For this assignment I chose the beginner project to create a finger hook out of a mold I created for my finger, and cement. Despite being a visual arts major, this was a new medium for me, and taught me a new method of creating.

First, I mixed the alginate according to the instructions provided and let my fingers rest in the alginate while the mold set. I originally wanted to set my fingers in this shape so that my finished products could look more like hooks.

However, I ended up simplifying the shape to just the middle part of my index finger to the tip because there would be less chance of error. The first time around I didn’t account for the fact that part of my mold had pockets higher than its lowest point that were parallel to each other, which caused the finished product to look like this:

 

Once I set my finger in the mold the second time, I poured the cement in and left it for about a day. I got back to it as quickly as I could, but since I’d left my cement alone in the alginate so long ended up having to pour a lot of water out of the cup my mold and cast were in. I repeated this process, and once everything was made I could start spray painting!

I decided that I wanted to spray paint my finger hooks red because I liked how bright it was and hadn’t seen any red fingers, so I thought it’d add variety to the mix of fingers sitting on the class table.

Cost Estimate

Rockite Cement: 10lb (Zoro) = ~$16, $1.60/lb || 4 (includes failed attempt) * 35g = 140g || 140g = ~0.31lbs || ~50 cents

Alginate Pefect Mold Power: 1.5lbs (Amazon) = ~$19, $12.67/lb || 2 (includes failed attempt) * 1.5oz = 3oz || 3oz = 0.1875lbs || $2.38

Screws: 189 screws (Walmart) = ~$5, ~3 cents per screw || 4 (includes failed attempt) * 5 cents = 12 cents

Spray Paint = Rustoleum (Walmart) = ~$4, ~30 cents/fl oz || (2 (fingers) * 0.25oz) * 30 cents = 15 cents

Silicon Cups = Measuring cups (Amazon) = $12 for 8 cups, ~$1.5/cup || 2 (cups) * $1.5 = $3

Labor = $10/hr || 2 * $10 = $20

Total Cost = $25.96