For this homework we were tasked with using casting and molding techniques to create a replica of our own finger. In class, we learned to cast and mold using alginate and plaster of paris, and I worked with Cal to create this finger:

The finger broke and had to be glued together, but altogether, this is the assignment that I blame for giving me the impression that this homework would be relatively easy to complete. After all, I had already done one moderately successful finger, and all I had to do was replicate the process using quick concrete instead. Right? So wrong.

I quickly and easily created the mold for my first attempt at this homework:

From here, I followed the instructions on the quick concrete and poured my cast:

I felt happy about my cast. I felt content. I felt that if I came back the next day, I might even be able to use the same mold for my second finger. I was wrong. When I returned, the finger was nearly impossible to remove, and had a very very wet feeling throughout: When I tried to pull it out, it broke into one sodden, strange  finger:

but nonetheless I persevered. I created another mold:

Another cast:

And ultimately, another strange, broken finger:

Because I waited longer (around 2 days) for this one, it was much harder and less dry, but that did not stop it from snapping in half. It also had a lot of alginate stuck to it, which I felt wasn’t a good sign. From here I heard tell that some people were having success with fingers made of rockite, so I made another mold:

And another cast, this time with rockite:

I felt very confident about this one as all around me, I was seeing successful rockite fingers. I waited the 30 minute curing time, and pulled it out:

I hypothesize that the fact that the alginate puts off water as it dries made the rockite wetter than it should have been, delaying the curing time and ruining my finger. The next time I returned to work on the fingers, the rockite was all gone. Knowing what I knew about how slowly the quick cement dried, I made the decision to go back to plaster. I made another mold:

And what I sincerely hoped would be my last cast:

To remove these fingers, which were my very last hope, from the mold, I made the choice to break the mold immediately in order to give it the best chance of success. I had some trouble taking the alginate out of the cup but finally managed to remove it and pull the fingers out:

I was extremely happy to see that the fingers turned out well, though I was surprised how small they were and a bit disappointed that the metal nails ended up pushing through the fingernails a little bit. From here, it was time to work on the artistic side of the fingers. I spray painted them silver and finished with a clear coat:

This was the final end to this homework. Overall, this was the hardest and most frustrating homework I have done so far for this class, which is ironic because I assumed at first glance that it would be the easiest. Ultimately, I wish I had gotten more of a chance to make a more artistic choice with the shape of the finger itself, as I ended up just making a plain, straight finger in order to make it least likely to break. I really enjoyed how the silver made the finger look however, as it gave the fingers a bit more texture and made them look much prettier.

Here is the cost breakdown of my wall fingers. I did not count the materials used to make the failed fingers since I figured in the event that someone wanted to pay me to make the finger, I would not make those same mistakes again and would just go straight in for the plaster finger, or potentially the rockite which I would simply allow to cure for a longer time:

Plaster of paris: $5.50 walmart

Alginate: $7, amazon

Spray paint: $5, target

Polyeurethene coating: $10, hobby lobby

My time: 40$ (~4 hours at 10$/hour, assuming I make minimal mistakes this time)

Tools and shop: 50$ (txrx makerspace lab in Houston)

Total: 117.5$