This has been a lengthy chapter with lots of information to retain. Fortunately there is considerable repetition and redundancy within the chapter. So you should now be familiar with:
■ How to safely make good dental impressions
■ Lifecasting using alginate vs. lifecasting with skin-safe platinum-cure silicone
■ The safety risks involved with lifecasting
■ The materials needed for various types of lifecasts
■ Making gypsum and plaster positives
■ Mixing ratios and determining material amounts
■ The various methods and the overall process of creating a lifecast for special makeup effects
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■ Materials
■ 
Preparation
■ Sculpting tools: Making your own
■ Types of clay
■ Sculpting: Blocking, refining, and finishing
By now you should be more than ready to get some clay under your fingernails. However, before any sculpting for a prosthetic appliance can begin, the positive that you’ll be sculpting on must be properly cleaned up and prepared, and you will need to have your tools and other materials ready so that you can work without interruption and not continually be looking for something you need. Having a prepared workspace with everything you need in plain sight and within reach will maximize your efficiency. I can’t do anything without music playing in the background, so there’s that to consider, too.
