Flexwax

Years ago I attended Frightfest BC for the first time. The host Dyanna had a crock pot on a table filled with wax. I had no idea what it was for until watching her youngest daughter who must have been only 7 at the time create a hand mold.

Flexwax is a mold making wax made by Amaco. It melts at 120F which is low enough to use on skin. You can dip into it or brush it on to create replicas with amazing detail. It is perfect for use with 2 part polyurethane resin and foam. Best of all, it is completely re-usable. It can be purchased at many art stores. It comes in 2.5lb and 5lb blocks. Get the 5lb block. Any less and you wont have enough in the pot to fully submerge your hand.

Keeping it in a nice wide crock pot allows for the simplicity of just plugging it in and waiting until its melted and ready to use. It also allows you to use it away from your kitchen.

Once the wax is warmed and melted through, turn the crock to warm, low, or even off. The wax will be a nice clear aqua tint. Before you dip, check the wax temperature with a finger, it should be very warm, but not uncomfortably so.

Prep your hands.
I have seen and tried prepping hands in a variety of ways; coating hands in dish soap, skin cream or Vaseline. I have also tried using the Flexwax without prepping at all – but all that does is make the wax more difficult to remove.

Decide on a hand pose.
Keep in mind it may be difficult to remove your hand if its a complicated pose. I would recommend you begin with a simple open hand cast.

Dip.
Dip you hand into the wax as far up the wrist as the pot allows. Remove your hand and let it sit over the pot to catch excess dripping while it cools. When the wax cools and becomes solid dip it again. Repeat dipping about 4 times. Be careful to get all areas completely covered in the wax. If it doesn’t work, simply remove it & add it back to the pot and try again. I have seen people use a small cup to pour the wax over their hand to coat it and the instructions the wax comes with say you can also brush it on.

Remove the wax.
Once you have dipped your hand about 4 times let it firm up. With your free hand around your forearm grip and pull toward you slightly. You will feel the wax at the wrist begin to separate slightly from the skin. Gently wiggle your fingers and continue pulling back the skin to loosen the wax. You may find you have a complete air lock and may need to poke a pin hole into the finger tips, though this can usually be avoided. If you do have to use a pin, be sure to reseal the holes. Or you could carefully cut the wax cast off, and then use more Flexwax to reseal it. I prefer just wiggling the fingers to remove the cast in one piece. Be patient, it can sometimes take a few minutes to accomplish. You can at run cold water over the wax to cool and harden it, but be careful not to cool it too much as this will make it harder to remove.

Making your cast from a flexwax mold.

What you’ll need:
-gloves
-2 part polyurethane casting resin such as ‘Por-A-Kast Mark 2′ by Synair or Smooth-On’s Smooth Cast 300
-2 part polyurethane expanding foam any brand, 2 to 5 lb
-4 small cups to measure polyurethane
-larger cups to mix polyurethane
-Popsicle sticks or similar to stir with
-protect your work area & keep paper towel at hand, the foam will not come off of anything
-a small box or container to prop your hand cast in while it sets up

To begin label your small cups and stir sticks:
-Foam A
-Foam B
-Resin A
-Resin B

Resin Coat:
Measure out equal portions of the polyurethane resin. You wont need much, under an ounce of each, but you may need to test a hand out to get your measurements correct. Add the 2 parts to a larger cup and stir them together gently and thoroughly. Then add the mix to your cast, being careful to get it into each finger. Next tip the hand in all directions to slush coat the entire inner surface. Let it sit to set up in a small box or container. It should only take about 5 minutes.

Fill with Foam:
Next measure out equal amounts of foam. Again, most likely under an ounce of each part. Foam is finicky and the amount of expansion will depend on the air temperature, humidity and how long its been sitting on the shelf. Start with a small amount. You can always top it up after. Measure out the 2 parts and add them together in a bigger cup. Stir completely but don’t take too long or it will begin to rise. You want to get it into the hand and into each finger before it begins to rise to avoid air bubbles. Put the hand pack into the small box or container to set up. If you used too much foam it will rise high out the top opening. If your lucky it will stay rigid and just form an ‘arm’. If your not, it will blob all over the outer part of the mold. If that happens not to worry, it can be removed after. Best to leave to foam to cure for about an hour.

Remove the Wax.
When the foam has set, peel off all the wax and add it back to the crock pot. Best to lay a paper towel down to catch any wax that may fall as you do this. Use an knife or small blade to aid you in removing the wax. If you are having difficulty removing the wax, warm it up a bit. Be careful not to cut past the wax and into the casting. I check the wax pieces for bits of foam or debris before I add them back to the crock. If your foam expanded out and over the top of the mold and made a mess, just cut it or break off the pieces you don’t want.

You can opt to not use the resin and just use the polyurethane. I have done this too. The cast will not be nearly as strong as one made with resin or pick up as much detail, but is still usable.

You can take it a step further and insert some 1/2 inch PVC to the hand when you add foam so that you have an easy way to add it to your prop. You can add something to resemble bone sticking out the top for a severed hand. Once you have the supplies to do this, making hands for your Halloween props couldn’t be any easier. The way you paint them or what you add to them after they are cast gives you endless possibilities.

Related posts:

1. Skull
2. Molding Skulls with ‘Dragon Skin’
3. Small Skull
4. Zombie Crawler
5. Paper Mache