Alja‑Safe™ Hand Castings Go Wild!

Alja-Safe™ is mixed 1 part water to 1 part powder by volume (1 cup + 1 cup, for example). You can vary the water level somewhat to change consistency of the mixture. Less water will make Alja-Safe™ thicker. More water will make the mixture thinner and easier to pour. Be careful…too much water will may result in the mixture not curing.

At 80° F / 27° C, Alja-Safe™ will have a working time of 8 minutes and a demold time of 10 minutes. Warmer water will cause the material to cure faster (less working time). Colder water will give a longer working time and slower demold time. For best results, sift Alja-Safe™ powder into water and mix as directed.

Alja-Safe™ can be hand mixed, but best results will be obtained using a power drill with a mixer attachment. Attach a Jiffy Mixer or Turbine Mixer to a power drill and mix for one minute (depending on volume) to a gel-like consistency – smooth without any powder lumps.

Choose your desired hand shape. Then slowly immerse the posed hand into the Alja-Safe™ gel and hold it there for 8 to 10 minutes until the gel has set. Once the gel has set, gently wiggle your fingers and slowly remove your hand from the mold.

Mix the plaster and water until creamy and then pour it into the Alja-Safe™ mold. Allow the plaster to cure for a minimum of 3 hours before removing the Alja-Safe™ mold. After the plaster casting has dried overnight, you can use a pencil to outline the design.

Hydrocal plaster is very easy to paint using standard acrylic paints.

In the finished example below, acrylic paints were used to create a parrot.

Look twice to see that this parrot is actually a hand, made by a simple hand shape cast with Alja-Safe® Life Casting Starter Kit.

In following photos, a simple hand cast with Alja-Safe® Life Casting Starter Kit becomes a dramatic Zebra head when painted.