Plaster shears are safer than electric cutters. Plaster shears are available at medical supply companies. Never use another tool, such as an electric carving knife, to remove a plaster cast from a human arm.
Unroll the stockinette the length of your forearm. Placing both your arm and the stockinette roll on a table is the easiest way to do this.
Cut 1/2 inch (1. 3 cm) into the stockinette for your thumb. Make the cut at a 45-degree angle for best results. When you’re finished, slide your arm into the stockinette, and your thumb through the 1/2-inch (1. 3-cm) hole. You can wear this while you work on the remainder of the cast.
Wrap the padding around the hand two times. Do not wrap the fingers. Cut the padding to go over the thumb if the padding bunches. Wrap the padding around the wrist, moving up the arm towards the elbow with each rotation of the wrap. Ensure that each new pass around the arm overlaps approximately 30% of the pass made before it. Keep the padding smooth as you wrap the arm. Stop wrapping below the elbow. The wrap should end below the elbow with a space about as wide as two horizontal fingers between the wrap and the elbow. Wrap the padding back down the arm. Stop at the wrist. Cut off the remainder of the padding with scissors.
Remove the plaster when it has softened all the way through. Wring out the plaster gently.
Continue to wrap the arm, moving down towards the elbow. Do not pull on the plaster. Flatten the applied plaster with your hand as you wrap. Ensure that each new pass of the plaster overlaps the one before it. Stop wrapping the plaster 1 inch (3 cm) before the edge of the padding near the elbow.
Stop wrapping underneath the thumb. Fold the leftover padding down over the cast, and wrap the last part of the plaster over the padding to secure the padding.
Don’t allow your cast to get wet. Take baths, rather than showers, while wearing your plaster cast. Make sure your cast is covered when you’re outside in the rain.
This step should be planned prior to creating your plaster cast. If you’ve neglected to plan for this step, you should make an appointment at your local medical office and ask them to help you.
Modroc is basically gauze, purchased in rolls, lightly layered with plaster, which can be wrapped and molded when wet. Modroc can be found in many craft stores on online.
If you are doing this activity with a child, you may wish to do the cutting yourself to avoid accidents with the scissors. The water is only for dampening the Modroc bandage. If you leave it in too long, all the plaster will fall off. Remove it from the water after about 5 seconds.
Apply strips until the area appears properly covered. Teaching your child to bandage her doll can help her learn physical knowledge, 1st aid basics and empathy.
Be careful that your child doesn’t put any of this cast material in her mouth. You can easily wash any residual plaster off your fingers.
Modroc should be easy to cut with household scissors, and any excess can be cleaned up with a damp cloth. Any Modroc that has spilled into your counter or table can be easily wiped up.
