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Guide: making a belly cast (impression of a pregnant belly)
Making a belly cast (impression of a pregnant belly)
This guide describes step by step how to make a strong and highly detailed impression of a pregnant belly. You take the impression of the belly with alginate 3D gel, immediately make a plaster bandage support shell, and then cast a strong acrylic resin belly. You achieve the best results when the person being cast sits or stands upright.
📄 Download this guide as PDFWhat are you going to make?
You first make an impression of the belly in alginate 3D gel, supported by a plaster bandage support shell. In that impression you then cast and laminate an acrylic resin belly with triaxial fibreglass, so you end up with a strong, lasting 3D keepsake of the pregnancy.
💡 Read this description all the way through before you start. Some dexterity is a plus, and you work with materials that have a limited working time.
Required materials
🛒 From the webshop
🧰 Supply yourself
- 1 pack of cotton wool (available at the drugstore)
- Water, 3000 ml, at 20 to 25°C
- Scissors
- Scale
- (Cordless) drill
What is included in the Belly Casting set?
| Item | Contents |
|---|---|
| Alginate 3D gel extra slow | 2 pieces |
| Plaster bandage | 1 set (5 rolls, 2 m x 20 cm) |
| Acrylic resin set | 2 x 1.5 kg |
| Thickener acrylic resin (Thixo A) | 1 x 100 grams |
| Triaxial fibreglass mat | 1 x 1.25 m² |
| Mixing cup | 1900 ml |
| Mixing bucket | 5 litres |
| Flat brush | around 5 cm wide |
| Mixer for drill | 1 piece |
Preparation
Take the cotton wool out of the packaging, pull it apart well and lay it ready. Cover clothing with a plastic sheet, towel or bin bag and take a position you can comfortably hold for 15 minutes. Leaning against the edge of a table often works comfortably.
Cut the plaster bandage into strips of about 60 to 65 cm long. Cut the triaxial fibreglass mats into mats of around 25 x 50 cm and also make a number of smaller strips of, for example, 10 x 25 cm.
⚠️ Never work on carpet or floor covering; spills happen easily when processing alginate 3D gel. The alginate 3D gel and the plaster bandage have a limited working time: once exceeded, the product can no longer be processed ideally.
Mix the alginate 3D gel
Take the white bucket and empty the 2 packs of alginate 3D gel into it.
Take 3 litres of water at 20 to 25°C and pour it gently into the gel all at once. Mix the water into the gel within 1 minute using a drill with mixer until a smooth paste forms. The mixture turns bright purple. Do not mix for too long; after 1 minute, leave any lumps as they are.
⚠️ Work promptly: the alginate 3D gel extra slow has a limited working time.
Apply alginate and press in cotton wool
Apply the alginate 3D gel evenly onto the belly until it is fully covered. The gel may run off the belly; if so, spread it back.
Before the alginate starts to cure, press the cotton wool into the gel. Let the cotton wool stick out of the gel partly; it later serves as adhesion between the alginate 3D gel and the plaster bandage.
Apply the plaster bandage
After 2 to 5 minutes the mixture stiffens and changes colour. Once the alginate 3D gel is fully blue again, apply the plaster bandage.
Wet the strips in a bucket of water and do not wring them out; let them drip above the container for 3 seconds so as much plaster as possible stays in the bandage. Apply the strips crosswise over the gel and the cotton wool until a nice thickness forms. Let the whole thing cure for around 3 minutes and proceed straight to the next step.
Remove the shell from the belly
Remove the shell together with the alginate 3D gel from the belly. The shell and the gel are meant to stay as one whole. Place the shell down flat like a bowl on a surface.
Do not wait too long and start with the acrylic resin straight away; if you wait too long, the alginate 3D gel starts to expel water.
Mix the acrylic resin
Fill the 1900 ml mixing cup with 1 kilo of acrylic resin powder (B component) and add 0.5 kg of acrylic resin liquid (A component). Mix into an even paste.
Lastly add 25 grams of Thixo A (thickener) and mix firmly until a kind of paste forms.
First layer of acrylic resin and fibreglass
Coat the alginate 3D gel with a first layer of acrylic resin until it is fully covered, around 2 mm thick. Now apply 1 layer of fibreglass mats (triaxial) onto the fresh resin and cover them on both sides with acrylic resin.
Take care not to push the mats all the way through the first layer, so they do not become visible on the front. Spread the remaining resin over the mats so the acrylic resin of both layers bonds together through the glass mat. Let this cure for 15 minutes.
⚠️ In the meantime, clean the brush and mixing cup well with water.
Second layer of acrylic resin and fibreglass
After around 15 minutes, mix a second batch of resin: 1 kg powder with 0.5 kg liquid into an even paste, plus 25 grams Thixo A. Mix into a nice paste.
Coat the cured layer with around 2 mm thick paste and cover this with fibreglass. Make sure the fibreglass is fully covered with resin and contains no dry spots. Spread the remaining resin evenly over it.
Let the whole thing rest for around 1 hour before removing the acrylic resin belly from the alginate.
Demould and finish
Remove the alginate 3D gel and the support shell completely from the acrylic resin belly. The resin is suitable for sanding, drilling and grinding.
For hanging, you can attach hooks or battens to the back. Acrylic resin adheres very well to itself, also on a cured layer: place the hook or piece of wood in position and brush acrylic resin over it. Let everything cure fully.
Wait 24 hours before painting or fully loading the belly.
Additional information
- You achieve the best results when the person being cast sits or stands upright.
- Cover the underclothing with a plastic sheet or bin bag and never work over carpet or floor covering.
- Alginate 3D gel and plaster bandage have a limited working time; so work promptly and lay everything out in advance.
- Acrylic resin adheres excellently to itself, even after a layer has fully cured.
- Wait 24 hours before painting or fully loading the finished belly.
Storage
Store the unused materials from the set well sealed, dry and at room temperature. Store the finished acrylic resin belly free of pressure so the shape stays intact.
Frequently asked questions
Why alginate 3D gel extra slow?
The extra slow variant gives you more working time, which is important because you have to cast a large surface such as a belly in one go before the material cures.
What is the cotton wool for?
The cotton wool sticks out of the alginate 3D gel partly and so forms the adhesion between the gel and the plaster bandage, so the support shell and the impression stay as one whole.
Why a plaster bandage support shell?
Alginate is flexible and deforms without support. The plaster bandage shell holds the impression in shape while you cast and laminate the acrylic resin belly.
How long do I wait before finishing?
Let the second layer cure for around 1 hour before demoulding and then wait 24 hours before painting or fully loading the belly.
Is the impression strong enough to hang?
Yes. Two layers of acrylic resin with triaxial fibreglass create a strong shell. Attach hooks or battens to the back with extra acrylic resin.