Remember my first foray into high definition hand casting? Well, I’m back for round two thinking how hard could it be to do myself? This time, the challenge was even greater: a quick hand cast with my boyfriend who only had 15 minutes to spare and no expert Debbie! Talk about pressure!
Knowing time was of the essence, I went into overdrive. I prepped everything in record time, cutting the plaster bandage strips and getting the alginate mixing area ready. Since my hand would be completely submerged, I knew I'd be a bit… incapacitated. I had to juggle reading instructions, snapping photos, and directing Jaide, my able assistant, all while being trapped in a rapidly setting alginate mould. It was a bit like a frantic, one-handed octopus trying to conduct an orchestra.
We managed to get the alginate mixed and gooped onto our hands and then it was time for the plaster bandages. This is where things got even more interesting. I knew from my first experience that the bandages were important to create a supporting shell otherwise when we removed our hands the alginate mould would lose its shape. I directed Jaide to dip each bandage in water, making sure they were soaked through and smooth them out. But we didn't quite think about the reason it should be smoothed out. You'll find out why later.
Then the second mistake: Don't apply the plaster bandages beyond where the alginate ends on your arms! I didn't think about it, but now my final cast has the texture of the plaster bandage imprinted on the arm part, which isn't exactly the look I was going for. Live and learn, I guess!
Once the plaster bandages set, we were able to remove our hands relatively quickly and it was time to seal the hole where our arms were with more plaster bandages, otherwise the stone would just run straight out. Again we didn't smooth the plaster bandages enough. When the arm hole bandages were dry, we added water into the mould to test for leaks and it was like a torrential downpour! This would have meant the stone mixture leaking out later, which would be a disaster. Handy tip, do the water test over a sink.
We frantically applied more plaster bandages, trying to smooth things out as best we could. In the particularly leaky areas, I even resorted to wrapping paper towels around the outside of the mould to absorb any excess water before we poured the stone. It was a makeshift solution, but it seemed to do the trick.
Despite the time crunch and my repeated errors, we managed to get the stone poured. And the result? Well, it was…near perfect! Despite the fumbling with the plaster bandages and the paper towel "fix," the cast came out beautifully. I don't even mind the detail on the arms from the plaster bandages. Another rookie error though, I forgot to add a hanging cord while the plaster was wet so my flat lay hands will have to lay flat rather than hang on a wall. Despite this, I'm thrilled with how it turned out! It just goes to show, even with a few hiccups along the way, you can still achieve fantastic results. One thing's for sure: I'm definitely getting more practice with this hand-casting thing, and I'm learning something new each time!
- Mel
