Life Casting Protocol
FACE CASTING STEPS
ALL Materials Must Be Labeled!
Lay out all materials:
1. One table with yoga mat, plastic sheeting, towels for model.
2. One table with Alginate materials.
3. One other table with all other materials for Plaster Bandages, Clay, and Alginate Steps.
Prep Model:
4. Talk them through process including opening their mouth and how to tell when the alginate is kicking, give them a sharpie and pad, make sure they are comfortable and clear about the process.
5. Place skull cap on model, button up shirt, and Vaseline their exposed hair, eyebrows, tips of eyelashes, sideburns and neck.
6. Lie them on the mat, cover with sheeting and tuck towels around neck.
7. Allow model to place tubing in their nostrils.
Prep Alginate:
8. Pour one measured bucket of cool water into large bucket.
9. Stir one measured bucket of alginate powder into large bucket.
10. Stir together, eliminating all lumps.
11. Make sure alginate changes color!
Apply Alginate:
(Have Extra Person On Hand For Misc Tasks)
12. 2 or 3 people should pour on/brush on alginate onto actor, working fast to cover all areas on face, ears, and neck: brush onto larger planes of face, pour on with hands to more delicate areas: ears, nose, eyes. DO NOT GET ALGINATE INTO NOSTRILS!
13. Continue to check in with actor, giving words of encouragement.
14. Continue to re-pore on alginate for 5 minutes, carefully covering all areas evenly.
15. When the alginate starts to kick tell the model to slowly open mouth, continue to pack alginate onto mouth area.
16. One alginate kicks let it sit for several minutes on model’s face.
Clean Up:
17. Quickly remove excess alginate from hands with towels.
18. Move alginate materials to other table.
19. Move plaster bandage materials to closer table.
Plaster Bandages
Apply Bandages:
20. Check the model’s comfort. at all times have one person close to model with eyes on them, and close enough for model to touch if needed.
21. 2 or 3 people should dip short and regular strips of bandages into warm water, pulling lightly through fingers to disperse plaster, and apply to the outside of alginate.
22. 1 person can work with the smaller bandages to reinforce the edges of alginate.
23. Other person/people can take normal strips and apply them in an overlapping pattern across the rest of the planes of the face.
24. Make at least 3 layers of bandages, with careful attention to reinforce the edges, nose and ears.
25. Let the plaster dry until it is a chalky consistency on the surface (will appear waxy), then the model should scrunch face back and forth to loosen alginate, and sit up with assistance, releasing the mold into their hands.
26. Help the model up, give them face soap and thank them.
27. Move materials to farther table.
Liquid Clay
28. Preheat double boiling pot to a boil. One pot nested inside a larger pot with 2” of water boiling.
29. Move clay materials to closer table.
30. Cut off about 2.5 lbs of clay from the slab, cut into smaller chunks for melting, and place in inside pan on heat plate.
31. Heat clay until liquid (180-200 degress).
32. Brush on liquid clay into the inside of alginate, continue with coat until the clay is about 3/8” thick.
33. Allow clay to harder, and peal back clay bandages and alginate. (optional: refrigerate clay mold to preserve)
34. Correct any errors to the surface of the clay positive.
FACE CASTING MATERIALS
Prep your space.
ALGINATE:
1 large bucket of dirty water (to clear hands and tools in before sink)
1 large bucket
2 small buckets full to the top marker of cold water
2 small buckets full to the top marker of alginate
several spare cups
extra mixing bucket
stir sticks/mixing bit and drill- mixing bit will speed up the mixing process
paper towels/blue tape- clean up and to insulate the neck from leaks
Sharpie/pad- model’s communication
vaseline
bald cap
face soap
Yoga mat
Cloth towels
plastic sheeting
button up shirt
large straws or airline tubing
chip brushes- for impression coat
PLASTER BANDAGES:
latex gloves
3 roles of plaster bandages cut into 6” strips and several dozen smaller 2” strips for delicate areas
(amount of bandages depends on size of mold. Make sure there is more than enough cut bandages to make 3 layers of bandages.)
(optional for larger mother molds- use hydrocal and hemp burlap to reinforce mothermold)
small bucket of warm water
several chip brushes
CLAY:
Hot plate that can heat 200 degrees
Thermometer
2 Nesting Pots (for double boil)
Several pounds of heating clay- cut into smaller cubes
Wire to cut clay
Stir stick
Chip brushes
HYDROCAL:
Latex gloves
Re-cleaned out large bucket
Stir sticks/mixing bit and drill optional
One measured small bucket of hydrocal
Two measured small buckets of warm water
Plaster sheet for slow drying the mold, (optional water sprayer)
CalArts Props 