Molding Your Date

Here's a date that leaves a lasting impression—making molds of each other's body parts. We're talking heads, faces, hands, torsos, feet and just about anything in between. You can then fill the molds with plaster, resin, Jello, chocolate or any number of substances. You can also make your own masks for Halloween or create special effects such as rocks or bullet holes that you glue to each other's skin. For a truly special evening, you can make your foreheads look like they have worms crawling out of them.

One of the materials that is often used for making molds is the same thing that dentists use for making impressions of your teeth. It's made from seaweed and is called alginate. Another substance that works well for masks is the plaster roll that doctors use to make old- fashioned casts with.

There are companies that sell ready-made kits that contain all of the ingredients you will need for this truly unusual date. You will be in good company if you purchase these kits, as the designers who make special effects for the movies order many of their supplies from these exact same suppliers.

COST

The kits run from $3.95 to several hundreds of dollars, depending on what you want to cast and what you want to fill it with. There are also instructional videos that you will find very helpful if you plan to do more challenging projects. These run from $25 to $45.

TIME AND PREPARATION

This date requires planning ahead of time. Allow at least an hour to surf the websites that are listed on the next page to find a kit that's right for you. Order it a week or two before your date unless you want to spend a gazillion dollars in overnight mailing charges. You would also be wise to read articles and tips on casting that are available on the web. Most of the sites we list have links to other sites that are run by instructors and artists who do body casting and special effects for a living. This kind of research is interesting and will give you plenty of creative ideas.

MASK AND MASK MAKING

There are different media and techniques you can use for mask making, including homemade paper mache, plaster or alignate.

When making molds of body parts, a lot of people like to use slow-setting, warm-water alginate which has been buffered to set in about five minutes. This gives you enough working time before it sets, and it is more comfortable to wear because it is made from warm water. Professionals who are doing a full body cast might can use a high quality plaster bandage to pick up detail on the arms, legs and body, and silicone or alginate on the hands, feet and face for extra detail.

THE POOP ON THE GOOP—WHERE TO FIND IT

For molding and casting kits, here are some sites to visit. These kits are put together by professionals who know just what you'll need, whether it's a beginner or intermediate face mask kit or an advanced full-body mold kit.

www.artmolds.com
www.fxsupply.com

Here is a really simple kit for making facemasks:
www.bender-burkot.com (click on "crafts" and look under "craft kits")

Want an Eat Your Face Jello Mold? This kit for $19.95 includes enough material to mold two faces. Once you've made a mold of your face, you can fill it with jello time and again and eat each other from the neck up. Of course, there's no reason why you can't mold and eat other body parts as well. Phone to order (800)618-5640, or visit www.specialeffectscookbook.com to see how they do it.

Here's the information you will need for how to make a plaster mask: www.makestuff.com/plaster_masks.html
www.mendels.com/mask.html
www.allspecies.org/edu/maskmaking.htm

For doing a paper mache mask, see:
www.allspecies.org/edu/maskmaking.htm

To make a paper mache mask with a balloon, try:
www.familycrafts.about.com/library/projects/blpmchface.htm

For making a mask using a plaster face form for $15.95, visit:
www.kidsart.com/store/maskkit.html

Want a lasting casting of your third trimester? For a pregnancy belly casting kit try:
www.bellycast.com
www.artmolds.com

For videos on different aspects of mold-making and casting, try: www.fxsupply.com and click on "videos"
www.artmolds.com and click on "videos"
www.pinkhouse.com and click on "videos"

If you really want to get into casting, check out:
www.lifecasting.org

PLASTER WARNING

If they tell you to use plaster bandages for making a mold, why not just mix up a bowl of plaster and trowel it on someone's face or body to make a mold with? This is not a good idea. The people from FX Supply warn, "Solid plaster is very tenacious; sometimes your bone structure can be locked into a solid plaster mass. Plaster bandages are thin and can be pried off in case there is a problem. Another problem with solid plaster is the heat generated when the plaster hardens. This can cause up to second degree burns. Don't use solid plaster directly on the skin under any conditions."

AN APPLIANCE ON YOUR FACE

We often think of an appliance as being something like a washing machine or mixer. However, in the world of special effects, an appliance is something that is glued to the skin. For instance, the really gross gunshot wounds that you see in the moves are often appliances that are glued to the skin. So were the nails coming out of Pinhead's face in "Hellraiser." If you search the website at www.fxsupply.com you will find special kits for making appliances. Some of them are under $5.00.

MOLDING YOUR DATE'S PRIVATE PARTS

One of rock'n'roll's best-known groupies used to be a dental assistant who started making molds of something other than the choppers of famous rock stars. Known as Cynthia Plaster Caster, she recently started doing the breasts of female rock'n'rollers in addition to plastering the planks of male stars, although this might not be the sort of thing you'd want to suggest for a first date.

When doing the genitals, Cynthia Plaster Caster warns: "You have to lube the pubes plenty. They've got to be almost dripping with it." (Vaseline is the lube that's often used.) Cynthia discovered this the hard way when she was doing her first penis casting. The subject was Jimi Hendrix whose unlubricated pubes stuck to the mold and needed to be plucked out one by one. Mr. Hendrix had a sense of humor about it. He got off in the dried mold as Ms. Plaster Caster was trying to get the mold off of him.

For a kit that's specially put together for doing a penis, check out the "Intimate Kit" at www.artmolds.com