Come along as I take you on this journey of molding and casting my finger as a hook! This task required a lot of patience and many trial and errors which I will show you along the way.
STEP 1: Making the Alginate mold
I started by mixing the alginate with water then placing my finger into the pot however the first time I did it, I had placed my finger there for 15 minutes and it still had not set which was due to the ratio being slightly off making the texture more liquid like. I decided to restart due to the mixture not setting and the second time round, I used slightly more alginate and it produced better results! My finger was only in the pot for 5 minutes before it started to set.
STEP 2: Making the plaster
The plaster was made by mixing plaster with water in a 2:1 ratio. Once thoroughly mixed, I poured the plaster into the mold, carefully positioned the screw into the base of the finger, and then waited the next day for it to solidify. After trying to carefully take the finger out, it broke which made me heartbroken as I needed to restart. This error may have been due to leaving the plaster in the mold overnight which is too long as it releases water as it dries. I made sure that next time, I was to take the finger out much sooner and not to leave it dry overnight. The second time round, I recreated the plaster mixture but this time, I used slightly more plaster powder as I was thinking that my previous finger may have failed due to not having enough powder. After checking on it a few hours later, I pulled the finger out the mold and it was in one piece! I was super happy and proceeded to make my second finger using the same mold. I then finished with sanding the edges of the finger to ensure it was smooth.
STEP 3: Finishing touches
Inspired by the name of the James Bond movie, Goldfinger, I decided to spray paint my fingers gold to give it a rich and luxurious look. I then clear coated it to give it a glossy appearance. Overall, I was really happy with how it turned out, despite the many reattempts along the way.
Cost analysis
- Plaster of Paris: $16.66/tub (Walmart)
- Alginate Molding Powder: $20/lb (Amazon)
- Labour: $30 ($15/hour)
TOTAL: $66.66
