Well following on from my experiments with materials I really need a better form on which to base the material. The hand casts were not ideal as so small and fiddly, so I thought I really needed a head cast, which by my reckoning would provide a more recogniseable, larger and flatter form for the materials. I had bought a small packet of alginate a few years back which provided a really successful way of replicating the hand casts and one face cast of a guinea pig friend. So having recently bought another larger bag of the stuff off of ebay, I got myself fashionably attired in black plastic bag, and having chickened out of full head cast, instructed partner in the method of face casting, (and drank lots of wine to alleviate fears of panic and claustrophobia). I hate the feeling of being shut in, added to which I have the associative memories from teenhood when I got a friend to cover my face in plaster while I led down. The straws that were supposed to maintain airways had lots of gaps around them which allowed the plaster to seep up my nose. Anyway, this wasn't nearly so bad, although the comments, "its a bit lumpy", it's not sticking very well", and, "it's not like the stuff in the video you showed me" should have made me realise all was not well.
"Ah it will be fine", was my optimistic response (before my mouth was sealed shut) and we continued after with the mod-roc application. This was the only really claustrophobic bit. This was the bit that made the world become darker and my anxiety begin as I worried about a plaster cast of the inside of my nostrils.
That thankfully didn't happen and all was fine, but.........when we removed the cast the alginate all came apart in bits. That wasn't supposed to happen,.......bum!
I have since had more success in mixing the alginate with a blender in that it removes lumps and sets better but subsequent attempts at using it on various body parts has proved that it is a duff bag. Maybe it's old or something but it wouldn't even replicate my daughter's hand very well so looks like I will have to source some more and put it down to experience. Back to the drawing board, as they say.
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