How to Mold Your Nose
- 1). Create your special effect, if you are making an appliance for stage. Use theatrical modeling putty to create, for example, warts, a bend in your nose or a a scar directly on your nose.
- 2). Cover your nose and the surrounding area with baby oil or Vaseline in a thin layer.
Push a cotton ball into each nostril to prevent any plaster from going in. The cotton should be small enough not to make your nose bulge. Ensure that you can breathe comfortably through your mouth; your nose will be covered in plaster for 15 minutes or more. - 3). Shave your mustache area if necessary, or work a generous amount of Vaseline into your mustache and comb it smooth.
- 4). Cut four or five gauze strips approximately 6 inches long. You will use these to stabilize your mold.
- 5). Mix plaster of Paris in a 1-to-1 ratio of ½ cup plaster and ½ cup water. Pour both into a clear plastic bag, squeeze out any air, and knead the bag. This prevents bubbles, which would ruin your finished mold.
- 6). Sit with your head tilted backward. Spread the plaster over your nose and upper lip, being careful to keep the plaster out of your eyes. Spread the plaster 1 inch on either side of your nose and up to the bridge of your nose.
Use a spatula or butter knife and spread smoothly, to prevent introducing air into the plaster. Apply a thick but not heavy layer; if the layer is too heavy, your nose will droop and your positive will not look right. - 7). Lay the gauze strips over the plaster, and spread a light layer of plaster over the gauze. This allows you to make a lighter mold, but a strong one.
Allow the plaster to harden (about 15 minutes). It will still be damp but will hold its shape. You can speed up the hardening with a hair dryer. - 8). Remove carefully. You should have a perfect mold of your nose. If you see any bubbles or other imperfections, fill these in with wet plaster or sand them off your finished positive.
Bake your mold per the manufacturer's instructions to harden it, or simply allow it to harden overnight. - 9). Use scissors to trim your mold as necessary, cutting away any gauze or excess plaster. Lay your mold in a bed of sand or dirt until it forms a bowl that will hold liquid. Pour in your positive material (molten lead, wax or pewter), to create a perfect cast of your nose.
If you are creating a foam latex appliance, brush the latex into the plaster, thinning it out toward the edges surrounding the nose.
