need it kind of thick but not too much or your pot life is next to nothing. Also you usually get only a couple of pulls out of the Algi-safe if you are lucky. With the Body double you can get a lot more.
PM me if you have any other questions
Good Luck
A full head would take about an hour and a half. It has never been unpleasant for anyone that has done it.
Body double has 2 types--quick set and slow set. Just be sure that you have everything ready before you mix it up and there should be no problems. The algi-safe is ok but it has a low tear strength so you have to be really delicate with it and put it on thick. It sets quickly depending on how you mix it and will set up in the middle of applying it if you arent careful. A little test batch would give you a good idea of how to mix properly. You need it kind of thick but not too much or your pot life is next to nothing. Also you usually get only a couple of pulls out of the Algi-safe if you are lucky. With the Body double you can get a lot more.
PM me if you have any other questions
Good Luck
Last edited:
Eaglewood
Sr Member
Ebay always has a lot of this available. Get some great deals too. I have gotten quite a bit from here
Michaels Crafts has some that is about 10" wide and it is great-about $10.00 for one roll but you can do quite a bit with it.
Be _very_ careful doing anything that involves plaster on your skin, others have mentioned it gets hot, it's also not very good for the skin to start with, it's very drying and can feel like it's burning even while it's still wet if you're sensitive.
Depending on what you really need you can go a few ways, the cleanest is to do a proper lifecast with alginate or silicone (alginate will almost certainly be cheaper, silicone will be more durable). The approach I'd take would be to get a proper bald cap and put it on, whether the ears were exposed or covered is up to you depending on whether you need ears in the finished product or if you need to leave room for them in the finished mask. (if you expose them be sure to put in ear plugs, rolled up cotton balls work too, you just want to prevent an ear full of alginate) Smear vaseline liberally into any facial hair (if you can trim it very short that helps too, even eyebrows could often use a trim, and don't forget to vaseline the eyelashes). Cover the chest and below with a garbage bag taped to the skin around the chest, this will help to contain the mess.
Mix the alginate carefully according to the directions, don't go by eye or by feel unless you have a lot of experience. The right consistency will feel very odd at first. Put it on carefully, be sure to build up a thick enough coat but at the same time let your victim (you in this case, this is more from your assistants' point of biew) breathe. Once the whole head except the nostrils is covered and before it's all dry lay strips of torn bath towels into the alginate on the front half of the head and press them into the goo. You want them to be embedded in it when it hardens.
Once it's all hardened put a few layers of plaster bandages on the front half of the head, the strips of towel should help them to hold. Don't go much past the half-way point and try to build up a thick edge. Once they've hardened put a heavy layer of vaseline (it helps to color it so you can see what you've covered) over the back couple inches of plaster bansages and then put a couple layers over the back as well.
When they're hardened carefully pry the back half off of the front. Take a butter knife or something similar and cut a zig-zag seam up the back of the head to a bit below the top of the head. Have the person wiggle the muscles in their face and tip their head forward, if all goes right they will be able to lean forward and the alginate/plaster combination will slip right off, if not you might have to persuade it a little. Be very careful not to tear anything.
When it's off carefully reassemble the plaster jacket around the alginate, you may need to superglue the alginate where you cut it. Wrap duct tape around the plaster and make sure the alginate is laying flat inside, now it's time to fill it. Put the hollow head into a bucket for support and then fill it.
FIlling it is another one of those "it depends" bits, you can either go straight to plaster (if so I'd use ultracal 30 for strength) or you can use clay. I prefer to make a first clay positive, that lets me adjust it as I need to a bit easier than the plaster would. If you want to use clay take something like Chavant NSP (it's one of the non-hardening ones that will melt repeatedly without much of a problem), melt it in an old crock pot, and pour/brush it all over the inside of the mold until you build up about 1/2" thick of a shell. For plaster do the same, minus the need for the heat. Once your shell is built up let it all cool/harden, and take out the new positive. If you are _very_ lucky and careful you might be able to take a second try at the casting but usually alginate is a one-time item, taking the positive out of an alginate mold will usually ruin it.
If you've got a plaster positive sand/file it as you need to and you're done. If it's clay then you can make any changes you need to, clean up the edges, etc., then make a permanent mold from it. At that point you're beyond the lifecasting, so I'll leave that for another message.
It sounds like everything above is fairly complicated, and it is. I would not recommend doing someone's head as a first try, start with an arm or a foot. Even if you have no need for one, it's a much simpler process. Everything above from mixing the alginate to pouring in the clay or plaster happens within about half an hour, any more than that and something will probably be ruined. If you don't have everything you need ready for the next step you'll be starting over fairly often.
Depending on what you really need you can go a few ways, the cleanest is to do a proper lifecast with alginate or silicone (alginate will almost certainly be cheaper, silicone will be more durable). The approach I'd take would be to get a proper bald cap and put it on, whether the ears were exposed or covered is up to you depending on whether you need ears in the finished product or if you need to leave room for them in the finished mask. (if you expose them be sure to put in ear plugs, rolled up cotton balls work too, you just want to prevent an ear full of alginate) Smear vaseline liberally into any facial hair (if you can trim it very short that helps too, even eyebrows could often use a trim, and don't forget to vaseline the eyelashes). Cover the chest and below with a garbage bag taped to the skin around the chest, this will help to contain the mess.
Mix the alginate carefully according to the directions, don't go by eye or by feel unless you have a lot of experience. The right consistency will feel very odd at first. Put it on carefully, be sure to build up a thick enough coat but at the same time let your victim (you in this case, this is more from your assistants' point of biew) breathe. Once the whole head except the nostrils is covered and before it's all dry lay strips of torn bath towels into the alginate on the front half of the head and press them into the goo. You want them to be embedded in it when it hardens.
Once it's all hardened put a few layers of plaster bandages on the front half of the head, the strips of towel should help them to hold. Don't go much past the half-way point and try to build up a thick edge. Once they've hardened put a heavy layer of vaseline (it helps to color it so you can see what you've covered) over the back couple inches of plaster bansages and then put a couple layers over the back as well.
When they're hardened carefully pry the back half off of the front. Take a butter knife or something similar and cut a zig-zag seam up the back of the head to a bit below the top of the head. Have the person wiggle the muscles in their face and tip their head forward, if all goes right they will be able to lean forward and the alginate/plaster combination will slip right off, if not you might have to persuade it a little. Be very careful not to tear anything.
When it's off carefully reassemble the plaster jacket around the alginate, you may need to superglue the alginate where you cut it. Wrap duct tape around the plaster and make sure the alginate is laying flat inside, now it's time to fill it. Put the hollow head into a bucket for support and then fill it.
FIlling it is another one of those "it depends" bits, you can either go straight to plaster (if so I'd use ultracal 30 for strength) or you can use clay. I prefer to make a first clay positive, that lets me adjust it as I need to a bit easier than the plaster would. If you want to use clay take something like Chavant NSP (it's one of the non-hardening ones that will melt repeatedly without much of a problem), melt it in an old crock pot, and pour/brush it all over the inside of the mold until you build up about 1/2" thick of a shell. For plaster do the same, minus the need for the heat. Once your shell is built up let it all cool/harden, and take out the new positive. If you are _very_ lucky and careful you might be able to take a second try at the casting but usually alginate is a one-time item, taking the positive out of an alginate mold will usually ruin it.
If you've got a plaster positive sand/file it as you need to and you're done. If it's clay then you can make any changes you need to, clean up the edges, etc., then make a permanent mold from it. At that point you're beyond the lifecasting, so I'll leave that for another message.
It sounds like everything above is fairly complicated, and it is. I would not recommend doing someone's head as a first try, start with an arm or a foot. Even if you have no need for one, it's a much simpler process. Everything above from mixing the alginate to pouring in the clay or plaster happens within about half an hour, any more than that and something will probably be ruined. If you don't have everything you need ready for the next step you'll be starting over fairly often.
Ok, I went to a near by costume shop. (I was looking for some other stuff anyways.) and after digging, around, and trying about 5 different ones on, I finally, actually found a clear plastic "man" mask, that fits my big head .
So, I'm going to try this idea first.Though I do appreciate all the great ideas, and advice given by all. I'm hoping this idea will work, and I wont have to cast my head this time, but I do have other projects in the future, that I know I will need a more me specific mold, and all this info will be of great help.
Ok, I went to a near by costume shop. (I was looking for some other stuff anyways.) and after digging, around, and trying about 5 different ones on, I finally, actually found a clear plastic "man" mask, that fits my big head .
If it's a close enough fit then that's definitely the best way to go, anything simple, fast, safe, and cheap is the best way to go.
zebracardeath
New Member
im using moldable "fun-plactic".
its nontoxic, reusable and has he the capacity to capture hair and wrinkles.
the problems with using moldable plastic are:
its hot while workable so don't burn yourself,
while soft it bonds you other plastics,
it gets plastic hard when it sets so you could easily lock you head it,
it doesn't cut or puncture easily so your air holes need to preconceived and practiced,
it heat sensitive so compounds that get hot and especially scolding with warp or soften the negative.
nonporous surface means you'll need to spread the casting material around until the casting material sets
its nontoxic, reusable and has he the capacity to capture hair and wrinkles.
the problems with using moldable plastic are:
its hot while workable so don't burn yourself,
while soft it bonds you other plastics,
it gets plastic hard when it sets so you could easily lock you head it,
it doesn't cut or puncture easily so your air holes need to preconceived and practiced,
it heat sensitive so compounds that get hot and especially scolding with warp or soften the negative.
nonporous surface means you'll need to spread the casting material around until the casting material sets
