Jeff Longtin on tue 20 sep 11
Hey Taylor,
As Dannon asked, are you wanting to mold heads or faces?
I've not molded a head but I have molded faces.
As John mentioned polytek is one site, artmolds.com is also another site
that has good info.
One way you can cast faces is to fill a shallow bowl with plaster, with two
straws sticking up for air, and then have the castee bend over and immerse
their head into the plaster until it sets. The castee can pull out when
they feel the plaster set up and/or if it gets too hot.
This works surprisingly well. It was described to me by Craig Edwards many
years ago.
I also have used Polygel, an alginate. It eliminated the heat buildup but
it is an odd, goopey, substance that some people don't like. (It feels like
pancake mix until it sets up.)
I know some people prefer to cast faces with the castee sitting upright but
I've not used that technique yet.
Several years ago I cast a deathmask of a little boy. He was lying on a
table at the funeral home when I made the casting. I framed his head with
cardboard before I poured the plaster. The casting turned out really well.
on hair: I'm not sure why but there is some technical reason why vaseline
is not the best separating compound for hair. A better product is
Cholesterol, a product used in hair salons catering to African Americans. =
Apparently
vaseline just coats the hair while Cholesterol actually penetrates the
hair. (or so I'm told)
Several years ago I cast a gent from Jamaica and for some reason he got
freaked out and pulled his head out before the Alginate had time to set. I=
t
took him several minutes to get the Alginate out of his hair. (We had used
vaseline but his dreadlocks proved challenging.) It was only after that
incident that I learned of Cholesterol.
Good luck
Jeff Longtin
Minneapolis
Taylor Hendrix on tue 20 sep 11
Okay fellow Clayers,
I'm asking this question even though I could run out the the internets
and answer it myself. Sometimes I need to hear it from my claybuds.
I'm thinking of slip casting the heads of two of my colleagues and
myself, so I would like to know a few options for casting the head,
making a negative for a positive that will then allow me to make the
plaster slip casting mold for the heads.
Send me the luv...
kiss kiss
Taylor, in Rockport TX
wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
John Rodgers on tue 20 sep 11
Taylor,
Got to www.polytek.com and at the top look under "Applications" then
select "Life Castings" on the drop down menu. I think you will find what
you need there.
John
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
On 9/20/2011 11:22 AM, Taylor Hendrix wrote:
> Okay fellow Clayers,
>
> I'm asking this question even though I could run out the the internets
> and answer it myself. Sometimes I need to hear it from my claybuds.
>
> I'm thinking of slip casting the heads of two of my colleagues and
> myself, so I would like to know a few options for casting the head,
> making a negative for a positive that will then allow me to make the
> plaster slip casting mold for the heads.
>
> Send me the luv...
>
> kiss kiss
>
>
> Taylor, in Rockport TX
> wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
> http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
> http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
>
>
Dannon Rhudy on tue 20 sep 11
Taylor said:
..........I'm thinking of slip casting the heads of two of my colleagues an=
d
myself, so I would like to know a few options for casting the head,
making a negative for a positive that will then allow me to make the
plaster slip casting mold for the heads........
Taylor, you mean the whole head, or just
the face? If you want the face:
You can cast directly with plaster if you
wish, by making a thickish paste with plaster
and water, and applying to the face.
HOWEVER: If you do that, you must coat the face
with a release agent (as students, we used Vaseline,
applied very thickly).
Further, you must protect the eyelashes and brows, and
with men I recommend that they be very clean shaven indeed.
Hair and plaster have a nasty affinity for one another.
I cover the brows and lash line with gauze. As you
apply the plaster, do not cover the bottom of the nose.
Just leave it clear, and when you modify your mold you
can make any detail corrections at that time. Some
do cover the nose, and place straws for breathing into
the nostril. For most folks THAT DOES NOT WORK. They
already can't see; not breathing or imagining that one
can't breathe usually ends the casting session right then.
Plaster heats as it cures, some imagine they are being
burnt. Plaster shrinks just a tiny bit as it cures, also,
so it feels a bit tight. Pulls off without trouble
if brows/lashes aren't stuck. Some people use the gauze
that comes impregnated with plaster, that is used to make
casts for broken arms/legs etc. It works well, is easy
to apply, but does not give good detail. And you still
must protect the brows and lashes.
If you want great detail, then you can get dental casting
gel from your dentist or a dental suppyly house. It is
very expensive, but it is flexible and does not stick
to the skin (as I recall - talk to the dentist). And
every detail shows, wrinkles, lines, everything.
Try it on yourself first, you'll see how it works.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Carl Cravens on wed 21 sep 11
The dental material is alginate, and it peels off the skin easily. Which is=
=3D
a good thing, since the last full mold of my teeth was by a sloppy technic=
=3D
ian who got it in my mustache and on my face.
I have a plaster cast of my =3D
hand from an alginate mold and you're right... it picks up every detail. Us=
=3D
ed to be sold in an art kit called Body pARTs.
Kathy Forer on wed 21 sep 11
On Sep 20, 2011, at 10:14 PM, Jeff Longtin wrote:
> I also have used Polygel, an alginate.
Back in prehistoric times, I would corral curious victims into my attic =3D
where we would make face masks. I used melted paraffin wax which gave a =3D
nice skin facial as well as accurate mold. It also allowed a lot of =3D
brush control and I could leave the nostrils open without irritating =3D
straws. But it took time and I had to be patient to let the cool the wax =
=3D
enough. A little olive oil on the hair and the mold was just right. A =3D
thin shell mother mold of plaster kept it from pancaking in hot weather.=3D=
20=3D
Kathy
Claypit Creek
Linda Stauffer on wed 21 sep 11
Go to you tube and search for Smooth On videos. They have hundreds of how t=
o=3D
casting and molding videos. You can also go to http://www.smoothon.com
Linda P. Stauffer
On Sep 20, 2011, at 10:14 PM, Jeff Longtin wrote:
> Hey Taylor,
>=3D20
> As Dannon asked, are you wanting to mold heads or faces?
>=3D20
> I've not molded a head but I have molded faces.
>=3D20
> As John mentioned polytek is one site, artmolds.com is also another site
> that has good info.
>=3D20
> One way you can cast faces is to fill a shallow bowl with plaster, with t=
w=3D
o
> straws sticking up for air, and then have the castee bend over and immers=
e=3D
> their head into the plaster until it sets. The castee can pull out when
> they feel the plaster set up and/or if it gets too hot.
> This works surprisingly well. It was described to me by Craig Edwards man=
y=3D
> years ago.
>=3D20
> I also have used Polygel, an alginate. It eliminated the heat buildup but
> it is an odd, goopey, substance that some people don't like. (It feels li=
k=3D
e
> pancake mix until it sets up.)
>=3D20
> I know some people prefer to cast faces with the castee sitting upright b=
u=3D
t
> I've not used that technique yet.
>=3D20
> Several years ago I cast a deathmask of a little boy. He was lying on a
> table at the funeral home when I made the casting. I framed his head with
> cardboard before I poured the plaster. The casting turned out really well=
.=3D
>=3D20
> on hair: I'm not sure why but there is some technical reason why vaseline
> is not the best separating compound for hair. A better product is
> Cholesterol, a product used in hair salons catering to African Americans=
.=3D
Apparently
> vaseline just coats the hair while Cholesterol actually penetrates the
> hair. (or so I'm told)
>=3D20
> Several years ago I cast a gent from Jamaica and for some reason he got
> freaked out and pulled his head out before the Alginate had time to set.=
I=3D
t
> took him several minutes to get the Alginate out of his hair. (We had us=
e=3D
d
> vaseline but his dreadlocks proved challenging.) It was only after that
> incident that I learned of Cholesterol.
>=3D20
> Good luck
> Jeff Longtin
> Minneapolis
Eric Koenig on mon 17 oct 11
Another fairly easy way to mold a face might be by applying plaster banda=
=3D
ges=3D20
cut into strips over your mold-release-of-choice (vaseline, cholesterol, =
=3D
olive=3D20
erl, whatever). Since you end up with a thin shell instead of this huge =
=3D
mass of=3D20
plaster curing at once, there is very little heat generation, and you can=
=3D
place=3D20
thin strips around the nostrils, so no worries about needing breathing tu=
=3D
bes.
Still, it helps to communicate with the castee while you are working. As=
=3D
k if=3D20
s/he is doing all right, especially while gently pressing the wet plaster=
=3D
=3D20
bandages over the eyes and lips.
I did this process a couple years ago in a small class that lasted a few =
=3D
hours.=3D20=3D20
At the time, I was sporting a goatee, but we completely saturated my bear=
=3D
d=3D20
with gobs of vaseline, and there was no problem demolding
>I know some people prefer to cast faces with the castee sitting upright =
=3D
but=3D20
I've not used that technique yet.=3D20
The muscles and skin folds and fatty tissue of the face will all hang dif=
=3D
ferently,=3D20
depending on how your head is oriented. Have you ever laid a mirror on t=
=3D
he=3D20
floor and then leaned over it? Oh my gosh, the first time i did that, I =
=3D
nearly=3D20
fell over laffin', my face looked so droopy!
Anyway, by this method, one would have to probably reinforce the outside =
=3D
of=3D20
the plaster bandage mold. one easy way might be with strips of burlap di=
=3D
pped=3D20
in plaster. That's what i use for making mother molds that support thin-=
=3D
walled=3D20
silicone molds. It's fairly strong and lighter weight than big thick blo=
=3D
cks of=3D20
plaster.
Also, if you are doing the whole head, what if you cast the face but loos=
=3D
ely=3D20
sculpt the hair using fairly wet clay to build it up in locks?
Linda Stauffer on tue 18 oct 11
I've done life casting of my daughter (31) in preparation for her Halloween=
m=3D
ask. In my other life I am a sculptor primarily working in bronze. I use a =
p=3D
rospect called body double from Smooth-On. They also have safe alginates fo=
r=3D
life casting. There are many free videos on their website detailing the pr=
o=3D
cess.=3D20
This year she will be a demented zombie clown( her choice)
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 17, 2011, at 6:14 PM, Eric Koenig wrote:
> Another fairly easy way to mold a face might be by applying plaster banda=
g=3D
es=3D20
> cut into strips over your mold-release-of-choice (vaseline, cholesterol, =
o=3D
live=3D20
> erl, whatever). Since you end up with a thin shell instead of this huge =
m=3D
ass of=3D20
> plaster curing at once, there is very little heat generation, and you can=
p=3D
lace=3D20
> thin strips around the nostrils, so no worries about needing breathing tu=
b=3D
es.
>=3D20
> Still, it helps to communicate with the castee while you are working. As=
k=3D
if=3D20
> s/he is doing all right, especially while gently pressing the wet plaster=
=3D20=3D
> bandages over the eyes and lips.
>=3D20
> I did this process a couple years ago in a small class that lasted a few =
h=3D
ours. =3D20
> At the time, I was sporting a goatee, but we completely saturated my bear=
d=3D
=3D20
> with gobs of vaseline, and there was no problem demolding
>=3D20
>> I know some people prefer to cast faces with the castee sitting upright =
b=3D
ut=3D20
> I've not used that technique yet.=3D20
>=3D20
> The muscles and skin folds and fatty tissue of the face will all hang dif=
f=3D
erently,=3D20
> depending on how your head is oriented. Have you ever laid a mirror on t=
h=3D
e=3D20
> floor and then leaned over it? Oh my gosh, the first time i did that, I =
n=3D
early=3D20
> fell over laffin', my face looked so droopy!
>=3D20
> Anyway, by this method, one would have to probably reinforce the outside =
o=3D
f=3D20
> the plaster bandage mold. one easy way might be with strips of burlap di=
p=3D
ped=3D20
> in plaster. That's what i use for making mother molds that support thin-=
w=3D
alled=3D20
> silicone molds. It's fairly strong and lighter weight than big thick blo=
c=3D
ks of=3D20
> plaster.
>=3D20
> Also, if you are doing the whole head, what if you cast the face but loos=
e=3D
ly=3D20
> sculpt the hair using fairly wet clay to build it up in locks?
| |
|
