In this assignment, I casted my finger twice in plaster to create identical finger hooks, using alginate molds. Inspired by a variety of posts including rings on my Instagram feed (from infamous Aggie ring dunks at TAMU to multiple high school peers getting engaged — two very different takes on ring by spring), I wanted to incorporate the detail of one of the rings I wear when casting this (though not a college ring or an engagement ring, it was a really cool opportunity to incorporate fine details in an assignment).

Getting Started

I got an early attempt at molding and casting my finger hook during the class period that we used to practice. While my plaster finger broke while I was unmolding it, I was able to take away a couple of major things to implement in my next attempt: first, to make more of a slurry with the plaster mixture — mine was far too watery and made the plaster very fragile after setting; second, to be more careful while unmolding — even if my plaster was less fragile, it was very easy to snap the bent part of my fingertip off without making sure it was easy to remove from the alginate.

 

After trying to think of a way that I could make my finger hooks unique and deciding on keeping my ring on while creating the mold, I started on the actual pieces that I would produce for this project by my creating my alginate mixture using a 1:4 weight ratio of alginate powder to cold water, and mixing vigorously for a couple minutes in order to create a well-combined mixture while still having time to set my finger in it before the mixture itself set. By taking a little bit longer to combine the mixture and still being mindful of the time I needed to set my finger in the mold, I found that I didn’t have to keep my finger in there for as long as I expected to after seeing others practice it during the class period we spent focusing on molding and casting. Next, I created my plaster mixture to set in the mold, and using the insights from that same class period, I aimed for a volume ratio of plaster to water closer to 1:1.5, rather than the initial 1:2 that we started off with. This gave me a more optimal “slurry” texture, rather than something super runny where the water almost immediately started separating from the plaster.

Post-Processing

I started my post-processing by highlighting the ring by painting it a metallic color, and leaving the rest of the plaster its original color. Unfortunately, it was at this point that I dropped one of my fingers and cracked it down the middle. Without anymore alginate to make another mold, I superglued it back together in a rudimentary attempt to mend it, and continued with finishing the project. I finished both finger hooks with a clear satin spray paint and left them to dry as my finished product for this assignment.

    

IN hindsight

I wish I was more careful when handling my plaster pieces. While it could have also been due to the fragility of the first plaster mixture I made, I think I could have avoided breaking it by carefully cutting around the bottom part of the mold to make sure I got out the finger hook with ease (something that worked successfully for me the second time around). Additionally, I dropped one of the pieces about six inches from the surface I was painting it above and it still managed to break in two — definitely avoidable if I had just been more careful. Finally, while I am excited at how these pieces turned out, if I could do it again, I think I would have picked a ring with more detail to really highlight that part of my design choice.

Cost Analysis

Alginate (3 lb bag)……………………….$38.06

Plaster (25 lb bag)………………………..$26.39

Metallic Acrylic Paint……………………$2.99

Clear Satin Spray Paint…………………$14.49

Phillips Screws (1 Box, 100 Count)…$12.28

Overall, the cost of this method of prototyping is inexpensive at $94.21, especially considering the fact that these numbers are bulk costs of items that would allow this project to be completed over several times. If alginate is the limiting material, and each mold takes approximately 2 ounces (56 grams), you could create 24 molds, and therefore 12 iterations of this project, with a per project cost of approximately $7.85. At the most basic level of completion without any finishing, the project would become even more inexpensive.