Wesley's Weekly Presents... Slush Mold Prosthetics

POSTED BY Wesley Scoggins, 08 October 2008

Hey guys, Wes here, I am unfortunatley indisposed today because of the Holidays, so our good friend, fellow Moderator, and Make-up Queen Arissa is going to be filling in for me today, so I hope you guys enjoy it, and i'll see you next week!

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Slush Mold Prosthetics

By: ARISSA BECK

Hey Indy Mogulers! I’m back! Did you miss me? Of course you did. This Wednesday I’m going to teach you some DIY mold making. This is something quite a few of you have requested. So here it is.

Now this process can be used for several types of prosthetics. I chose to make a simple exaggerated nose prosthetic. This could be used for an evil witch character or a Pinocchio type look. You can use this method to make fingers, ears, chins and many other things.

Supplies
Clay
Plaster
Liquid Latex
Powder/ Baby powder
Carving tools
Scissors
Tin Can/ Plastic container
Mannequin head/ Model

First you want to lay your head down on a wiggle free area. I used an old pillow covered with a trash bag in order to support my head and to keep it from moving. Then you’ll give your nose a generous amount of clay.  

I started to work the shape into a more distinguishable nose shape with just my fingers and removing excess clay in the process.

I used my tools and fingers to help smooth out the clay in order to achieve a better shape.

It then became time to prepare for the mold making process. Take your tin can (or plastic container) and use a can opener to cut both the bottom and the top off. You are then left with an open tube.

Place your can over the nose and seal around the can with your extra clay. Be sure everything is sealed as to not let any plaster escape.

Mix up your plaster and begin to pour over your sculpted nose. Periodically tap and shake your head in order to fill cracks and release air bubbles in the plaster.

Once your can is full let the plaster dry. A good way to tell if your mold is ready is by temperature. While your plaster is drying it will become warm to the touch. When it is back to a cool temperature, you’ll know it is dry. This can sometimes take overnight.

Once your plaster is dry, remove the excess clay and slowly pull your mold away from the sculpted nose. You will have some bits of clay in your mold, just be sure and to remove them before the next step. I just ran mine under some water and used and old toothbrush to help free up some of the clay.

 Once you are finished cleaning out your mold, it’s time to add some latex.

It’s better to add more latex than you know you need to cover the inside of your mold. This is where the slush process begins. While your latex is still wet begin to slosh and move it around to cover the entire inside. If you have too much latex in your mold after it is covered just pour the rest out.

Once the latex is dry, generously powder the inside.

You now can remove your prosthetic piece from your mold. Start by slowly peeling the edges back. Do this very SLOWLY; adding powder when needed so your appliance doesn’t stick to its self.

Once you are done with that take a look at what you’ve created.

Before applying the prosthetic, you may wish to trim up your edges. But be sure to leave a bit of a lip for easier application and blending into the face with make-up.

Oh wow! Look you are done creating your prosthetic appliance. Congrats!