Stiffening Muslin

[hollyuk]

Hi,

I need to take a cast of someone's body in muslin as part of an art project. Does anyone know of a solution (apart from PVA glue) I can either spray or coat the muslin in to stiffen it but not make the muslin stick to the skin?

Thanks
Hollyuk

[tamborine]

plaster of paris....is the body alive? You could use papier mache

[hollyuk]

Thanks Tamborine but I really wanted to keep the semi translucency of the muslin and 'yes' the body would be live.

[tamborine]

boiled potato or rice water

[tamborine]

dip the muslin in the water - dont pour it on the poor chap ;)

[Naomicorlett]

sugar water was used to stiffen petticoats in the 60s.

[hollyuk]

Thanks tamborine. I had not heard of these solutions! I'll do a test piece and see how it comes out.
Thanks again

[hollyuk]

ThanksNaomicorlett,
I'll try the sugar water too. Do you know how much sugar to how much water?
Holllyuk

[tamborine]

talc powder any skin before applying wet muslin. The talc should blow off and give desired effect.

g'wan tell us what part of the body......my imagination is racing;)

[Naomicorlett]

Sugar Water Stiffener
This is the most traditonal stiffener. Some people swear by it, other people get ants. Sometimes a humid climate makes sugar stiffened stuff slump, but other humid-climate people survive slump free. I hear that stuff stiffened this way is nice, stiff, and sparkly, but my vivid imagination has prevented my ever giving it a try -- my dog would cheerfully eat the sugar-stiffened items and die of intestinal macramé, I would be overrun with ants (and insecticide makes me really really sick), etc. etc. etc. I think I'll leave it to those of you with impeccable household hygiene -- ( this from crotchet site on internet )

[Panic Button]

I was about to report this question, as I thought it said stiffening muslim

[ChuckFickens]

I was about to suggest Viagra if it wasn't against the religion for the same reason panic!

[hollyuk]

LOL....thanks for all the advice.
It's a full body cast Tamborine..well, hopefully!

Thanks again
Hollyuk

[hc4361]

How do you get the body out of the cast?

[rojash]

^^ Chainsaw (but can be messy)

[tamborine]

undertakers or local crematorium might give you a stiffened shroud off a body....t'would be 'recycling' for arts sake.

[Vagrant]

DO NOT, as suggested above, use plaster of paris. As it dries, it gets very hot (exothermic reaction), and can cause severe burns: http://www.telegraph....uring-art-lesson.html