This week I focused on churning out hands from my mold. With each new hand come new problems to solve, from the mold itself changing every time a new hand is cast, to not being able to get the hand out of the mold once made. Let's take a look...
As I stated previously, each time the mold itself is changing. To fix these imperfections I must apply and reapply wet clay to try to mimic the shape of the missing chips. Next I apply Murphy's Oil Soap to help the mold pop apart and the piece to come out of the mold once it's done drying.
After this step is done the two pieces of the mold are brought together as tightly as possible and a piece of rubber strapping is applied to keep the mold in that position. I then put the mold upside down in a bucket so that it will be ready for plaster to be poured in.
Now I'm ready to make my plaster. The wet bucket is coated on the inside with Vaseline to allow for easy cleaning, and filled to the desired point with room temperature water. With as chilly as it's been I've been using warmer water as it cools quickly outside. Then plaster is added in scoopfuls until an island forms and retains shape for at least a minute. Then I get the fantastic privilege of mixing the concoction by hand in the wind!
To be continued...