For this molding and casting homework, we started the process in class. Before we realized it was no good, I was among the first people to try out the initial ratio. After throwing out that batch, Dr. Wettergreen made me a new mixture! The ratio that worked the best ended up being 1:1 of alginate and water. Thankfully, I have previously worked with plaster and alginate, so I didn’t miss out on any skills.

After sitting with my fingers in the mold for a few minutes, I was able to wiggle them out and make the plaster to pour in. Unfortunately, with the angle I held my hand, my fingers didn’t get very deep in the alginate and ended up being a little shorter than I would have liked. Before I poured the plaster, I used a popsicle stick, and tape to suspend the nails in the plaster, so the fingers would be able to screw into something. Once I poured the plaster, I was able to leave the OEDK and allow them to set.

When I came back to the OEDK a few days later, I was able to carefully take out my plaster fingers. The fingertips weren’t that smooth, but everything else came out good. For my post-processing, it was basically deciding on what color I wanted to spray paint my fingers. I stuck the nails into a paper cup for spray painting, and after letting it dry for a few days, I added a clear coat. I decided on gold because I want my touch to be golden 🙂

I enjoyed this project because it reminded me of the sculpture class that I took last semester. It was also very quick and easy to do.

Cost Analysis:

• Alginate: $13.99 for 28 ounces (JOANN Fabrics and Crafts), I used about 150 ml (5 oz) of alginate so after conversions, that is $2 per ounce and $10 total
• Plaster: $7.49 for 4 pounds (JOANN Fabrics and Crafts), I used about 1 oz (0.0625 lb) of plaster so after conversion, that is $1.87 per pound and $0.12 total
• Gold Spray Paint: $6.98 for 11 ounces (Home Depot), I used about 1 oz so that is $0.63 per ounce and $0.63 total
• Clear Coat: $7.99 for 12 ounces (Home Depot), I used about 1 ounce so that is $0.67 per ounce and $0.67 total
• Labor: $15 per hour, I did about 2 hours of work so that is $30 total

Total:$41.42