I hope that this question is not too far off-topic for this stack, but I was hoping to make a custom shaped pillow for back-sleeping that is molded to the shape of my head. I aiming for something that resembles the middle section of this commercially available pillow:
What I'm going for is a hollow for the back of the head and a bridge for the neck. I don't need the side platforms.
I've toyed around with different ideas for taking a mold of my head:
- I first thought of making a 3D scan of my head and then 3D printing that scan, but that seems like overdoing things in bad a Mission Impossible kind of way.
- Then I thought perhaps an easier low-tech idea would be to use plaster of Paris to make the mold: I would fill a large container with plaster of Paris, cover the top with gauze, and then I'd lean in and stay motionless for however long it takes it to set. The last part seems the most problematic, however, since I imagine that the set time for a large amount of plaster of Paris is much longer than if you have it out in thin strips that can easily aerate. I'd have to lie there motionless for hours or risk making a bad cast.
So I'm pretty much stuck at this step: casting a mold of my head. I imagine (hope) that this is the most difficult part. After that I plan to create the negative of that cast in foam, which I expect would pose fewer problems.
Any suggestions on what would be the best way to go about this, with or without plaster of Paris?