Life Casting a Child's Face using Skin-Safe Body Double Silicone

Gallery courtesy of Smooth-On, Inc.

Body Double™ is a skin-safe silicone rubber that reproduces perfect detail directly from the face, hands, or any body part. Cured material is skin safe and certified by an independent laboratory. Mixed 1A : 1B by volume (no scale necessary), Body Double mixes easily and does not entrap air. It butters onto the skin and holds vertical or inverted surfaces (i.e. under the chin).

There are two versions of Body Double available: FAST SET (with a working time of 90 seconds and cure time of 6 minutes) & STANDARD SET (with a work time of 6 minutes and cure time of about 20 minutes).

A Body Double rubber mold is stretchy-strong and let's you cast wax, plaster, plastics, silicone or urethane rubber, and other materials. Unlike alginates, you can use a Body Double mold over and over again to make many castings. The only clear disadvantage that Body Double rubber has compared to alginate is the price. Body Double is a lot more expensive. It all comes down to what your goals are for your project. For many, making a temporary mold and getting one casting is all that is required. However, for movie special effects fabricators making effects for films like "Harry Potter," "Pirates of The Caribbean," and "Spider Man," being able to use a mold over and over again actually makes Body Double less expensive to use when you consider the time and labor savings realized by making a mold one time and being able to use it again and again.

You Will Need: Body Double Standard, Body Double Release Cream, Plaster Bandages, Mixing Sticks and Containers, Paint Brush, Smooth-Cast 300

Step 1: Applying Body Double™ Release Cream

Although Body Double™ will not stick to human skin, it will encapsulate hair. Body Double™ Release Cream was developed to release the rubber from all surfaces including hair-covered human skin. To begin, be sure to apply Body Double™ Release Cream to the model's face to prevent hair from being captured in the Body Double™.

Step 2: Applying Body Double™ Standard Set

Body Double™ Standard Set is used to make the mold of this child's face. Standard Set's long pot life will ensure the mold picks up even the most minute detail on the skin.

Step 3: Applying Plaster Bandages

A plaster bandage support shell is created while the Body Double® silicone rubber is still on the model's face.

Step 4: Removing Plaster Bandages

After the plaster bandage has fully cured, the support shell is demolded.

Step 5: Demold

Body Double® silicone rubber is then carefully removed from the model's face. The rubber mold glides off the face fully intact without tearing or shrinking.

Step 6: Casting Replica Face

Using the rubber mold, it is possible to make many reproductions with an assortment of visual effects using Smooth-On's Smooth-Cast® resin.