For this assignment, the goal was to create two finger hooks through molding and casting. To start, I created a mixture of alginate and water in which I dipped my pointer finger and held it there until the mold hardened/dried. The ratio of alginate to water was roughly 2:1 by volume and I just used my best judgment to get a thick mixture since the original mixture we created for Allison’s mixture was so thin and took very long to harden. The time for the alginate to harden was about eight minutes.

I then used a similar method for mixing together the plaster and water which was roughly a 3:1 mixture. I then poured the plaster into the finger mold. I then used painter’s tape to hang a screw over the mold with the threads facing out and the head just dipped in the plaster. I then let this sit for several hours and returned to remove my finger from the mold. I repeated the plaster mixing and setting process for my second finger in the same mold and my end result was a second finger (although it was a bit shorter). I finished both my finger hooks with two layers of blue spray paint.

I’ve done some similar molding projects in the past in middle school so it’s been a while since I’ve touched these materials and it was great to (literally) get my hands dirty again. I did have some frustrations with how fragile the fingers were as they were coming out of the mold. The second finger was especially fussy and I ended up having to superglue the screw back on to the finger since that and a piece of plaster broke off coming out of the mold. Otherwise, it was a great experience and I’d be more comfortable in the future making other objects using this method.

Cost Analysis

• Labor: 1.5 hrs x $20/hr = $30
• Materials
  • Spray paint: $0.20
  • Screw: $0.01
  • Plaster: $0.50
  • Alginate: $2

Total: $32.71 for two