Skip to content

ShopRCA is for use by Royal College of Art students and staff only

The RCA Shops will be closed for the Christmas and New Year period between 21/12/24 - 05/01/25

ShopRCA is for use by Royal College of Art students and staff only

The RCA Shops will be closed for the Christmas and New Year period between 21/12/24 - 05/01/25

Alginate Impression Material 450g

£10.00

Alginate is ideal for life-casting and many more one-off casting projects. Alginart is a well known brand of Alginate. Simply mix the Alginate powder with water, place your object in the compound until its set and then remove it and you have a mould that you can pour casting plaster or other materials into.

Made from 99% naturally derived ingredients including seaweed extracts. Originally designed for mouth mouldings, now re-engineered to make the perfect external body casting material, capturing every wrinkle and print of the skin.

Hints & Tips

  • What you will need: simply a knife or metal spoon for mixing, plus a hand blender to get a really smooth mix; a plastic container/tub just a little bigger than the hand/foot you want to mould; water; plaster
  • Remember the Alginate is for making the mould only. After making the mould, you then need to make a casting by pouring casting plaster into your mould.
  • How much alginate? 900g is needed for one adult hand/foot or a couple holding hands; 1800g is needed for a 4-person hand cast. To be certain of quantity, find the container you want to use - it should just a little bigger than the hand/foot you are putting in it so it does not touch the sides, but not too large; measure how many ml of water will fill the container to the height you want it to be, then divide that number of ml by 3 to get the number of grams of alginate you need
  • After making the casting let it dry thoroughly (at least 1-2 weeks)
  • Bathroom sealant is the best medium to stick your cast to a frame or plinth

Important Safety Advice

If you use any of our powdered casting and moulding products regularly in your work (rather than a one-off use), please use common sense - ensure you wear a suitable dust face mask for mixing, and use in an approved space. These powders are designed to set firm on contact with moisture so you must take careful precautions to avoid inhaling them into your lungs.

Alginart is engineered to be a very low dust product, but it’s important to avoid generating dust - don't work in front of a fan or whisk carelessly or in quantities that are not manageable in a safe way. Avoid contact with eyes as this can cause irritation. Wear goggles for mixing if you are a regular user to help prevent eye irritation.

Safety Data Sheet (pdf)