Molding

I used a 1:1 mixture of alginate and water to create the mold. I mixed for four minutes before placing two fingers from my left hand into the mold, waiting an additional six minutes to dry. I was very careful to remove my fingers slowly to not damage the mold.

Casting

I mixed a 2:1 ratio of Plaster of Paris to water and mixed it for a few minutes before pouring the plaster into the mold. I then poked screws through a piece of cardboard and placed them upside down into the mixture to ensure that the screws would have the heads inside the finished cast.

Post-Processing

I decided to spray paint the two fingers red because despite the fact that my favorite color is blue, I have been leaning more towards red lately in my life. After a coat of red, I applied a clear coat and allowed to let dry.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

This was an incredibly simple process overall. I was disappointed with the final appearances of many of the casts because they had a lot of imperfections due to the mold that I produced. I placed my fingers into the mold a little earlier than I intended because I noticed it was starting to solidify. As a result, it seems like the mold did not fully take on the shape of my fingers; nonetheless, the final product is still a somewhat accurate depiction! It was really cool to create something using this method.

 

Cost

Time ($15/hr for 0.75 hrs): $11.25

Alginate (1/100th of a bag at ~$8 a bag): $0.08

Plaster of Paris (1/200th of a bucket at ~$8 a bucket): $0.04

Screws: Negligible

Total: $11.37