How to Cast a Mold of Lips
You can use a cast of your lips in the theater to create special effects appliances. Or, you may simply wish to use your cast as a sculpture, or a unique Valentine's Day gift. There are two methods of casting your lips: using plaster to create a wax or metal positive, or using alginate to create a plaster positive.
Things You'll Need
- Plaster of Paris
- Baby oil
- Vaseline (optional)
- Gauze
- Wax, lead, pewter or more plaster, to create a positive
- Alginate
Instructions
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1
Cover your lips and the surrounding area with a thin layer of baby oil or Vaseline.
Shave your mustache area, if necessary. If you have a mustache or beard and wish to mold it along with your lips, work a generous amount of Vaseline into your mustache or beard to keep the plaster from sticking.
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2
Cut six gauze strips of approximately 8 inches length. You will use these to stabilize your mold.
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3
Mix Plaster of Paris in a 1 to 1 ratio of 1/2 cup plaster and 1/2 cup water. Pour both into a clear plastic bag, squeeze out any air, and knead the bag. This prevents bubbles, which would ruin your finished mold.
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4
Sit with your head tilted backward. Spread the plaster over your lips and surrounding area carefully. Use a spatula or butter knife, and spread smoothly, to prevent introducing air into the plaster. Apply a thick but not very heavy layer; otherwise, your lips will droop, and the positive will not look right.
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5
Lay the gauze strips over the plaster, and spread a light layer of plaster over the gauze. This allows you to make a thinner mold, but a strong one.
Allow the plaster to harden (about 15 minutes). It will still be damp, but it should hold its shape. Speed up the hardening with a hair dryer, if you wish.
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6
Remove carefully. You should have a perfect mold of your lips. If you see any bubbles or other imperfections, you may fill these in with wet plaster; or sand them off your finished positive.
Bake your mold per the manufacturer's instructions to harden it, or simply allow it to harden overnight.
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7
Trim your mold into a round, pleasing shape, which will be the shape of your finished sculpture. Lay your mold in a bed of sand or dirt, until it forms a bowl that will hold liquid. Pour in molten lead, wax or pewter, to create a perfect cast of your lips.
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Tips & Warnings
Plaster-embedded gauze is readily available from art stores. You simply cut the gauze to size, wet it and lay it over your subject. However, these do not create smooth positives; you need to sand the finished work.
You may wish your finished positive to be plaster. If so, use an alginate to make your mold instead of plaster. Alginate forms a rubbery, flexible mold. It is readily available from art supply and hobby stores, sometimes in a kit with plaster. The procedure for making the mold is the same as above, using alginate instead of plaster.
Alginate hardens within minutes, and unlike plaster, may be used immediately as a mold.
Beware of allergic reactions to plaster, which are uncommon but do happen. Plaster gets warm as it dries, but it should not burn or itch.
