For this week’s project, I molded and casted my finger using alginate and plaster. I actually had some previous experience using alginate and plaster in my sculpture class, so I enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with these materials again. The process I went through to complete the assignment is outlined below.

Creating a Mold

To mix the alginate, I combined 1:4 parts of water and alginate by weight. I made sure to add my water into the alginate incrementally, stirring the mixture thoroughly each time. Then, I placed my index finger into the alginate mix for about 5 minutes or until the alginate firmed up around my finger. Now, with my mold prepared, I was ready to mix and pour my plaster.

Preparing and Mixing the Plaster

To mix my plaster, I began by adding enough dry plaster into a container that I thought would be enough to fill my finger mold. I then added some water into the container and stirred. Using my experience from my sculpture class, I continued to add water and stir the mixture until the mix had a consistency between liquid glue and yogurt. Once the mix was prepared, I poured it into the mold and placed a screw on top. I left the plaster to dry and returned in 3 days.

When I returned to the OEDK, I took out my first finger casting and repeated the above steps for my second mold and plaster pouring. I then left this second cast to harden over 2 days.

Finishing

Once both my fingers casts were prepared, I spray painted them both with a silver spray paint and added a layer of glossy paint on top.

In Hindsight

Generally speaking, the process to create my fingers was smooth. However, I do wish I had more time to redo my second finger casting since there were some obvious imperfections with the cast. Nonetheless, I was happy with the project and the color of the spray paint finish.

Cost Analysis

• 1 lb bag of alginate = $5.65
• 8 lb bag of plaster = $6.31
• 1 can of aluminum spray paint = $4.83
• 1 can of gloss spray paint = $4.98
• set of mixing cups with stirring spoons = $11.99
• labor = 3 hours of hands on labor * $20/hour =$60

TOTAL COST = $93.76