Creating a Mould

I have written up a step by step guide on how to create a mould, from what we learnt in the lesson when moulding our wounds. I also made this into a word document so that I can easily go back to it for reference, and can print it out if I need to create a mould again and want to bring it to class or bring it to the studio if I make one in my own time. I did this last year after every technical session and found it very useful and a helpful way to learn a complicated technical method step by step because I am able to remember and learn with ease this way.

During the lesson, I found time management very difficult. At the start, up until it came to using the scales, I was not encountering much difficulty. However, when it came to the scales, that is when my timing went out the window. Unfortunately, because of the large demand in the class, it took me an hour to get hold of scales, which affected me negatively in that when I was finally able to create my silicone mix and create my mould, others' had already set and they were onto the next step. This meant that by the end of the lesson, my mould had not even set yet and so I am going to have to do the baldiez step and last step in another lesson. This was disappointing as I would have liked to be able to see my mould completed, however I know that next time I will need to be even quicker when it comes to completing the first steps and making sure that I have enough time to complete all steps.

Moreover, I did not come completely prepared. Because my bag was not big enough, I didn't bring my whole box of gloves and so I only brought 3 pairs. This meant that I could have contaminated my silicone had I not borrowed more, which was a mistake on my part and something that has definitely taught me to bring everything whenever I am creating a mould. The benefit of this is that I still have more of this process to finish, and so in my lesson on Monday I will know to bring absolutely everything and not have the potential to contaminate my products.

During the lesson, I did not enjoy the stressful environment of the classroom. Being in a room with a lot of students who were also trying to remember all the information we were given in the class and stressing about time management and being able to use the scales was irritating, however it did teach me to be calm in a stressful environment and get on with what I was doing despite the chaos around me. This is most likely a glimpse as to what it is like in the working world, and it is something that a professional makeup artist has to acclimatise to.

What I did enjoy was the scientific aspect and technical challenges. It was a step further than makeup; it was, like Kat says, 'cooking' something and that was exciting in that you are creating something from scratch, and something that you can use more than once. You are creating your own prosthetic and using resources to materialise an idea. However the possibility that what you were making could not set or could be contaminated was not exciting, but I found that this made me very careful in my practice.

HOW TO CREATE A MOULD

Equipment used

• Cling film
• Scales
• Measuring cups
• Black gloves
• Scissors
• Medical face mask
• Fixing spray
• Petrolease
• Glue gun
• Silicone A
• Silicone B
• Wooden sticks
• Baby wipes
• Couch roll
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Super Baldiez
• Brush (paintbrush or clay brush)
• Hairdryer
• Deadener
• Pigments
• Flat metal clay tool
• Naphtha
• Baby buds
• Sandwich box

Method

1. Cover your workspace with cling film
2. Cover the scale with cling film
3. Cut your cup in half through the middle so you are left with two ‘O’ shapes
4. Make sure you have a face mask on at this point. Take the fixing spray, shake it, and go to an open window. Then spray your wound with it at a distance of about 20cm. 
5. Leave to dry for a moment.
6. Repeat this process, but with Petrolease. 
7. Next, put the cup on top of the wound (making sure the top is on the plastic, as it is ridged and thicker). 
8. With the glue gun, glue around the outside of the cup to make sure that no silicone can spill out. Do not put the tip of the gun in the glue, make sure you are at a distance. 
9. Wait for the glue to dry and make sure the cup is secure. 
10. Put some gloves on, get a new cup, and at this point you will need to measure Silicone A and Silicone B exactly. 
11. Get two wooden sticks and mark them ‘A’ and ‘B’.
12. Put the cup on the scale. Take Silicone A and stick A, and start scooping it slowly into the cup. You will need about 30 grams of this for your small wound.
13. Change your gloves so as to not contaminate your silicones. Now do the same with Silicone B and stick B. 
14. Once done, throw your gloves away and clean both tubs of silicone with baby wipes so there is no chance of contamination. 
15. Get a new stick and slowly stir the contents of the cup, making sure that there are no air bubbles. If there are, gently bang the cup onto the table. The air bubbles will give the mould an undesirable texture.
16. Pour back and forth onto the wound, making sure that it is nicely covered. 
17. Give this an hour to dry. 
18. Once dry, put some isopropyl alcohol on some couch roll and clean the mould. 

Baldiez

1. Get a new cup and some new gloves. At this point you will be mixing Super Baldiez and isopropyl alcohol to mattify the top of the mould and create an even surface. The ratio has to be 1 part super baldiez to 2 part isopropyl alcohol. 
2. Pour the super baldiez into the cup, up to about the line that represents ’25’ (the first marked line is ’50’),
3. Next, pour the alcohol up to the line that represents ’75’. 
4. Mix, and make sure that there are no air bubbles.
5. Spray the mould with Petrolease.
6. For this small wound you will need to apply about 2 layers. 
7. Pour some on the mould in the middle, and use a brush to distribute it evenly and to get rid of the air bubbles. 
8. Let it dry and apply another layer. If necessary, you can apply a third layer after this.
9. Dry with a cool hairdyer, and make sure that it is not powerful. Don’t put the hairdryer too close to the mould. 

Last layer

1. Get three sticks, and mark them ‘A’ (Silicone A), ‘B’ (Silicone B), ‘D’ (Deadener). 
2. You will need the same amount of Silicone A to Silicone B, and the deadener has to amount to 60% of the total of them combined. 
3. In this case, you wil use 8 grams of A and 8 grams of B, which total to 16 grams. 60% of this is around 10-12 grams, and so you will need this amount of deadener. 
4. The more deadener, the more fleshy the effect will be. In my case, because my wound will be on the face, I will need to use about 12 grams of deadener as it will be softer. 
5. Get a new cup and new gloves. Put the cup on the scale, and with stick A, pour silicone A into the cup until there is 8 grams. 
6. Change your gloves, and do the same with silicone B. 
7. Change your gloves again, and pour 12 grams of deadener with stick D into the cup.
8. Throw the gloves away, and wipe all the tubs again. 
9. Mix the contents making sure that there are no air bubbles.
10. At this point, you will need to put a drop of pigment in, and the colour of this depends on your model. Make sure that you only put a drop in as it is extremely pigmented. 
11. Once done, fill the wound and mould with the product and use the flat metal tool you use for clay to run it over and fade out the edges. 
12. Let this dry. Once dry, you can use a baby bud and Naphtha (lighter fluid) to dissolve around the edges of the silicone. Do not pour it all over the wound or it can dissolve the whole thing. 
13. Put your mould into a sandwich box so it is safe.