Life Casting With Liquid Silicone Rubber

Originally a material known as moulage was used to make the mould and it stuck to virtually nothing. The problem with this special material was that it needed to be applied hot to the human skin. A range of Silicone Rubber compounds was subsequently developed to overcome this problem. The most common molding material used is something called Silicone Rubber. Silicone Rubber is sold as a powder. When you mix it with water, it forms a thick liquid. These Silicone Rubber compounds achieve the same result but at a safe body temperature. The most popular parts of the human body to have life castings made are feet, hands and full torsos. It is quite practical and safe to make molds of babys hands and feet due to the quick setting nature of the material and type of non-toxic Silicone Rubber used. Silicone Rubber is easy to use, non-toxic and OK for body and face casts. It reproduces extremely fine detail and has high strength as soon as it sets so you can de-mould fairly quickly. Even though Silicone Rubber releases very easily from skin, some people choose to apply petroleum jelly to their skin for that added reassurance of an easy release. However, such a procedure prevents the Silicone Rubber from adequately adhering to the model and should be avoided.  Silicone Rubber comes in a variety of setting times. It is used extensively in the movies and TV to create castings of actors for creating facial appliance, makeup, masks and even fake heads and body parts that match the actors almost perfectly. It captures every detail in the skin, including pores, wrinkles and even finger prints. It comes in a powder form and is simply mixed with water and it is not reusable. It's rigid enough to make a mold of a hand or foot in one piece but flexible enough to get your hand out without breaking the mould. And the other great advantage is that it only takes a few minutes to make a mold of a hand or foot.