Despite the several challenges I faced during the molding and casting process, I learned a great deal of information.
The first step involved mixing alginate, which required a scale to measure 128 grams of water and 33 grams of alginate. Once the mixture reached a smooth texture, it was ready for the molding process.
Image 1: Measuring water and alginate by weight
Image 2: Mixing water and alginate
Image 3: Setting fingers to be molded
After ten minutes, the mold of the fingers was set and ready for the casting process. The casting process involves pouring plaster into the finger molds. The plaster required a 2:1 plaster-to-water ratio, with plaster powder being the greater quantity.
Image 4: Plaster poured into the molds
Since the plaster starts off very liquid, screws are held into the finger casting to prevent them from falling in. Iteration one used the plastic stick given in class to hold the screws, while my other iterations used tape. I did three iterations due to my challenges throughout the process.
The toughest part of the first iteration was removing the finger molds from the alginate. It was challenging to extract the fingers out of the cup, and during the removal process, they broke apart. One finger broke into two parts, while the other finger broke into three parts. Next, I used super glue to piece the parts back together. I also sanded the finger mold to make it more cohesive using 180-grit and 400-grit.
From the first iteration, I learned not to pull the fingers directly upwards out of the mold. Instead, in the second iteration, I used a plastic cup, which made demolding easier for me, and I was able to cut the cup if needed. However, the issue in the second iteration was the mixture of the plaster. I believe my volume ratio was off, resulting in a watery solution at the top of the finger plaster molds. Despite this, the fingers still broke into two parts each (and a screw fell out during removal on one of the fingers – I did attempt to super glue it back on it, but plaster did not hold it at all). After super gluing the pieces together, I used 400-grit sanding paper to smooth over the glued cracks.
Image 5: Removing the mold from the castings
Image 6: Sanding the super-glued parts more cohesively
Image 7: First and second iterations
In the third iteration, the plaster did not dry well after ten hours, which caused the fingers to break again during removal. Since the plaster failed to hold its shape, I had to discard this iteration.
Ultimately, I completed the project by spray painting the fingers metallic silver and painting the nails purple using a foam paint brush. While I thought the first iteration looked the best after sanding, it had bubbles on the back, which led me to finish the project with the second iteration.
Image 8: Spray painting the fingers
Image 9: Bubbles in the first iteration
My challenges highlighted the importance of achieving the correct plaster-to-water ratio and mastering the extraction of the molds. I now understand how crucial it is to achieve an accurate 2:1 ratio, as this greatly impacted my second and third iterations. The extraction of moldings proved difficult throughout all of the iterations, indicating this is a technique I need to practice further.
In conclusion, this project has taught me valuable lessons about the meticulous nature of the molding and casting process, highlighting the significance of accurate material ratios and the techniques required for successful demolding, which I will carry forward into future projects.
Image 10: Final set
Clean workspace photos below:
Image 11: Clean workspace from mixing and spray painting
Image 12: Clean workspace from post-processing
