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Manual: Making a wreath of hands
Manual: Making a wreath of hands
In this guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make an unforgettable keepsake: the wreath of hands. You make a wreath of three or four hands, cast in alginate and plaster. A beautiful memento for the whole family, and a fun activity to do together. Suitable for beginners.
What will you make?
You will make a wreath of hands: the hands of three or four people together form a wreath, which you first cast in alginate and then pour out in plaster. The end result is a lasting plaster keepsake in which all the hands together form a ring.
💡 Handy to know: Have the work carried out by someone who is not taking part in the wreath. That person has both hands free and can therefore work quickly and accurately. Children can help with processing the alginate, for example with applying it to the arms.
💡 For 5 hands: Making a wreath of five hands? Then purchase one extra pack of Alginate 3D-Gel.
Required materials
🛒 From the webshop
🧰 Arrange yourself
- Cotton wool (for example from the drugstore)
- Scale
- Scissors
- (Cordless) drill with mixer
- Cold water
- 5-liter bucket for mixing the alginate
- Table with a smooth top (wood or glass), or a plastic tablecloth
Preparation
Set out all materials ready for use and open the pack of alginate. Cut all the plaster bandage into strips of ± 30–40 cm. Set out the cold water for both the alginate and the plaster, and keep a bowl with ± 1 liter of tap water ready to soak the plaster bandage in.
💡 Water ratios: For the alginate, use 3000 grams (3000 ml) of cold water per 1000 grams of alginate. For the plaster, use 1250 grams (1250 ml) of cold water per 5 kg of plaster. Always use cold water; warm water speeds up the curing too much.
⚠️ Mind your clothing: Alginate is hard to get out of clothing. Roll up your sleeves or wear clothing with short sleeves, and to be safe, wear old clothing.
Step-by-step guide
Take up the pose
Take a table with a smooth top (wood or glass) or lay down a plastic tablecloth. Everyone sits at the table and takes up a pose that can be held for a few minutes. Practice this beforehand if needed. With all the hands together, form a wreath.
Mix the alginate
Once all the hands form a wreath in the correct pose, mix the alginate (500 grams) with the water (1500 grams/ml). First put the alginate in the bowl and add all the required water at once. Mix the alginate within 1 minute with the mixer through the water into a smooth mixture.
💡 Lumps? Are not all lumps gone after 1 minute? Then stop mixing and move on to the next step. Ignore the remaining lumps; continuing to mix costs too much precious time.
Apply the alginate and place cotton wool
Pour the mixture over the hands and wrists so that everything is covered with a sufficiently thick layer of alginate (± 0.5 cm). Take tufts from the cotton wool and press them into the still-liquid alginate, so that they partly sit in the alginate and partly stick out above it. This cotton wool later connects the alginate with the plaster bandage. Then let the alginate rest a moment to harden.
⚠️ Not too thin: Make sure the alginate is not applied too thinly anywhere (in places). At thin spots, the mold may tear later.
Apply the plaster bandage
When the alginate has cured (after ± 2–3 minutes), apply the plaster bandage. Take 2–3 strips at a time and lay them on top of each other. Briefly soak the little stack in the water and let it drip over the bowl; gently squeeze it to help. Lay the strips (stacked on top of each other) on the alginate with cotton wool and press them on lightly. Continue this way until the alginate is fully covered. Work quickly here and then let the whole thing cure for ± 3 minutes.
⚠️ Keep plaster bandage: Keep a few strips of plaster bandage left over. With these you will later close the holes in the mold.
Remove the hands
When the plaster on top of the alginate has fully cured, you can carefully remove the hands. Take the hands out of the mold one by one and start with the smallest. Move the hand carefully so that air can get in, and pull it slowly and carefully out of the mold.
Close the holes
When all the hands are out of the mold, close the holes where the arms were with the leftover plaster bandage. Use 2–3 strips per hole. Leftover plaster bandage can be used to reinforce the shell. Let the whole thing cure for another 3 minutes.
Turn the mold over
Carefully turn the whole thing over in one motion. Preferably work with two people here. Lay the mold level (possibly with crumpled newspaper or old towels underneath) so that it does not fall over or tip when plaster is poured into it later.
Pour the plaster
When the mold is ready to be filled, prepare the plaster. Take ± 1000 grams of plaster and 250 grams of water per hand. For a wreath of four hands you therefore use 4000 grams of plaster and 1000 grams of water. Fill the mold to the desired height and let the plaster cure for at least 60 minutes before you start demolding.
💡 Pouring in two batches: You can pour this amount of plaster in two batches so it does not get too heavy. Then take 2× 2000 grams of plaster with 500 grams of water. Work quickly in succession, so that the first layer does not start to harden before the second layer is poured.
Demold and finish
When the plaster has cured sufficiently, you can start demolding. First carefully take the plaster bandage off the mold and then the alginate. Does any alginate remain (for example between fingers or in crevices)? You can easily remove that with an unfolded paperclip. Finish the plaster if necessary with a file, sandpaper, or rasp.
Frequently asked questions
Why must I use cold water?
Cold water slows down the curing of both the alginate and the plaster, so that you have enough time to work neatly. With warm water, the material cures too quickly and you run the risk that the mixture already starts to set before you are finished.
Why a person who is not taking part in the wreath?
That person has both hands free and can therefore work quickly and accurately: mixing, pouring, and applying plaster bandage all run against the clock. Whoever is in the wreath themselves cannot help without disturbing the pose.
The alginate is full of lumps, what now?
Small lumps are not a problem and usually disappear in the end result. More important is that you stay within the processing time; mixing too long costs precious time, which means the alginate may still cure before you have applied it.
Can I do this with more or fewer hands too?
Yes. Count on ± 1000 grams of plaster and 250 grams of water per hand. For five hands, purchase one extra pack of Alginate 3D-Gel, so that you have enough material to cover all the hands generously.