Why We Need Silica Free Alginate?
The only problem with alginate for making body molds is the presence of crystalline silica which can be harmful for both the artist and the model. A silica-free formulation is the right answer.
Alginate is the most commonly used material for making body molds for life casting. The organic material is considered safe for the skin and easy to use as well. It captures surface details well including small indentations, pores and even fine body hair.
The only drawback is that regular alginates contain crystalline silica which is a known carcinogen. Breathing in large amounts of the silica over extended periods of time can cause lung cancer. Moreover, as the crystalline silica dust enters the lungs, it can scar the tissue and cause silicosis, which is disabling and can even turn fatal.
This is why top art materials’ manufacturers – like EnvironMolds have developed silica free alginate formulas. Hollywood Impressions SILFREE is a high quality alginate that is formulated to be both silica-free and dust-free. It contains all food-grade ingredients and is considered the healthiest alginate and completely safe to use in the art studios.
There are many more benefits as well.
This alginate also tends to hold more water in suspension, thus yielding much more mold making material. In fact, it has a mix ratio of 7 parts water to 1 part alginate (by weight) as compared to 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 for other formulas.
The alginate yields an extremely smooth and creamy mix which reduces mold voids due to air bubbles and creates high quality molds that give more accurate life cast reproductions. The mix has improved surface tension and will tend to stay in place without running. And as the mold can hold water for longer periods, it leads to delayed shrinkage and extends the casting time to as long as 24 hours.
This alginate is available in 3 variations - Hollywood Impressions SILFREE is a quick set formula with a 2-3 minute set time, the MoldGel SILFREE Regular Set has a 4-5 minute set time while MoldGel SILFREE SloSet offers an extended a 7-8 minute set time.
