Possibility of casting someone’s hands in bronze, so I thought I’d better familiarise myself with the materials and method for making a positive.

I used two bags of Alginart [a colour changing alginate like the stuff used by dentists for taking moulds of teeth and gums] as one site suggested that was enough to cast a pair of hands.

Measure the water into a bucket, stir in the Alginart, keep stirring until the bright pink starts to fade then plunge in the hands and keep tight for a few mins while it continues to change colour to a sort of white.  Mould complete, gently wiggle hands and they come out with a bit of a slurp sound.

Mix up plaster [I will do it in wax later], pour it in mould and roll it around until it sets – bit of a problem as the plaster wants to pour back out again.  Plaster sets and doesn’t look too much different.

Cut the alginate [it is a bit like how I imagine very poor and watery ham], remove mould from bucket and break and cut away remaining alginate to reveal plaster.

I want to cast to about watch strap level and have the fingers less flexed so that will need a taller bucket and probably 4 bags of Aliginart.  Doing the wax will be pour it into mould and out again building up layers like on a candle wick [except this time it is on the mould’s inner surface.

More later………

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I have had six evenings carving stone under the watchful eye of Tim Foster [who had a large input to my earlier woodcarving].  Most of the fees were generously covered by Re-Making Leeds [distributing Heritage Lottery money] and took place at York College in the stonemasonry dept.

Tim set us the task of carving a green man as it required some free hand work and, if mistakes were made, could be rectified and still have a good carving.  The blocks were sandstone and mine, unfortunately, had a great range of texture from crumbly sand to chunks that were almost solid quartz!  None of us finished but we all got quite a long way into the project and here is mine as it progressed.  But first is Tim’s piece to show how the work might progress.

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