ALGINATE

Alginate is a safe, fast setting moulding compound that is suitable for taking quick and highly detailed impressions from almost any material around. Due to its non-toxic and versatile characteristics it is ideal for life casting, and used throughout the make-up and special effects industries to create moulds of body parts, cast in plaster or wax to be used as a basis for sculpting and modelling.

Provided as a powder, alginate is mixed with water to form a viscous solution that can be applied directly to the skin or object. Coming in normal or slow set, the mixture forms a solid rubber consistency within minutes, supported within a ‘ jacket’ of plaster bandage to help minimise warping or breaking once removed from the model.

As a natural compound formed from seaweed and algae, Alginate is a one time mould that tends to deteriorate quickly, and as such it is recommended that a cast be taken within 4 hours of de-moulding. However unlike silicone moulds that can be re-used, Alginate can completely biodegrade in as little a 1 year - a much more environmentally friendly alternative to its petroleum based competitor which lasts hundreds of years without significant degradation.