The bloom factor or bloom strength of gelatin is an industrial standard which measures the relative firmness of the gelatin in a cured state. Gelatin used for makeup effects work usually has a bloom factor of , whereas gelatin you can purchase from your local grocer will have a bloom somewhere between and This may be just fine for work you will be doing, but just be aware that the tear strength will not be as high as when using a gelatin with a bloom of Gelatin is considered to be hypoallergenic, that is, allergy-free for use on most people.
That is a good thing. Gelatin is also considered hygroscopic, which means it has a tendency to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. This is both good, and not so good. Good, in that it allows gelatin to be soluble — to liquefy and dissolve.
With the addition of water, the gelatin particles swell and expand, actually absorbing up to 10 times their weight in water which, in turn, can make gelatin appliances somewhat heavy. Not so good, in that gelatin appliances can swell in proportion to humidity changes in the air, and shrink over time through evaporation. One way to help minimize this change due to humidity is to substitute glycerin for almost all of the water used in the gelatin appliance formula. This is very good for creating a variety of wounds and injuries — cuts, burns, bullet holes, swelling, etc.
This gelatin can be colored with flocking material, food coloring or powdered cake makeup and stored in small squeeze bottles to be heated until the gelatin liquefies. This is similar to a number of gelatin effects kits that are available commercially. Just be very careful not to overheat the gelatin. Because it is organic material, it can be severely damaged or ruined if heated too much or too often.
Always test the temperature before application! Glycerin is also hygroscopic, so some formulas replace some of the glycerin with Sorbitol, which is derived from corn syrup and is less affected by changes in humidity than glycerin.
Sorbitol also increased the structural integrity of gelatin formulas, making more tear-resistant which is critical for prosthetic work.
Zinc Oxide can also be used in small amounts to add strength and greater tolerance to temperature changes remember, gelatin tends to melt when heat is applied…. You will have to experiment when using zinc oxide because it will affect the translucency of your finished gelatin appliance. Zinc oxide powder is the preferred form, but it can be tough to find.
Zinc oxide ointment will work, though. Regardless of what formula you wind up using and calling your own, keep your finished appliances in air-tight plastic bags, away from the light and in a cool place. They will last much longer.
For prosthetic appliance work, the gelatin you use will need to be light and soft — foamy. The resulting gelatin will not be as light and soft as foam latex, but it will be substantially lighter and spongier than a solid gelatin appliance, and definitely lighter than silicone gel. Here is a basic gelatin formula.
You will notice this recipe does not have Sorbitol, white glue or zinc oxide. Do some experimenting. Makeup effects artists must be part mad chemist. As gelatine cools, it thickens, and pouring cool gelatine into a mould will result in air bubbles and poor castings. Get the gelatine to a fluid consistency and pour it into your mould right away. To test it, dip in a metal spoon and allow some gelatine to pour off it. One of the best things about gelatine is that that is can be reused.
Any overflow from casting prosthetics and any bad castings can be melted and used again which is great, but you can pick up debris such as hair and grit as you use it. Have a good metal sieve to hand not plastic — it will melt!
Eventually, it will break down and become brittle and you will end up with unusable castings. If your gelatine is beginning to go darker or turn amber in colour, its been overheated or used too many times. We would only recommend re-heating gelatine 3 or 4 times — after that, move on to a new batch. Watch the video below to see the best way to apply your gelatine prosthetics. Once the gelatin is melted in your jug remember not to boil it , you are ready to pour.
Turn the negative mould on it's back so that the void is uppermost. Pour in the gelatin mix until the void is full, this will be more than the void needs so remember to do this where any spilled gelatin can be easily cleaned off and reused.
I use a board covered in melamine an old white kitchen cupboard door. Be careful since hot gelatin mix is liable to be squeezed out of the mould, you don't want the hot stuff all over your hands! Force the two parts of the mould together gently but firmly until the positive and negative moulds fit snugly back together.
I wrap some insulating tape around them at this stage to hold them in place. You can either leave this arrangement overnight at room temperature to cure, or place it in the fridge if it will fit. Four hours in the fridge or overnight should ensure that the gelatin has set. Open the moulds gently and peel out your mask. If you are careful the moulds should make more than one mask. The mask can be used immediately or chucked in the freezer for storage.
Once you are bored with the mask, give a rinse to get any make up or paint off and then just melt it back down in the microwave and make summat else with it. Gelatin prosthetics will take normal make up, face paint or body paint well. Here I have added some normal liquid foundation and some powder to one side of the nose piece. If your prosthetics have well feathered edges then you should be able to get a seamless blend.
Use a little witchazel to dissolve away the edges. Gelatin requires either Spirit Gum or Pros-Aide as an attachment glue. Question 2 months ago on Step 9. When you say parts for the basic mix, what amount do you mean? I see the recipe: 1 part honey 1 part water 2 parts gelatin 2 parts glycerine I'm making my own prosthetics with plastalina clay.
I want to make alligator scales. Please help. This is so awesome. Thanks for this Info. But what is washing liquid? Just like dish soap? Question 2 years ago. Why wouldn't you bloom the gelatin first? Gelatin is a protein chain that absorbs water at lower temperatures. That's why all food handling of Gelatin involves rehydrating in cold water before heating - two step process. Heating without hydrating lowers the protein development and I would guess it's cutting down on volume, and adding to grain.
Question 3 years ago. What purpose does the honey serve? Does one have to refrigerate the prosthetic when not in use? Answer 3 years ago. The honey or other sugar syrup gives the gelatin it's elasticity and strength. The final product is a natural foodstuff, and when first mixed is essentially very hot toffee. Refrigerating will both cool it more quickly and keep it fresh.
If left out for any great length of time it is liable to go mouldy. I also advise freezing it for longer storage for the same reasons. Question 3 years ago on Step 2. Newbie here! You decribe the measurements as 1 part honey, 1 part water, etc. How much is a 'part'? My gelatine is in 5. This is a dry measurement so I have no idea what the liquid measurements would be. A 'part' is whatever unit of measurement you like. If you use 1g of one, then you use 1g of the other. If you use 1 ton of one then you use 1 ton of the other, if you use 1 fluid ounce of one then you use 1 fluid ounce of the other.
If you use 5. OK, Wow! Lots of questions and comments posted on this one! Sorry but due to various health issues and whatnot I haven't gotten around to many replies. However I will endeavour to try and answer those I can here. I have deliberately used generic terms for the methods and ingredients used. Firstly, what we are trying to make is a product that weighs and behaves in exactly the same way that your own muscles do.
We're not making Jello or anything like it. You can buy professional SFX gelatin mix from a number of outlets. It's the stuff they really use in the movies and it comes as a rubbery block that you melt down and cast. Here is the exact recipe that they use:. The gelatin is the setting agent, the more gelatin the stronger the final product, but it is brittle you can snap the sheets and it's not elastic and it won't flex.
It also needs a liquid part to make it dissolve. The glycerine glycerol is used to prevent the gelatin from setting rock hard, which would not be much good for flexible prosthetic pieces, or for moulds. The sorbitol is a sugar alcohol which has two functions. It acts as a dissolving agent for the gelatin and it interacts with the gelatin and glycerine to produce log chain polymer proteins which give the elasticity and flexibility.
Sorbitol is also difficult to obtain and expensive. Along with the glycerine it helps to 'thicken' the mix a bit. The water acts as the dissolving agent and the honey interacts with the gelatin and glycerine to produce the elasticity and the flexibility. Without this part I have no idea what sort of results you are going to get.
Adding things to the mix like colourings and whatnot may work, but they will change the properties of the mix and they are not recommended. You can probably substitute the honey for any other thickish sugar syrup, but we don't use corn syrup in Europe so I have no idea if it will work, Golden syrup will work, but maple syrup is too thin if that helps at all? You do not have to 'set' the mix before you can use it, you can pour it as soon as it's all mixed and dissolved.
I just tend to do a few batches and freeze them. So you don't have to put it in the fridge before you use it. You don't have to use a microwave, you can do it in a pot on the stove or use a bau marie. Just remember not to let it boil because this breaks down the protein chains and makes the mix much weaker and less stable.
It's also much easier to get the mix out of a plastic jug than a metal pan. The melting point of professional SFX gelatin is around 70 degrees, my mix is about the same.
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