Luna Bean Large Keepsake Hands Casting Kit | DIY Plaster Statue Molding Hand Holding Craft Kit for Couples, Adult & Child, Wedding, Friends, Anniversary Gift

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Always start in the bottom left hand corner of the wall. Place a small amount of plaster onto the plasterers hawk. Then, take a small amount of plaster from the hawk and with your trowel angled slightly away from the wall, spread the plaster upwards using firm, even pressure. Towards the end of each stroke, flatten your trowel to help smooth the plaster down. Apply the plaster in a sweeping motion, with shorter sweeps to begin with, followed by longer sweeps which will help smooth the plaster. When you start your next stroke, slightly overlap the last to prevent leaving gaps. A small number of people are allergic to the adhesive strips – ask them if this is the case before applying a plaster. Further information MoldThe form for the casting, formed as a "negative" out of a molding compound which cured around the original. To expand the investigation into these ontological issues, or to circumvent them entirely, many historians of photography have moved “beyond the index” (to quote a recent compilation of essays). 5 Generative theoretical literature has also emerged around death masks, probing the liminality of these objects and the relationship between figural sculpture and mortality. 6 Furthermore, scholars have researched life casting in specific historical eras, using archival sources to recover lost techniques, but the practice of life casting in the United States and Europe during the nineteenth century remains comparatively understudied. 7 Inspired by this innovative work as well as recent ecocritical, feminist, and new materialist scholarship, this article attends to the individuals, materials, and processes involved in the making of one particular life cast: Hosmer’s Clasped Hands of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In doing so, it questions indexicality as the dominant interpretive frame for life casts, proposing instead a dynamic, vital, and complex set of relationships better described as nearness. DOI

The smallest amount of alginate I used was 10oz, which made just over 3 cups of molding compound. In total the six molds took about 4.5 pounds of alginate. A plasterer’s hawk board - this is the tool that holds your plaster. A plastic hawk board is lighter than a wooden one, although both types are absolutely fine. A wooden hawk board will last much longer though. If you’re considering a hand casting kit for your next crafty venture or as a thoughtful gift, here are our tips on what to look out for to ensure you make the best choice!

Plaster cast care advice

Plan ahead to do this each year or two, and make a mount that shows growth over time, including pictures in front of a height measure of some sort.

Do not use hot water. The compound is exothermic and releases heat as it cures. Further, the compound cures faster with warmer water. For example, you may be advised to raise your arm on cushions while seated or to hold your arm up to your other shoulder while standing and walking. ScissorsUsed to cut the top off the molding container, and is more convenient than the box cutter for some containers once the cut is started. Although it is a great option, resulting in a beautiful matt finish that can be left unpainted (often they come coloured), clay plaster is not suitable for areas that will regularly be exposed to water such as showers or behind sinks. Box knifeUsed to cut the molding container top off, and later cut the container away from the mold when you want to break the mold.See James Joopes (ed.), Peirce on Signs: Writings on Semiotic (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1991). 2

If the finish is slightly less than perfect, we recommend using medium-grit sandpaper to even out the surface a bit. This should be around 120 grit or higher. Sandpaper with a lower grit rating is more likely to scratch the plaster on the walls and leave marks. What is a mist coat? Apart from being solid symbols of relationships, milestones, and special events, hand statues are also art pieces. They provide a fascinating and personalized way of decorating any room in your home or office and they don’t even need to be done professionally. As there is no significant time factor here, you can take your time mixing the water and casting compound together. Note that the resulting volume is more than the water volume but less than the casting compound. For this reason I also mixed the water into the powder. Keep in mind that while the parts are made of fairly tough plaster, it is still easy to scratch and damage. Clearcoating, or painting, is recommended for long term durability. As the part is heavy and cold (high thermal mass), a bronze or other metallic paint will cause many to wonder if it is really metal. Harriet Hosmer, “Notes on the Casting of the Clasped Hands of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning”, 1896, Harriet Goodhue Hosmer Papers, Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. 22

Workspace

You should then allow the filler to dry completely. This could take anywhere between 1 and 24 hours, depending on the brand and the area covered. When sanding, it is wise to have a range of sandpaper, all with different grit measurements. The lower the grit, the rougher the sandpaper is. We recommend starting with 60-grit sandpaper to remove the largest areas of inconsistency. The alginate I used does not heat appreciably when curing, so I didn't need to worry about possible discomfort or burns.