I have used pre-made molds for soaps and candles in the past but this was my first time actually making the mold.
First finger setting in the mold
The process was relatively straightforward starting with mixing 50g alginate and 200g water. It was a little challenging to make sure all the alginate was thoroughly mixed so there were no dry clumps or overly watery areas. Once it was mixed I stuck my finger in and waited 5 minutes for the mold to set. It was hard pulling my finger our as I was concerned I would tear the mold but going slowly worked. Once it was out, I used some of the 2:1 plaster to water mixture to fill the mold. It was challenging to get the plaster to go to the bottom of the mold but lots of tapping the bottom of the cup on the table and moving the plaster around with a popsicle stick helped. Hanging the screw in the mold was probably the trickiest part and for both my fingers they came out a little wonky.
Before post processing
When I retrieved my finger after it had set, I again pulled very slowly on the screw to remove it and try to preserve the mold. It definitely helped that my finger was straight and not curved. While the outside of the mold showed a little shrinkage, the finger area had not dried out so I made more plaster and reused it for my second cast.
Interestingly, both fingers had small bubbles in the same places meaning they were likely trapped during the mold setting. I trimmed the excess plaster from base with sand paper and finished the pieces with spray paint.
Small visible bubbles
Skewed screws
Realistic to the last wrinkle
Material Cost: $7.01 13oz bag of Alginate $5.21 4.5lb bag of Plaster of Paris Water cost is negligible Labor Cost: 45 mins @7.25/hr = $5.44 Total = $17.66
