I know nothing about Alginate or LifeCasting, but I'm interested.
| Alginate is a powder. When water is added, it forms a thick liquid. This liquid is applied to an object or body part. In a few minutes, the alginate liquid changes into a rubbery solid. This is called "setting". When the "set" alginate is removed, the surface of the alginate that was in contact with the object or body part has captured an amazing amount of the detail of the surface of the object- right down to fingerprint level. A casting material is poured against the alginate and this detail is transferred directly to the casting. Its a two step process- Molding and Casting. |
| The actual alginate is a powder made of between 5 and 15 chemicals compounds, including "alginic acid". Alginic acid is a powder derived from seaweed that consists of long, chain-like molecules known as polymers. Depending on how much water is added, the consistency can range between the thickness of pancake batter and that of cream cheese. Certain applications require a thicker mix and some require a thinner one. |
| On the molecular level, calcium ions (individual atoms) are freed from the calcium donor, Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4), and they act like molecular glue. They glue the alginic acid polymers to each other in a flexible three dimensional matrix similar to a sponge. The other chemicals in the mix affect mixing properties, setting time and final set properties. |
| This sponge-like structure can hold water for a time, but the water wil eventually evaporate out of the alginate matrix and it will shrink in direct proportion to the percentage of the initial water that has exited. |
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| LifeCasting is an artform that dates back at least as far as Ancient Egypt. Various molding materials have been used over the centuries, but today there are three basic materials used: plaster bandages, alginate and platinum silicone. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but the majority of lifecasting done today uses alginate. |
| LifeCasts can be made of any body part- indeed professionals can use alginate to mold an entire body. Beginner projects include baby hand casting, child hand casting, adult hand casting and face casting. Intermediate projects include foot (feet) casting, head casting and partial or complete torso casting. |
| The amount of detail that can be captured is truly remarkable- right down to the fingerprint level. |
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| There are two considerations when choosing an alginate: "Setting Time" and "Type of Mold".> |
| In general, the smaller the project the faster you want the alginate to set. We make alginates with setting times ranging between 1 minute and 8 minutes. See this chart for alginate recommendations for various types of jobs. |
| There are basically two different types of alginate molds. One is a "bucket mold" and the other is a "layup mold" |
| In a bucket mold, the alginate is mixed and poured into some sort of a rigid container (bucket). The object to be molded (hand, foot, etc.) is placed into the alginate and when the alginate is set, the object is removed. The bucket is the "mother mold" or structural support for the alginate. The hole in the alginate is the mold. |
| In a layup mold, the alginate is applied to a surface (face, torso, etc.). It is applied fairly thinly (typically 1/4 - 1/2 inch). Since alginate is very flexible, a "mother mold" must be applied over the surface of the alginate so it doesn't flop around like a deflated balloon. Typically, a several layers of extra-fast set plaster bandages are applied to the alginate and when they harden, they maintain the shape of the mold. In this case, the exposed surface of the alginate is the mold. |
| In a bucket mold, you want the alginate to flow easily so it goes in and around all the nooks and crannies of the hand, foot, etc. A flowable alginate will get better detail and result in fewer air voids. For baby and child hand casts, we recommend 380-CC. For larger hand casting jobs, we recommend our 570-PGV or 580-CC formulas. |
| In a layup mold, the last thing you want is a high flow alginate. Most alginates flow too much for this type of work keeping the operators busy "catching" the alginate as it flows down off the model. Accu-Cast 590-IBG, 680-LS, 880 and GENESIS formulas have our unique "LowFlow" property so where you put the alginate is where it stays. It still is easy to apply and push around with your fingers, but once you stop pushing, it stops flowing. |
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| A. Skin-Safe Silicone is a wonderful product. Accu-Cast doesn't offer one because OUR business is Alginate. Silicone makes extremely high quality molds. The great thing about silicone is that it doesn't dry out like alginate. The bad thing about silicone is that it is many times more expensive than alginate. |
| Our recommendation is- "If you're making a production mold (one that can product many castings), you are much better off going with silicone." The extra cost for the material is paid for by the elimination of making multiple molds. We figure if you need to have 4 castings of a single object, silicone is a better deal. |
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| Glad you asked. There are many fine alginate products on the market today. |
| Dental alginates are designed to take very small impressions of teeth while being supported by a rigid dental tray. Dental alginates are designed to set very quickly to keep patients from gagging and to help the efficiency of the workflow of the dental office. Consequently, dental alginates are very poor at anything but the smallest lifecasting projects. |
| Several other companies make very good prosthetic grade alginates. Most companies make a regular set and a slow set. That's the choice they offer you. Accu-Cast makes a variety of alginate materials, each fine tuned for very specific applications. |
| Also, the Accu-Cast business model of selling product directly to our customers allows us to keep our prices very low. Alginate really doesn't cost very much to make. Most of the cost you pay goes to the distributor markup. If you need the convenience of a distributor, then that's a good tradeoff. If you don't, then its not. |
| Finally, Accu-Cast has been making prosthetic-grade alginates longer than almost everyone. We really know our subject and we strive to help our customers every step of the way. |
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| The numerical part of the Accu-Cast product names refers to a setting time/water temperature ratio. For example, Accu-Cast 570-PGV sets in 5 minutes when mixed with 70°F water, 880 sets in 8 minutes with 80°F water. |
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| Well, that really depends on how much you're mixing. See "Alginate Mixing" |
| For small quantities (up to 3 ounces), we recommend mixing with a small spatula in a bowl. The type of spatula we're talking about is a wide, flat bladed knife sort of like you'd use to put frosting on a cake. If you don't have one handy, a tongue depressor or even a popsicle stick will do. We have the spatulas for sale Here. |
| For quantities larger than 2 ounces up to about a pound, a standard metal kitchen whisk is really great. A whisk is easier if you mix in a wide, round bottomed bowl. Put in your powder, then your water, stir for about 20 seconds, then whisk away. You'll see it smooth out pretty quickly. We have Whisks for sale Here. |
| For quantities of about 3 ounces to about 1 1/2 pounds, "mixing in a bag" is a great technique. The alginate powder is weighed out into a sturdy plastic bag (at least 3-mil). The water is poured in and the bag is rubbed, squeezed and mashed against a flat tabletop for about a minute. Done correctly this will mix the alginate very efficiently and cleanup is very easy. We also sell "Mix-In-The-Bag" Alginates and Casting Stone on our website. |
| For over a pound, consider using a power mixer. This is an electic drill with a "paint-mixer" attachment on it. The paint mixer attachments are available at your local home improvement or hardware store. The one that looks like a little propellor with a ring around it works much better than the one that looks like a black plastic hamster wheel. Put your powder and water into a plastic bucket (1 or 5 gallon, depending on how much you're mixing), start off slowly and increase the drill speed when all the powder is wet. We have Jiffy Mixers for sale Here. |
| To avoid mixing in lots of bubbles, look at how the flow of the alginate mix is moving in the bucket. You DON"T want it being sucked down the shaft of the paint mixer attachment. If it is, then reverse your drill. This is a very fast and efficient way to mix alginate and can be done with very large quantities. |
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| A. Not for moldmaking. Alginate is an irreversible hydrocolloid. The irreversible reaction (the cross-linking of the polymer chains) cannot be undone. Used alginate isn't toxic and can be thrown into your normal garbage can legally and conscience free. |
| Most of the time, an alginate mold will have to be destroyed when unmolding your finished casting. In rare instances when the mold is still intact, it can be repoured, but the resulting cast will probably not be quite as big as the first one due to shrinkage. |
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| A. Yes. Alginate has been used in dental offices in people's mouths for over 50 years. The only problem with alginate has been the potential hazard of chronically (over years and years) breathing the dust of the dry powder. Accu-Cast has a "dustless" formula that virtually eliminates this hazard. Since its not a good idea to breathe any kind of dust, we do recommend a "Nuisance Dust Mask" when mixing ours or anybody else's alginate. |
| That having been said, it is still not recommended to get mixed alginate in people's eyes or to get large amounts on their clothes. When doing a face or head casting, it is important to watch the subject's nostrils to make sure that they have an unobstructed airway throughout the procedure. Even if it does get up their nose, they can still open their mouth to breath. It may ruin the mold, but nothing more serious than that. |
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| >Most products are sold through suppliers or distributors. We have some distributors, but they sell our products because they provide a convenience for their local customers that they can't get from us. |
| Distributors are businesses that must make their living by marking up the prices of the products they sell. |
| Our business model is B to C (Business to Customer) which means that there isn't a markup in between. We sell alginate at the prices we do because we can. Don't worry about us, we're still making a few dollars, but you save some dollars purchasing from us as well. We think it works out pretty well. |
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| Most of our business is with customers in the US and Canada. We can ship to any country. The problem is shipping costs. We normally ship by UPS and sending 5 pounds to England or New Zealand is stupidly expensive. The US Postal Service will let us ship 5 pounds anywhere in the world for $39.50 or about 10 pounds for $58.50 (as of 1/1/2010). We do have distributors abroad, but customers complain of their high prices. That's because THEY already paid shipping and customs charges into your country. Sorry, but until the cost of shipping goes down, these are the realities. |
For larger orders, the "per pound" shipping cost can go down dramatically. For Ocean Freight, the cheapest method, the minimum space you pay for is one cubic meter. If you place an order that takes up a cubic meter, then the shipping will be pretty reasonable, but that's a lot of alginate. Maybe YOU'D like to become a distributor in your country!!! |
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