Smooth-On Alja-Safe™ Lifecasting Alginate Molding Powder, 20-lb Box

Satisfied sculptor working on BFA thesis show. Perfectly detailed life castings. Mixes well, but you have to know when to use which mixing method. Spatula is okay for anything under a pound of dry, but be thorough. Use a drill mixing attachment for any measurement of 1 lb dry alginate or greater. Add dry to water slowly while stirring the water to prevent clumps from building up. When applying(if you apply with your hands), it helps to cup your hand and smear onto your pattern or model from the bottom up so that less will run off and be wasted. Same applies with a spatula, but I find it easier to just hand-build it. Start thin and gradually build the coat. Good luck and have fun.

No problem here. The only suggestion is that Smooth-On provide 50" boxes to Amazon.

Good

I'm a prosthetic manufacturer and we use hundreds of pounds of alginate every year to duplicate sockets, making negative molds of the insides of the sockets to produce what are basically positive models of patients' legs. When several suppliers recently had no stock of what we usually use, I decided to give this stuff a try. I couldn't be more happy. The definition is vastly superior and there are far fewer bubbles than are typically present with the other brand. The only drawback is that it is MUCH slower to cure; The old stuff set up in about two minutes and the Alja-safe takes about 25-30 minutes. Through some experimentation I found that adding a tablespoon of regular table salt per 1/2 gallon of water makes it set up in about 4-5 minutes. It was an easy fix. I'm sold. At about $3.⁰⁰ less expensive per pound, we'll see pretty significant savings. And it's silica-free! I don't think we'll ever switch back.

Buy tons of the 3-lb box. For unknown reasons the 3lb captures great detail and the 20lb is just a chunky mess. Smooth-On is fantastic it just happens to be this one product.