Fitting a mask to your own face?

[Bizarro Lois]

I wanted to make a partial mold of my own face, just to help fit smaller masks, like Robin's domino, or the partial one some Green Lanterns wear. It it safe to use brush-on latex or silicone on myself? When making molds of inanimate objects, I've used gauze to bulk it up and make it more rigid, as long as it didn't need to stretch for removal. I would have to use something to protect my eyebrows, but would probably stay well away from my eyes. Is there a better way to do this?

 

[vistaVision]

Spend some time exploring Smooth-On's website at smooth-on.com, look for their lifecasting page. They sell some very good materials for this. Use the proper materials and techniques and you will get good results without hurting yourself.

There are other places to get what you need and there are tutorials and instructions all over the web. When I was a kid, my first lifecast was done with dental alginate I got from my dentist and plaster bandages from the local hobby shop! (Worked perfectly!)

Doing a partial face cast will be easier than starting with an entire head, and will use up less materials. It should be a great way to learn the proper techniques.

Good luck!

 

[Darth Mule]

The easiest way to do a lifecast (the technical term for a facial cast) is with those plaster bandages you get at any hobby/craft store. You'll have to grease your face up with vaseline to prevent sticking, and extra so on facial hair (eyebrows, etc.). This is the simplest and cheapest method of lifecast, but the least detailed. However, if you just want to shape a mask to your face, you merely need the shape, not the details of your pores, etc that pick up in the more detailed casting agents such as alginate or silicone.

Alginate backed by plaster bandages is the next step up, then there's silicone backed by plaster bandages. These both capture detail incredibly and are pretty much only necessary if you want to make a severed limb that has skin texture. You have to be careful with the silicone though as only certain types (like smooth-on's Body Double) are formulated to go directly on skin without poisoning you. The difference between alginate and silicone (for practical purposes) is that silicone is archival and alginate is not. That is to say that alginate dries up and shrinks over a short period of time and becomes non-usable, while silicone remains indefinitely.

In short. Go get some plaster bandages from Michael's and a tub of vaseline and call it a day. No need to monkey around with alginate or silicone.

 

[jedikanol]

The easiest way to do a lifecast (the technical term for a facial cast) is with those plaster bandages you get at any hobby/craft store. You'll have to grease your face up with vaseline to prevent sticking, and extra so on facial hair (eyebrows, etc.). This is the simplest and cheapest method of lifecast, but the least detailed. However, if you just want to shape a mask to your face, you merely need the shape, not the details of your pores, etc that pick up in the more detailed casting agents such as alginate or silicone.

Alginate backed by plaster bandages is the next step up, then there's silicone backed by plaster bandages. These both capture detail incredibly and are pretty much only necessary if you want to make a severed limb that has skin texture. You have to be careful with the silicone though as only certain types (like smooth-on's Body Double) are formulated to go directly on skin without poisoning you. The difference between alginate and silicone (for practical purposes) is that silicone is archival and alginate is not. That is to say that alginate dries up and shrinks over a short period of time and becomes non-usable, while silicone remains indefinitely.

In short. Go get some plaster bandages from Michael's and a tub of vaseline and call it a day. No need to monkey around with alginate or silicone.

yup no need to get silicone or alginate cost to much and your not going to need it. for a form to sculpt clay on you'll need just a basic form and useing plaster bandages it gives you that form of your bust aka the top of your head to your shoulders. i am a rt student and we are currently doing a plaster project and to do a full bust your going to need about 5 to 8 of the larger plaster bandage packages there are tones of videos on line on youtube.com check them out. now when you remove the plaster off you will need to fill it with a solid material IE hydro-cal resin plaster (not plaster of paris) there are tons to chose from

 

[Bizarro Lois]

Cool, thanks for the directions. The plaster bandages actually sound much easier than brushing stuff onto my face and waiting for it to dry between layers!

 

[vistaVision]

yup no need to get silicone or alginate cost to much and your not going to need it.

For the size project she's talking about a can of alginate will only cost a couple of bucks, (just checked, several vendors on Ebay selling 1 pound bags of it for about $6) and it would be a great way to learn how to use this more precision and professional method (same material you'll need if you want dental impressions to make teeth). If, however, this is a one-time effort and she's okay with "good enough" vs. "perfect" (and that's kinda rare here) then sure, plaster bandages alone will work.

Lois, keep in mind that plaster bandages directly on your skin (with petrol jelly or whatever as a release) isn't the ideal, but probably not harmful. Remember that the plaster will get warm (even hot) so test it first on the back of your hand or somewhere less sensitive than your face. Also keep in mind that the alginate material we're talking about here sets in a minute or two so you are not sitting under layers of stuff for a long time waiting to dry or set (like latex). If I were doing any lifecasting around my (or anyone's) eyes I'd use the alginate material. Even with care and plenty of vaseline, you do run the chance of pulling out some eyelashes and eyebrow hair! But hey, they'll grow back!

 

[Contec]

Lois, keep in mind that plaster bandages directly on your skin (with petrol jelly or whatever as a release) isn't the ideal, but probably not harmful. Remember that the plaster will get warm (even hot) so test it first on the back of your hand or somewhere less sensitive than your face. Also keep in mind that the alginate material we're talking about here sets in a minute or two so you are not sitting under layers of stuff for a long time waiting to dry or set (like latex). If I were doing any lifecasting around my (or anyone's) eyes I'd use the alginate material. Even with care and plenty of vaseline, you do run the chance of pulling out some eyelashes and eyebrow hair! But hey, they'll grow back!

I dont know what sort of plaster bandages you have in your country but here in sweden those plaster bandages is totally ok to use on skin and on the face.
Its made for medical emergensys.

 

[Bizarro Lois]

If I was making a full face mask, or something that I needed a detailed cast of my face for some reason, I could see using the alginate. I will definitely get some at some point to do teeth. But for a mask that covers less than half my face, it doesn't need to get all the details. I just want to make it fit better than a store-bought mask, and have it space well in the eye area.

 

[Cleverlilminx]

The bandages should be perfect, but I think getting someone else to help you out would be a good idea.

As for teeth, there are kits out there that include everything and not as expensive as I thought they might be.

 

[Bizarro Lois]

The bandages should be perfect, but I think getting someone else to help you out would be a good idea.

That's what husbands are for! :lol

 

[clayslinger]

Used plaster bandages myself for exactly this purpose and it worked GREAT.
Uncovered form for Classic Lone Ranger mask..

 

[knightoftheroc]

Used the bandages for a cast of my front torso for an armor project, few problems (I didn't bother with a release agent, like the Vaseline- can you say chest hairs?). The name of the material is Pariscraft, if you go hunting it, and it can be found in artist supply stores, if not a pharmacy, in case you are shopping offline. A box of it is heavy as all get out, so consider buying local, versus shipping charges.

Aside from protecting hair locations, like eyebrows, pariscraft can go right onto bare skin, and doesn't get hot enough to harm you, tho you will probably notice it getting rather warm. If you make a mold with it, Pariscraft can then be sealed ( I used spray enamal paint), and used as a mold. You may need to beef it up, depending on how big you are working, etc.

 

[Darth Mule]

For the size project she's talking about a can of alginate will only cost a couple of bucks, (just checked, several vendors on Ebay selling 1 pound bags of it for about $6) and it would be a great way to learn how to use this more precision and professional method (same material you'll need if you want dental impressions to make teeth). If, however, this is a one-time effort and she's okay with "good enough" vs. "perfect" (and that's kinda rare here) then sure, plaster bandages alone will work.

Lois, keep in mind that plaster bandages directly on your skin (with petrol jelly or whatever as a release) isn't the ideal, but probably not harmful. Remember that the plaster will get warm (even hot) so test it first on the back of your hand or somewhere less sensitive than your face. Also keep in mind that the alginate material we're talking about here sets in a minute or two so you are not sitting under layers of stuff for a long time waiting to dry or set (like latex). If I were doing any lifecasting around my (or anyone's) eyes I'd use the alginate material. Even with care and plenty of vaseline, you do run the chance of pulling out some eyelashes and eyebrow hair! But hey, they'll grow back!

First thing: Alginate here is like going around your butt to get to your elbow... My suggestion of plaster bandages does not come from an uniformed guess as to what might be good to use here. As a professional theatrical costume and makeup artist, I have done several lifecasts for this purpose specifically and I can tell you from experience that the bandages are the way to go for this and many other applications. Even with a lot of prosthetic work (which I have also done), bandages capture what you need to execute the piece. Alginate is really only necessary when replicating parts like making a severed head or arm that you want to capture the skin texture in. You don't need skin texture for either a mask or a prosthetic, just the correct shape to place it on.

Second: The bandages do get warm, but not hot. It takes alot of plaster to generate enough heat to burn you. Like immersing yourself in a tub of it, in which case you would have more problems than getting burned.

Lois: Yes, do check out videos and do some research online. The bandages are great, but do be sure to use vaseline or some release agent on yourself before the bandages, as well as inside the new bandage mold before you pour whatever casting agent that you are using to make the positive (I also recommend Hydrocal) into the mold. I know some people that will wax down or even spirit gum their eyebrows to their foreheads before greasing them to protect them.

 

[MFP 2020]

Wow. When I was a kid, I just slathered on some Vaseline, stuck straws up my nose and poured plaster on my face. Of course, there was no Internet back then...