Thread: would this work for a hand(s) ?

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So I have Lizzy Borden's head done....working on the torso....about hands.

I have made a lot of different types of ghoul, zombie, and corpse hands but this is the first time I have been faced with making "normal" looking hands.

I once tried the old Great Stuff in the latex glove bit, but as the foam expands it looks bloated (Lizzy would NOT like that!)

I am thinking what if I filled a glove (thin kind used in hospitals) with plaster, perhaps with wire to support the fingers?

Has anyone tried this? Would the plaster still set up solid in the latex glove ?

Then I could cut away the thin glove and have a kinda female looking hand ?

I found some prop hands on one website for $13.00 but the shipping is almost as much as the hands....then with the other fees that $13.00 pair of hands now comes to a little over $30.00 !!!

There must be a better and cheaper way......um......right ????

Could you get away with Lizzie wearing some white gloves, as many women did in that era? If you were working with gloves, it would be far easier to fill them. I would suggest rigid foam and wire for each finger, so the hands can be more poseable.

TK421, yes that's a good idea, that style of glove would go well with the vintage style dress I have for her. Thanks.

I could probably devise some way to have the hand grasp the hand ax she will hold.

Any other suggestions people ,all ideas are welcome

I like TK421's idea-

maybe:
1) take a rubber doctors glove
2) insert a coat hanger wire armature so you can pose it
3) Stuff bits of newspaper around the armature to fill the gloves out
4) Dust the outside with baby powder
5) insert the rubber glove hand into the lace gloves

I don't know if it will work for sure?

If you're looking for a firmer hand than newspaper may provide, you can use dense styrofoam cut into appropriately sized sections of "finger". Here's a great example of a wood-carved hand, but this is probably more work than you are wanting to do at this point.

But I think it's still a good example of what you could do with styrofoam -- just skip the external twine and follow the rigid wire trick.

Packing peanuts on coat hanger wire works great & they are short so simulates each section between joints. continue to the hand & tape hand then a latex glove or close fitting white glove.
A white glove sprayed with an ivory satin should simulate skin, being that this would be used at night with off lighting, & no one is going to get that close to notice should give you the illusion.

Originally Posted by Dark lord

Packing peanuts on coat hanger wire works great & they are short so simulates each section between joints. continue to the hand & tape hand then a latex glove or close fitting white glove.
A white glove sprayed with an ivory satin should simulate skin, being that this would be used at night with off lighting, & no one is going to get that close to notice should give you the illusion.

Packing peanuts!! Of course, that's brilliant!!

I use Crayola Model Magic. It is much lighter and far easier to work with than clay. Dries in a day and can be painted. When dry it is even a little flexible. I love it for my zombie fingers. I just make the digits and slide them on a wire. Comes in different colors too! Just make each finger on a wire, make the palm, insert fingers and your done. There is a downside, it takes practice to get the right look and size.

Originally Posted by TK421

Packing peanuts!! Of course, that's brilliant!!

Credit to someone else here that posted idea i think last year that came up with that. Might be a how-to in the tut's section........

Thank you all for your help. sounds like some very creative ideas. I think I may try a combination of all the suggestions. The packing peanuts bit IS brilliant. I just threw some out the other day too. Ah well. My wife is always telling me I'm too much of a "pack rat" but see what happens when I through stuff away?

Funny, of all the hands I've made for zombies,witches, assorted dead....I never expected to be stumped by a NORMAL human hand.

(I feel sorry now for poor old Dr. Frankenstein, no wonder he raided the grave yard for parts. hmmmmm.....)