INtroduction
This week I worked towards the goal of creating 2 finger hooks using molding and casting. Although the process was fairly simple, I still stumbled here and there.
Molding
The first step of the process was creating a mold using alginate, water, and my finger. I mixed a 1:1 ratio of alginate to water to create the molding substance. On my first attempt I mixed it for longer than needed and it ended settling before pouring in the container I was using. For my second attempt I made sure to stop and pour it once it was consistent and still very aqueous. Once it was ready, I poured it into the container and immediately placed my finger in the substance. After waiting about 10 minutes I took out my finger and the mold was ready.
Casting
It was now time to create a 2:1 mixture of plaster to water to cast it using the mold.
This was honestly the most tedious part of the process as I had to repeat it multiple times since my timing on pouring the casting mixture into my mold. On my first two attempts I tried pouring the mixture when it was already solidifying and it stopped flowing halfway down the mold. I didn’t notice so I let it dry and once it did I realized that I had created half of a finger. On my third attempt I poured the mixture into the mold before it got viscous and then waited 30 minutes and got this result after repeating the same process
:
POST PRocessing
After the long process of casting my finger hooks it was apparent that there was excess plaster caused by air bubbles within the mold so I decided to sand it down to level it to the rest of the finger.
To finish off the finger hooks I spray painted them a deep red color and then added a clear coating for protection.
Cost analysis
- Alginate (Dick Blick Make-a-Mold Alginate $32.99 per 4.5 lbs) Used 1 lb: $7.33
- Plaster (Plaster of Paris $15 per 8 lbs) Used 8 oz: $0.94
- Colonial Red Spray Paint (Rust-Oleum $6.48 per 12 oz can at Home Depot) Used 0.5 oz: $0.27
- Clear Coat (Rust-Oleum $6.48 per 12 oz can at Home Depot) Used 0.5 oz: $0.27
- Labor ($15 an hour) 4 hours in total: $60
- Total: $68.81
