Hand-Held...How To?!

Hello Hand-Casters!

It's a couple weeks before we all gather and I wanted to take a moment to describe the process we will be using to make molds and casts. I'm starting to pack my studio and can't wait until my own hand's are in Pullman, collecting, making, and communing! If you haven't already done so, please RSVP to handheldpullman@gmail.com to reserve your spot! Casting dates are Saturday August 13th or Sunday August 14th (10-12pm) at the Co-op Op Gardens in Pullman!

So...how does one make a mold of their hands? And what does a "mold" or "cast" mean? Think positive / negative! In order to make a "positive" or cast of your hand, you will first need a material to fill the "negative" space around your hand. We will use gooey, non-toxic dental alginate for this.

 

I'm forever intrigued by the alchemy and science of materials. The base of dental alginate is derived from sea-kelp and is biodegradable! It's easy to mix and captures a lot of fine detail. The life of the alginate is fairly short, as it shrinks after a day or so. Refrigeration of the mold will prolong the life. For more durable molds that you'd like to use again, you can try a variety of silicone products. My favorites are TAP Platinum and POYO Putty.

After a few minutes, the material will change from cake batter to more viscous, silly putty. Simply remove your hand and VIOLA! MOLD MADE! Time to cast a hand positive! With casting into alginate, a variety of liquids can be used. Wax and plaster are the main two. Casting with high temperature liquids like glass or bronze requires a different moldmaking path, called the "lost-wax" technique. I often will use wax positives of hands to cast those in glass! More on that in a later post!

 

For our session, we will be using my all time favorite material...plaster!! From using it to cast and mold from, or troweling it in earthy layers on walls, it is such a versatile material. There are many different types of plaster, mostly derived from gypsum, lime, clay, or cement. We will be using a type of plaster called pottery plaster. It's fine gypsum base gives you a lightweight, cast. Once the plaster sets and hardens, simply peel away the alginate from the cast to reveal your hand. Air bubbles are common in the casting process, and those can be easily scraped away using pottery files.



Showtime! Can you imagine having a whole community of hands casted in plaster?  A writer, a welder, a doctor...each gesture creates a different callus. Collectively, marking a moment.

Everyone is invited to attend this session, so grab your neighbor and let's cast! See you soon!