During class we made an alginate mold of our fingers by mixing alginate and water in a 1:1 ratio (125g water and 33g alginate). After stirring vigorously till there were no major clumps, I inserted my index and middle finger to mold. I wanted a curled finger to act as a real “hook”, however, this structure made it difficult to fully form because an air pocket formed at the finger tip. After about 10 minutes, I removed my fingers carefully to prevent breaking the mold.
We used Plaster of Paris (2:1 powder to water ratio) to make the casts. It is a very cost effective, easy to use material for quick casting that holds great detail, however, it is quite delicate. After mixing until a smooth consistency was achieved, I poured the plaster into the mold, trying to tap the mold to release air bubbles from the pocket that formed at the fingertips. A jig to position two screws was placed in the mold so that the fingers can be screwed into the wall. The molds were left overnight to cure. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures for this part of the project as my hands were quite dirty and I left my phone inside the classroom.
The next day, I unmolded the fingers by removing the alginate from the container and breaking the mold away from the cast carefully. I was surprised how great the detail was on the fingers – I could see the wrinkles in my joints and the texture of my skin. There was a missing finger tip, as I expected from the air pocket, but I decided to finish post-processing them anyways.
I used 180 and 400 grit sandpaper to smooth large seams or gaps, being especially careful to preserve the fine detail in the texture of the fingers. I was impressed by how easily material was removed from the casts, however, this is a double-edged-sword when trying to retain details.
I decided to paint my fingers using silver metallic spray paint to give it a futuristic feeling. It looks kind of gray in this picture, but I think it looks better in real life.
| Cost Type | Cost | Price | Source | Quantity | Total |
| Materials | Alginate | $8.07/376g | https://tinyurl.com/2njxc63p | 33g | 0.71 |
| Water | $6.62/1000 gal | https://tinyurl.com/4fbweped | .1 gal | 0.00066 | |
| Plaster of Paris | $7.99/4lb | https://tinyurl.com/2d685fxv | .2 lb | 0.40 | |
| Spray paint | $6.83 | https://tinyurl.com/45a7z3k9 | 1 | 6.83 | |
| Screw (2”) | $0.69/ea | https://tinyurl.com/3vaj2rj3 | 2 | 1.38 | |
| 3D printed screw jig | $0.50/ea | Bambu Studio | 2 | 1.00 | |
| Containers | $1.99/ea | https://tinyurl.com/3eecvea4 | 3 | 5.97 | |
| Labor | Technician and Designer | $18.27/hr | https://graduate.rice.edu/admissions/costofstudy | 2 | 36.54 |
Total: $52.83
Clean space:
