For this project we were tasked with creating a mold of a finger and casting a model out of plaster. I began this process by mixing ingredients to form the mold. The assignment instructions called for a 1:1 ratio between mold and water, but I ended up using nearly a 3:1 ratio, as much more water was needed. After stirring thoroughly, I submerged my finger in the mixture and waited 5 minutes. Once the mold had cured, I carefully removed my finger. For the first finger, I left the mold in a large container, so I was unable to fully submerge my finger. To get a more complete model, I created another mold and transferred it to a smaller container before it cured. As a result, my two fingers are different lengths.

Next up I needed to mix the water and plaster and pour the mixture into the mold. I formed the mixture in a 2:1 plaster to water ratio and stirred for 2 minutes. I then carefully poured the mixture into and over the mold. I configured the screw so that the head was partially submerged in the plaster, and I left the finger to dry overnight.

Once both fingers had dried, I painted them with two coats of purple spray paint, and left them to dry for a few hours. I’m pleased with how they turned out, I was surprised to see how much of the wrinkles and skin textures were preserved in the mold. Below you can see my finger models and my final clean workspace.

Cost Analysis:

• Molding Material: 64 g * $0.03 per gram = $1.92
• Plaster: 40 g * $0.004 per gram = $0.17
• Equipment Use (beakers, balance, screws): 10% of combined cost of $29 = $2.90
• Spray Paint: 1/10 of can * $8.00 = $0.80
• Labor: 2 hrs * $15 per hour = $30

Total: $35.79