Electric-Eye
Plaster Cast in Alginate Mold
I bought a kit from a craft store for making a cast of my hand.
The mold consists of a material called alginate, which is what dentists use to take molds of people's teeth, and have been using for some time. It is a fluffy dry material that, when mixed with water forms a thick batter that sets into a flexible gel in about 3 minutes. Since it is flexible, a one-piece mold can be made in it that can be filled with a substance that hardens. The mold then is peeled away from the hardened substance, having served for a single-use.
Alginate molds preserve an amazing amount of detail, but both they, and the substances you might use to fill them, can contain air bubbles, which might be a minor problem.
The kit I bought contained alginate, some form of plaster, and a bucket to hold the mold. It cost about $22.
Plaster Cast in Alginate Mold
I bought a kit from a craft store for making a cast of my hand.
The mold consists of a material called alginate, which is what dentists use to take molds of people's teeth, and have been using for some time. It is a fluffy dry material that, when mixed with water forms a thick batter that sets into a flexible gel in about 3 minutes. Since it is flexible, a one-piece mold can be made in it that can be filled with a substance that hardens. The mold then is peeled away from the hardened substance, having served for a single-use.
Alginate molds preserve an amazing amount of detail, but both they, and the substances you might use to fill them, can contain air bubbles, which might be a minor problem.
The kit I bought contained alginate, some form of plaster, and a bucket to hold the mold. It cost about $22.