Hi everyone!
I had a great time during this assignment as I was able to make the mold and go through the process with Professor Taekyeom Lee aka Tack (he made one for himself as well!).
Figure 1: Mold with plaster
He recommended mixing the alginate powder into the water in order to avoid clumps and any dry spots within the mold. I mixed the alginate and water in a 1:4 ratio by weight and waited up to 10 minutes for the mold to release. I did one finger at a time and chose to do the middle finger as I hoped it would be the longest one. After repeating the process for the second finger, it was time to mix the plaster. A benefit of having Prof. Taekyeom there was that he is an expert in making plaster and knowing just the right consistency. He filled a cup with water and poured in the plaster until it formed an “island”. The first time, he used his hands to mix it up and I followed with the same process for the second time (we had a little less and had to make extra). It had a clay-like feel and I could break down all the clumps with my fingers. I kept thinking about the ratio and the numbers, but this way was so much better.
Figure 2: Fingers cast
I left the plaster to dry overnight and came in the next day to remove my finger from the mold. In order to avoid any breakage (my first finger broke when we did it in class), I used a box cutter to cut around the alginate. I was initially slightly disappointed because I really thought I had my entire finger in there, but it turned out I didn’t. Regardless of the size, I was very happy with the way it looked and also scared to drop it because of how delicate it felt. To post-process it, I “filed” down one of my nails to make both fingers even, spray painted it with a metallic silver coating, and added a clear coat as an additional protective layer. After letting it dry, I had a silver finger to use!
Cost Analysis
Alginate ~= $2
Plaster ~= $1
Spray paint ~= $2
Labor ($15/hour) = $15
Scale, mixing cup and stick, 2 screws not included (OEDK provided)
Total cost: $20
Still don’t see why I need a mold of my finger, but it was a fun time for sure.
