Molding

The first step in the molding and casting project was to create a mold of my index finger. This required the use of alginate. I mixed 80mL water with 32g of alginate until the mixture got into a yogurt like consistency. I placed my finger inside the mold and waited about 5min until the mixture hardened. After filling a little bit of space for my finger to wiggle, I removed my finger form the mold.

Casting

In order to cast, I used plaster of pairs powder. I mixed 25mL of water with 50g of plaster, until all of the powder dissolved, the liquid became a bit thick. I then filled my mold with the plaster. Once filled, I attached a screw to the finger for the plaster to dry with it in place.

 

 

Removing Casted Finger

For my first finger, I let the plaster dry overnight. Unfortunately, when removing my first finger, I broke my mold! I redid the molding and casting steps to create another mold. This time around I positioned my finger in a way for it to be better for removal. Form this mold I made my to “identical” fingers. 

Post Processing

For post processing I sprayed painted my two fingers an initial coat of burnt orange. The color was not appealing at all, so I decided to repaint them white and then a metallic silver (which was much better). 

Cost:

Time: 3hrs x $10/hr = $30

Alginate: $0.50

Plaster of Pairs: $0.75

Spray Paint:  $2

Total Cost: $33.25

Result

This overall experience was great! I learned a lot about molding and casting which is without a doubt going to help with my final project.