What is Alginate?

Alginate is the extremely safe molding material most often used in LifeCasting. The alginate powder is mixed with plain water to form a thick liquid. It can be as thin a pancake batter or as thick as cream cheese depending on the type of mold you want to make.

This liquid is applied to the skin and in a few minutes the alginate "sets" to a rubbery consistency. Alginate is Hypo-Allergenic (safe) and does NOT heat up when setting. When the alginate is removed from the skin the surface of the alginate has captured every detail of the surface of the skin right down to the fingerprint. This is the mold.

To produce a lifecast, a suitable casting material must be poured into the alginate mold. When the casting material "sets" or "hardens", the alginate is removed and an exact duplicate of the body part has been produced. See Hand Casting Procedure.

Accu-Cast makes a variety of alginate formulas. We have attempted to fine tune the properties of our alginates to make them ideal for a wide variety of jobs. Bucket molds, layup molds, small jobs, large jobs- we've got an alginate that will work.

Alginate can be used for other types of molds as well. It is widely used in Prosthetic Medicine in the manufacture of artificial arms and legs. It is also used in General Moldmaking in the production of prototypes of new products.

Here's a very useful Alginate Application Chart if you're not sure which of our alginates your project requires.

Accu-Cast sells our alginates in the following package sizes:

For larger orders, please contact us- info@accu-cast.us

We're here to help you decide what alginate would be most appropriate for your skill level and job type. Call (866) 618-8461 toll-free (US), (541) 388-1795, or e-mail us a info@accu-cast.us.