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Touch Up and Repairs to broken or flawed LifeCasts™ must be done according to the media they are cast in. Similar techniques are used for mounting or combining a Lifecast™ with other materials for mixed media work.

This section restricts itself to work done with our BODY PARTS™ Kits specifically or to LifeCasting™ in plasters or statuary cements such as our ArtCAST™. For information about other mediums see Alternative & Advanced Techniques.

Air Bubble Touch Up:

As discussed in Chapter 3, there are 2 types of air bubbles;

1. Mold Bubbles are all the little bumps that show up on the final casting when proper mold proceedures are ignored. They are usually very easy to 'pop' off right after unveiling, while the cement is still somewhat soft or after it has fully cured and dried.

Some must be carved off however, and that is best done only after drying. Use any tools that work (ie; nail files, emery boards, sculpture tools, sandpaper, etc.) to scrape away the exess cement. Try to make it blend into the surrounding area.

Then use a pin or needle to carefully scribe a few lines over the smooth area by extending the surrounding skin details. If done carefully, the repair will be all but invisible, especially after paint or other finish is applied.

2. Cast Bubbles are trickier. These are the little holes that occur when proper casting methods are not followed. If there are too many it may be easier to scrap the piece, learn from your mistakes and do another - following the instructions more carefully this time. If there are only a few then these can be easily removed.

Look at a cast bubble carefully. You will notice that, like an iceberg, most of the hole is below the surface, only the little tip shows to the eye. If we only fixed the surface it would be easy to damage again because of the remaining gap underneath.

The entire hole must be filled in with some repair medium, then smoothed over to blend with its surrounding area. Several options are workable and described below.

Using more ArtCast™:

•, First get the hole, inside and out, completely wet by using a paint brush and water. This prevents the dry cement from sucking all the moisture from the wet cement you will apply. If you do not do this the new cement will not stick and your efforts will be wasted.

•, Second, mix a small amount of the cement with 1/3 as much water into a thick paste and fill the entire hole quickly. Try to make a small bump at the top.

•, Third, smooth over the surface bump with water on a paint brush to blend it into the surrounding area. Let dry.

•, Finally, use the techniques described above for mold bubbles to further conceal the repair.

Drywall Compound (ie; Spackel®, etc.):

•, This is commonly available at any hardware store. Same proceedure as for ArtCast™ except you don't have to mix the powder. Do all other steps the same and be sure to follow the manufacturer's suggestions for whichever product you select.

Using Epoxy Putty:

•, These new materials are great but, rather expensive but they can usually be found at any well stocked hardware or home improvement store. You should not use regular epoxy resins and glues since they are too runny for this type of application. Also use good safety precautions since they are extremely dangerous and toxic.

•, The LifeCast™ should be dry, with no loose particles of cement. Simply mix the putty per manufacturer's instructions and stuff it into the hole.

Since these materials cure extremely hard, it is best to do as much as possible to texture the surface to blend with the surroundings while the epoxy is still workable.

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