Alginate

Alginate is a wonderful thing. It's made from sea-weed, and highly non alerginic.

Have you seen those booths at the fair, where the little children get a cast of their hand? It's alginate, at work.

A very fine powder, you just mix with water. It sets quickly so what ever body part, you happen to be casting, has to be inserted or covered immediately and then held very still, for about 5 minutes. An eternity, for a child. :)

The new mold, then has to be used almost immedately, as the alginate will begin to dry and shrink. It eventually dries up into a little wad of nothing and is useless. So your newly made mold is short lived.

Because of that, you need to have everything in place, before you even begin the mold. If your making an object out of plaster, have the plaster ready to add water.

Your new mold is also spineless and needs back up, to hold its form, unless it happens to already be in a can or cup. So if your making a mold of the face, your very patient model must remain in a lying position, while you add a layer of plaster over the top of the alginate mold, before removing the whole unit (alginate and its new mother mold of plaster).

You can use straws in the nostrils, while you work and (of course) the eyes remain closed.

The set up alginate, is like wet, spongy rubber and separates easily from the face.

Once the alginate mold, along with the plaster layer is removed, you can mix up plaster and pour into your new mold. As soon as the plaster is set, you can then remove it from the alginate.

There is always residue left behind but not to worry. As the whole unit dries, the alginate chips and flakes off like powder.

Easy as puddin' but you have to remember alginate is expensive, for a mold making material and it used once and then your mold wastes away.


Be sure to drop by Judy's Corner. It's a new portal just for crafter's in business. Sell your crafts online. It's free. http://judysbookshop.com/nuke/