I had created a cast of a foot some time ago. Casts are great for drawing because you can pose them at different angles and light conditions and you know it isn’t going to move like a person would. They never get tired.

This week, I decided to create a cast of my hand and bought a Make-a-Mold kit from Dick Blick, which is the same product I had used for the foot. You can buy the mold and casting material separately but this kit has everything you need. It contains two bags, one with alginate powder which is used to create the mold and another with plaster powder used for the cast. They come in a container designed to be used with these materials. The instructions included in the kit are very detailed and if you follow them carefully you should end up with a very detailed cast which can even replicate fingerprints.

Each powder is mixed with water to create a liquid version. The alginate mold sets very quickly so it is important to insert the object or body part right after you have reached a liquid consistency. After about two minutes you can take it out when the mold has achieved a solid gelatinous consistency. The plaster solidifies more slowly. But with both materials the temperature of the water determines how quickly they set. They will harden more slowly the lower the temperature of the water is, so you want to work with water colder than room temperature, otherwise you have to work quickly. I added a couple of ice cubes to the water to get it well below 72° F (22° C) for both mixtures. When mixing, it helps to use an electric hand mixer but some vigorous use of a wire whisk should do the job.

The plaster takes about 2 hours to set. At that point, you can flip the container and slowly begin to loosen the mold by tapping on the container. Then, you can remove the mold in pieces with your hand to reveal the plaster cast. But this time, I decided to carefully remove the mold in two pieces with a knife to see if I could retain the mold for another cast. I had to do this slowly to prevent cutting and damaging the cast. You can see the images of the two halves of the mold above.

Below there are photos of several casts: the foot I created some time ago, the newer hand cast next to an open hand that didn’t come out well, and the two casts of the hand created from the newest mold. The first hand of the last picture is the cast that was created after the mold was cut in half. You can notice the “mold line” similar to that found in mold-injected plastic objects. This “line” can be removed with a knife and sanding it.