WORD OF WARNING 1: DO NOT USE STRAWS UP THE NOSE *AT ALL*!
It is all too easy to drive it up the nose, causing anything from as minor as a nosebleed, to in worst case scenario, when you're really active, killing your model. If you or your model still want something, then use something flexible, like latex tubing.

WORD OF WARNING 2: CLAUSTROPHOBICS ARE UNPREDICTABLE!
Claustrophobia is the fear of becoming enclosed or of enclosed spaces, and its effects vary for each person. In worst case, the person will want to rip off the alginate. *LET THEM!* Help them out if needed. You may have to do the casting differently or not at all. The alginate and bandages are cheap. Your model is not. Remember that it is up to your model if they want to do it again or not at all.

WORD OF WARNING 3: YOUR MODEL'S WORD IS LAW!
By this, you must listen to your model. Communicate with them before, during, and after the casting session. Let them know what will be going on, even during the session. A lot of people take comfort in just hearing the sound of someone's voice.

WORD OF WARNING 4: THEIR HEALTH IS IMPORTANT!
If your model has breathing issues at the time, like allergies, a cold, etc, do *NOT* do the session. Wait for their health to go back to normal. You are the modeler. Your needs and wants are secondary and are not important. You are *NOT* to force yourself upon the model. Until the end of the session, the world revolves around your model.

From: Robert King
Subj: FL: lifecasting for Samantha's head

When Mark did a lifecast of me, we did the following:

1. I wore a full “skinhead” baldcap that went all the way down under my chin.

2. We covered my face, including my eyebrows and eyelashes, and the baldcap with a thin glazing of vaseline

3. Mark mixed and applied a layer of Pink House slow set alginate - it covered my head entirely down to the neck except for two nostril holes. About 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick on average.

4. Mark then waited until the alginate was completely set.

5. Then he applied moistened plaster bandage strips to the front half of my head and let them set up a bit.

6. Then he applied Vaseline to the back edge of the plaster bandages - about a one inch (2.5 cm) band.

7. Then he applied moistened plaster bandage strips to the back half of my head, being careful to keep from touching any un-vaselined part of the front half.

8. Then we waited about 5 minutes for the last of the plaster to set.

9. Then he removed the back half shell of plaster bandages.

10. Then he cut the alginate in a broad zigzag pattern starting from the top of my head going to the base of the neck - It cuts like a very soft rubber.

11. Then I leaned forward and wiggled my face muscles and let gravity help pull off the alginate and the plaster front half.

12. With me free, Mark took the back half of the plaster bandages and fitted it back up against the front half with the alginate still in it.

13. Mark carefully adjusted the alginate from the inside with his hand so that the zig zag was meshed back together again and used more plaster bandages to attach the front half and the back half together permanently.

14. Mark used clothespins to hold up the alginate to the plaster at the neckline.

15. We then poured in hobby plaster and let it set.

16. Then we tore off the bandages and the alginate and there's the lifecast.

Summary of what we've learned so far:
1. Normal set dental alginate is just too fast for a whole head casting.
2. Set aside 5x the time you think you will need.
3. It's a guaranteed fact that if you aren't supposed to smile, everyone around you will start telling jokes.
4. Pink House slow set alginate is great stuff (when you finally have the right kind!) and that made all the difference in the world.
5. Dental stone shows potential as a casting material, but it is HARD so it is much more difficult to correct than a hobby plaster.
6. Even Pink House alginate goes on cold, so it is very hard to keep your lifecast from having a slight cringe due to the cold.

__

LYNX says:

Ok, so you already known how to do the face cast, a head cast in not too much more of a task. The first step would be to put on a bald cap, blend the edges into your face with spirit gum,and if you have long hair just let it hang down the back, out of the neck of the baldcap and tie it up in a plastic bag. I also recommend vaselining all the edges of the baldcap and any facial hair, including eyebrows.

Prepare a bucket of ultracal or hydrocal (I actually use a mixture), also get your alginate all ready to be mixed, cut strips of plaster bandage and I also like to use strips of old washcloths on the back of the head.

Now there are two ways to do this, I prefer the second.

First way…

Mix the alginate and cover the entire head with it, except for the nostrils. Make the alginate at least 6mm all the way around the head, except for where it covers the ears, an area of 10 X 10 cm around the ears should be extra thick and then taper gradually back into the rest of the head. This gives you extra thick knobs or handles where it would tear easily when being pulled off the head.

When the alginate is set, cover the front of the face with a few layers of plaster bandages. The stopping point would be if you could draw a line around the head from the center of the ears. Do not put any plaster bandage on the ears themselves, but curve the bandage around them.

When this is done, if you look at the head from the back, there will be a real short wall created with the plaster bandage sticking up, creating a kind of dam, brush this wall all with vaseline, to keep anything from sticking to it.

Apply the same amount of plaster bandage as done in front, but to the back half of the head, again not covering the ears. Bring the bandages right up to meet the bandages from the front half, the two walls should be touching. When finished the whole head should be covered in plastic bandages with the exception of the two knobs of alginate covering the ears. Mark both halves of the shell with a connecting double line, this will help you to make sure the halves are put back together correctly after taking them off.

When the plaster is set, gently remove the back shell of plaster bandages, leaving the alginate attached to the front half. Then with a butter knife, split the alginate up the center from the base of the neck to the top of the head. Have the subject lean forward and carefully remove the entire life mask, There will be difficult around the ears, but reach in and place your fingers under the alginate and force the ear out. Never remove the front shell from the alginate as it is next to impossible to exactly replace the alginate back in the shell.

Hold the head horizontally and reseal the seam of the cut alginate of the back half of the head together with crazy glue, then place the back shell of bandages back together with the front half and hold the two halves together with tape wrapped around, or some kind of molding strap.

Well that's the way I learned, here is how I actually do it, both work fine, but this way is easier.

Apply the bald cap and do everything the same as above up until putting the alginate on.

Mix up enough alginate to cover the back half of the head, pour the alginate on the back half just as if you were doing the front half, stopping the alginate at the center of the head, creating a wall of alginate (much like with the plaster bandages in the first way). Using a butter knife clean up the edge of the wall so that it is a straight wall around the center of the head. Cover this half with plaster bandages, much like doing the front half in the first way.

Put vaseline all over the wall (both alginate and plaster)

Now do the front half just like you were doing a regular face cast, alginate, plaster bandages, the works. Make sure the two halves (front and back) meet right up against each other.

Remove the back half, both the plaster and alginate, set it aside and put wet paper towels in it to keep the alginate from shrinking. Have the subject lean forward and remove the front shell and alginate, put wet paper towels in this half as well.

Fit the two halves together (they should only be able to fit properly together one way). Seal the seam with some extra plaster or tape and tape the two halves together.

Now if you did the first way or the second way you now have a cast of full head with an opening where your neck was. Mix up some ultracal and pour it into the mold through the neck. (remove the paper towel first) and slush it all around inside the mold, also reach in with your hand and make sure it got in all areas and is coating the entire mold. Shake the mold to remove any air bubbles, and tip the mold up, pouring out any extra plaster into a bucket. Allow this to cure and then crack the mold open and you have a bust of yourself.

The copy of yourself now has to be cleaned up, file down the seam from the two halves, etc..

In case anyone is wondering why you slushed the mold as opposed to just filling it with plaster, well if you did that, it would be extremely heavy.

some sculpting in clay on the lifecast. The lifecast needs only to pick
up the general contours of my face - no fine detail - so I am assuming
I can skip using alginate?

No, never do that, don't even think of applying plaster to your skin, besides picking up the detail the alginate is also there to protect your skin.

From: boogi
To make some long descriptions short, here's a description on how to do a head lifecast;

- put a on the baldcap, and cut out the ears, if the person wants ears on the final cast or not
- use spirit gum or medical adhesive behind the head (where the bald cap ends), around the forehead, and in front of the ears to hold down the bald cap.
- use vaseline/petroleum jelly on all exposed hairs like the eyebrows and sideburns. If the person has a bushy mustache/beard, you may want to have them use softened soap in the mustache/beard.
- mix up the alginate til it's semi-runny, like tapioca, yet still sticky, using cold water. Follow the manufacturer's instructions. You may find a better way of mixing.
- apply to the person, starting with the face, around the eye orbits, making sure the noseholes are open all the time. Make sure under the chin is covered as well.
- make sure you have 1/4 to 1/2“ thickness of alginate on all sides, especially the top of the head. Make sure you get the back of the ears.
- once the alginate is gelled up, apply the plaster bandages to the front and back half of the person, separated by 1/4” make 3-5 layers of the plaster bandages.
- wait approximately 15 minutes for the bandages to get hard. In that time, you can draw on the victim's face a few minutes after application of the final bandages.
- Remove the back half, and have the model lean forward, holding on the front part of the bandages. Never remove the front half.
- you can make three different types of cuts. One is a zig-zag cut across the top and sides. Another is a straight cut across the top and sides. The last is one that goes from back of head to back of neck.
- The back of head cut is the easiest to do, and gives less trouble when you're filling it with the ultracal. You do have to carefully separate the ears from the alginate. From there, you may take the bald cap off with the entire casting or it may come off on its own.
- When putting it back together, the back bandages half will hold the back cut closed. You will want to close up the nose holes with small pieces of plaster bandages.
- Fill with ultracal 30 or your own choice of material, and wait for everything to set, dry, or cure. Use duct tape or similar strong tape to keep both parts together while you fill.
Note that the two halves method will prove troublesome in keeping the filling material from leaking, despite your best attempts to match them up.
- Break everything apart when done. There's not much you can do about tearing the alginate and plaster bandages.

The procedure is the same for just doing a face casting, except you leave out the back bandages, and no cutting is needed for the alginate.

Whenever you do a head casting, you are most likely going to trash your workspace. Not only will you have pieces of alginate and ultracal on the floor, but also powder over all the surfaces in the general area. You may also find plaster and/or ultracal spots on all surfaces. If you do it in a kitchen, you will find it on a cabinet a short distance away.

The alginate will become a permanent part of any fabric and carpet it falls on while it's wet, no matter how much you try to get it all off. Same with ultracal and plaster. You can do it on bare carpeting, but only if you're going to replace it soon. You can do it on bare grass, but you will still want to pick up the dried alginate pieces. If you do it on a wooden or cement deck, you will still have to deal with the hard dried ultracal on the surfaces. This might be good on cement deck if you're trying to fill in holes in places or smooth it out.