Greasing Up the Model

Lets first talk about the mold release agents. These are imperative in releasing the plaster bandages from the model. I used both Vaseline and Nivea creme (a facial cold cream).

Doug Stewart, Hollywood FX-guru, highly recommends Nivea due to the fact it washes out of clothes. Mike Arbios , an FX freelancer, said that Vaseline works just as well as nivea, but the washing factor is problem. I tested both materials and saw no difference between the two in pulling the mold from the human Guinea Pig.

Be careful how thick you smear on the vaseline. If you get it too thick in places you might have problems with the vaseline pushing the wet plaster away from the plaster bandage during the plaster bandaging... you just want enough vaseline to creaete a barrier between the subject and the plaster bandages.

It took 4 Jars of Nivea Creme to cover the torso and one leg of the model and only 1 jar of Vaseline to cover the arms and 1 leg. It all depends on the budget you are working with. The Nivea creme is $6.00 a jar... the Vaseline $1.50.

It has come to my attention that you can also wrap the guinea pig in Saran Wrap (brand does not matter), using it as the protective barrier. Only big drawback is the subject will sweat immensly from the heat that is retained inside the Saran Wrap. Wrap from the ankles up so that the Saran Wrap acts as shingles and prevents any plaster from leaking under it. This info was brought to you by Critter Creation Shop (out in Texas).

NOTE:
J. Deneaux gave this warning to those with fragile bodies:
Saran Wrap shrinks when heated, and the time required to construct a body cast is more than enough time to cause the the wrap to shrink, constrict, and generally cut off the circulation of the wrappee. This can lead to vomitting, unconcisousness, and an emergency removal of all the plaster. A huge waste of time, and a very unpleasant experience for everyone involved, if things go wrong.

If the mold creator wishes to use plastic, a well-fitted dry cleaning bag is much better, and doesn't pose nearly the health risks of Saran Wrap (although the shape won't be nearly as accurate as a full body coat of vasaline). It's best to test the Saran Wrap method on a subject before you start the plaster process if you doubt the physical constitution of the model.
 
 
 
 
Remember to put a tarp/drop cloth down before you start working.
 
 
Let's put the Nivea/vaseline on the model. We went the cheap route in clothing and paid dearly for this mistake. We learned that a cotton TURTLEneck shirt got too "heavy" with the weight of the Mold Release Cream on it. The cloth Sagged under the weight and this caused imperfections in the final mold. PLEASE USE A ONE PIECE LYCRA/SPANDEX BODYSUIT. Like what ballet dancers wear.
 
 
Have the model start putting the mold release agent on him/herself. While they're doing the "Private Parts", you need to work on the rest of the body.
 
 
You'll want to be very liberal with the mold release. You do not want to risk the bandages adhering to the bodysuit. Cutting away plaster bandages from a body is not fun.
 
 
Notice we used vaseline on the arms and one thigh. You can do the whole body with either release agent. We were testing the agents in this demo.
 
 
Don't forget to get under the armpits.
 
 
Voila! .... all greased Up and nowhere to go.
 
 


NEXT: WETTING THE PLASTER BANDAGES