Creating the Mold

So now to go through the process of the creation of the bust to be able to shape the PVC sheets around. I didn’t want to go burning off my chest. I decid ed this was a better option than a dummy because it would be the actual shape of my chest and be more form fitting.


I used Rigid Wrap plaster cloth to make the mold. Now, when I did this I learned that you have to coat th e area in Vaseline to make sure that the pieces do not stick to your skin. Let me tell you, that if you miss a spot this canbe a very painful lesson when trying to take it off. So make sure that the entire area is covered. I let it dry for about 20 min and then pulled it off. I let the mold dry for a few days and then reinforced the middle of the chest and shored up the sides to be able to hold the plaster.

After a week of drying it was time to prep for the plaster pouring. I coated the inside of the mold with Vaseline to make sure that the cast did not stick.

Then one whole box of plaster of paris went into a bucket andstirred away. I tried it with a stick but found that a gloved hand worked better when dealing with that much plaster. Here’s the fun thing. Make sure that you do not inhale the dust, or swallow it, or get it on your skin. All of these things will eventually lead to a fun trip to the emergency room so make sure that you are covered while doing this in a well ventilated area. Then I had to work fast and pour it in. I then added another box to make sure the mold was full. I let it sit for an hour and then broke the mold to get the cast out. Thankfully it came out nicely due to the previously applied Vaseline.

And here is the end result.

Now all I have to do is sand it down and smooth it out and I will be able to mold the PVC sheets to it to create a form fitting armor piece for the chest. Whew, that’s a lot of work.