What to Use for Life Casting

Life casting is a beautiful art form that captures the living human form in complete detail. What started ages ago as a complex procedure used by Egyptians to preserve the dead, has transformed today into an art form of its own standing. The technique of mold making and casting has evolved to include normal casting as well to make anything and everything from candles, soaps and candy to figurines and other decorative items. The art of mold making has even been incorporated in prototype tooling, animatronics, taxidermy, prosthetics, architectural restoration works and the special effects industry. But the primary difference between making life casts and other kinds of mold making and casting is that while for the latter you can use various mold making and casting materials like resins, silicone, plaster, clay, gypsum, latex and so on, nothing but skin safe materials will do for life casting! Therefore, the choice is limited to alginates, plaster bandages and certain skin safe silicones. Among these, alginate, also known as dental impression material, is by far the most commonly used mold making material for life casting - is the formulas are quite similar to what dentists use to make teeth impressions. Life casting alginate is a water based gel that is usable on almost any type of surface. The benefit is that not only is alginate completely skin and user safe, but it also captures the surface texture and skin details very accurately. Another benefit is that it sets fairly quickly, thus your model will not have to get unduly stressed by staying in a stationery pose for too long. But you have to keep in mind that alginate molds shrink as they dry out. Therefore, you have to use the mold within say three-to four hours or so. In fact, the alginate molds can only be used once or may be twice as best; this is why they are even called waste molds. But you can turn this feature to your advantage - like when trying to make miniature heads, for example! Apart from life casting, alginate is even used for special effects (E F/X) work, taxidermy and prosthetics applications With regards to plaster bandages, they are often used to make shell molds to give support to the original mold during the casting process. But it can even be used for making a mold directly applied to the skin without alginate, where fewer details are required - like making belly or pregnancy molds for instance. Special skin safe silicones have also been developed by certain manufacturers for use in life casting. Silicone is more expensive than the alginate method, but the mold maker can obtain multiple casts. Finally, whichever materials you use for making molds and life casts; remember to set off your completed art piece with a name plate or engraved name plates affixed at the bottom of the life cast or on its mount. This is because a name plate or an engraved name plate is what will provide a gallery finish to your lovely artwork and enhance its beauty many time over.