For this project, I decided to work on the beginner level. I first used the mold that we made in class, but with this first cast, I left the plaster overnight, and when I came back the next morning, the cast was split, and had water in it.
The mold, however, appeared to be usable. So, I mixed the plaster, and poured into the same mold, making sure to use some masking tape to hold together the area where I had cut the mold.
This gave me my first successful cast. From here, I made another mold, this one ended up being a shorter mold, which I decided would make it easier to extract the piece without it breaking apart.
After waiting for the mold to cure, I poured the plaster mix into the mold, and waited, when this was dry however, I attempted to extract it, only for the plaster to crack apart again.
I then repeated the process one more time, taking the most care in letting all pieces cure and cutting the cast from the mold, this gave my second successful piece.
From here, I post-processed the pieces, by smoothing the surface a little bit with some sandpaper, as well as spray painting the surface with an orange followed by a few clear coats.
Overall, this was a rewarding project, however, if I was to do it again, I would hope to be able to work with a material more consistent and hardy than plaster, as it is incredibly frustrating to spend the time mixing the mold, letting it set, mixing the plaster, only for the piece to break, just as you are taking it out of the mold.
Costs:
- Materials: $15.75
- Alginate: 1/4 lb @ $9.68 per lb = $2.42
- Plaster: 1/4 lb @ $9.48 per lb = $2.37
- Spray Paint (orange): $5.48 per can = $5.48
- Clear Coat: $5.48 per can =$5.48
- Labor: 2 1/2 hr @ $15 per hr = $37.5
- 1/2 hr Mixing
- 1 hr Creating Molds
- 1 hr Post Processing
- (3-4 hours intermediary waiting time)
- Total: $53.25
