Making a head cast
A textual "how-to" by my friend Ellen.
A full head
cast is going to take a crew of people. It's messy. When I let my
ex and his friend work on me, I had two people working on me.
I'll tell you what I know, but I warn you, you are going to need more
than my help. I recommend on body casting, starting with hands,
and working up.
For the cast, it is important that you get all your supplies
first. Get a swimmer's or skull cap to cover up your hair.
You also will need something like Vaseline to put all over your face,
so the alginate won't stick to your eyelids. For the actual cast,
you will have to go get dental alginate from a dental supply, or order
it online now. You will also need to go to hobby lobby, and buy a
ton of plaster bandages. You will also need garbage bags to drape
over your clothes, along with some tape to tape around your
collar. Also, a lot of soap and towels for after.
Once you get the alginate, vaseline, and Swimmer's cap, you are going
to have to set up a work area with a chair in the garage or something.
It is important also that you got water nearby. You will need a
couple of buckets, and I recommend gloves for the people helping.
K, the whole challenge with a full head cast is going to be
timing. The alginate is activated with water, so its important to
read the directions. Once you are set up in the chair, with the
garbage bags on, you will have to make sure your skull cap is on, and
your vaseline is all over your face. Where you don't put
vaseline, will be where your alginate sticks. Be sure to get your
eyelids n brows good. I can't stress that enough!
Whoever is going to put the alginate on you will have to mix by
direction and cover it all over you. You will lose some
alginate on the garbage bags. It is important whoever is doing
the spreading works fast, and makes sure to mix alginate evenly.
It's not good if it's too thick or thin. It is also important
they don't plug up your nose holes. I recommend straws cut and
ready just in case. So far, I haven't had to use straws.
Once the alginate is on your face, you will feel it first real cold,
then heat up fast. Once the alginate sets up, the people working
on you will then have to dampen the plaster bandages, and put them
across the alginate. It is important whoever does this keeps a
cool head, and makes sure the bandages are even. The bandages
will cover all the alginate on your face. It is also important
when laying down the bandages, that there is a separating point for the
head. That way, when its time to pop the cast off, you can do
this without breaking the mold. The seam here can be tricky.
By the time the bandages are hardened, the alginate will feel real hot
then get real heavy. When that happens, it is time to take the
mold off. This may take awhile, which is why having a seam is
important. I recommend just a face cast at first, cuz it's easier
to work with for first timers. That way, you don't have to worry
so much. A full head cast you will need that seam.
Once the alginate is off, you will have your negative. At this
point, if you got this far, if you are the one getting the cast, you
will want to totally go wash your face. For positive, I know my
friends have used concrete on my face cast, and plaster on my
full head cast. On that positive mold, I would have to email my
old cronies and get back to you. I will say I know you have to
pour another compound into your alginate. If there is any flaw in the
alginate cast, it will show up. Once the positive cures up like
the directions say, you have to destroy the alginate mold, to enjoy the
positive. That's just my experience there. I seriously will check
on that.
I hope that helps on the head cast. I would recommend starting
casting with your own hand to get used to it. Its a def adventure, and
will take time. Once you get the process down, you can take all
kinds of cast off yourself and others. It's def fun and a bonding
experience.
On teeth, you can also take the alginate from the dental
supplier. You'll have to get dental white that they use to make
crowns with. All you have to do is make a tray to spread the
alginate in. I've used aluminum foil and plastic before.
You might be able to poke around online and buy a pre-made tray.
Just be sure it doesn't hurt your mouth. When the alginate is
ready, you just bite into it. Once the alginate sets up, you can
take your mold out. You can take the dental white after that, and
totally build yourself fangs based off your impression.
Posted
2011
by the Ale[x]orcist.
