# Wax Mold Prop Hands



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Hello everyone. 

If your like me, you like to have detail in some of your props. One set of props I'm working on right now had the need for a few pairs of hands. 

I checked out the prices for mannequin and latex hands and about fell out of my chair as the price would have cost about as much as I already put into the other parts of the prop. I then looked into the cost of using a disposable mold for hands and not only did the price shock me but the fact that it was a single use product. 

This was when the haunter (aka cheapo) in me went to work. I started thinking of the different ways to make a mold of hands when it dawned on me, wax. 

Now there was some trial and error in this as I found paraffin wax for those hand baths wouldn't cut it (wax was way to soft). However, candle wax was perfect and reusable. 

After several attempts, setbacks, advances, failures, successes and cha chas, I am able to bring to my fellow haunters a way for everyone to make a cheap and reusable hand mold for your props. 

Supplies:

-Lotion or Vaseline to help keep the wax from sticking to your hands
-4 pound block of candle wax
-Metal pot or bowl to melt the wax
-Pot a third of the way full of water for the pot or bowl with the wax to sit in while the wax melts. Basically a double boiler.
-Buck or bowl of ice water
-1/2 piece of pvc pipe, wire, or stick to use to attach the hand to the prop (optional, but still recommended)
-Plaster of Paris or Hyrdocal (lightweight plaster)
-A cup or something to hold the wax mold so the plaster can set up.

Pictures to follow...


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

First a warning. This has the potential to burn you. Please ask any questions you need to before starting this project as you undertake this project at your own risk. 

Now that you have accepted your fate, you will want to set up the double boiler with the wax and start melting it on medium high (you may need to set it higher depending on how fast you want the wax to melt) on the oven cook top (unless you have something else that can melt the wax) and then turn it down low enough where the wax doesn't start to solidify. 








This is the time you will want to apply the lotion and then place your hand in the bowl or bucket of ice water for 10 to 15 seconds,







You will then dip your hand once quickly in the wax in the position you want it to be molded and immediately return it to the ice water to cool







. Continue alternating from the wax to the ice water 10 or so times depending on how thick you want the mold.


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Once you have the desired amount of wax on your mold, dip it in the ice water to solidify the wax so that you can remove your hand without breaking the mold. You may find the water will work it's way into the mold around your hand which is OK as it will help with removing the mold. Once it feel firm, start wiggling your hand out of the mold until your hand is free.







Take the mold and dip the wrist part of the mold in the wax to strengthen the top.







You can then put the mold in the ice water or the refrigerator to further solidify.


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Once your mold is solid, you can use it to mold a hand. Place the mold in a cup or something else to hold the mold upright and pour in the Plaster of Paris or Hydrocal.







Tap the cup lightly on a hard surface to remove any bubbles and then let it dry at least 24 hours before trying to remove the wax mold.







If you need help with removing the mold, you can score the sides lightly with a exacto blade or butter knife (be careful not to go too deep as it will cut into the plaster)







Have another warm pot of water on hand to dip the mold into to loosen the wax from the plaster







The wax should then just peel right off.







Set them in a safe place to dry for another 24 hours and then decorate them to your hearts content. You will then have a pair of hands you can attach to your prop.







Enjoy.


----------



## Screaming Demons (Sep 15, 2008)

Can you expand on how you got your hands out of the wax?


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Of course. 

The lotion help to keep your skin lubricated so that you can remove your hand carefully from the wax. Once the wax is firm, it kinda slips off like a glove. I used lotion from Bath and Body cause it's what I had on hand but it was good and greasy and my hands felt so silky smooth afterwards.


----------



## Marie Roget (May 2, 2010)

Wow! This technique is very cool & gives great results. Your pics reminded me of a mystery novel I read as a kid called "The Hand of Mary Constable"- in it a fake medium causes a man to believe his dead daughter has appeared to him during a seance by having "Mary" plunge her hand into melted wax, then ice water, producing something very much like yr. last pic in the series. Never thought I'd actually see one of those hands & the technique that produces it. 

VERY realistic looking, Big Congrats!


----------



## Mad Mad Mark (Oct 24, 2009)

THANK YOU !!!!!! I am very big into making life size props, however I hate making paper mache hands. Like you I looked for other hands to make. 

The kit thing for about $25-$35 bucks (with out S&H) only allows you to make one hand and you must break the mold to get out the prop. A flexible material is offered by the same Mfg. that will make a mold that can be reused for years, how ever it is $120 and that is for one hand!!! 

I have been looking for a long time for something better and I think you have it !!!

One or two questions; The wax you break away to get at the plaster hand, you can re- melt it for re-casting more molds right?

Will a 4Lb. block of candle wax do two hands or one?

What is the cost of a 4Lb. block? 

Also, I was thinking about an old crock pot to perhaps melt the wax on a high setting and then use the low setting for the dipping process (if it would be cool enough) Thrift stores around here always have crock pots. If I bought one just for this, I could just leave the unused wax to harden back in the pot itself (no mess or clean up) until the next casting. Would this work?

Last question; Do you think other casting medium could be used....liquid latex?


No kidding....I can't thank you enough for this!!! (Mad Mad Mark gives standing ovation).....Yaaaaaaaaay !!!!!!


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Mad Mad Mark said:


> One or two questions; The wax you break away to get at the plaster hand, you can re- melt it for re-casting more molds right?


 If you dip the wax mold in very warm water, you can peel the wax off the plaster hand and reuse it as many times as you need to.



Mad Mad Mark said:


> Will a 4Lb. block of candle wax do two hands or one?


 I'm on my 4th pair of molded hands from the same block of wax. Pretty much you can keep reusing the wax until its gone. I did buy another 2 pound block of wax but so far I haven't needed it. 



Mad Mad Mark said:


> What is the cost of a 4Lb. block?


At Michael's it's $19.99 but they have a Memorial day coupon for 50% off. http://michaels.p.delivery.net/m/p/[email protected]&mid=1102243508&cid=12910980476. If the coupon doesn't work, go to Michaels.com and they should have a link you can click on for coupons there. 



Mad Mad Mark said:


> Also, I was thinking about an old crock pot to perhaps melt the wax on a high setting and then use the low setting for the dipping process (if it would be cool enough) Thrift stores around here always have crock pots. If I bought one just for this, I could just leave the unused wax to harden back in the pot itself (no mess or clean up) until the next casting. Would this work?


 A crock pot would be perfect and you can keep the wax in and use it whenever you want to.



Mad Mad Mark said:


> Last question; Do you think other casting medium could be used....liquid latex?


I haven't tried yet, but I'm off today so I might give it a try. I'll post pictures of my progress. 

I'm glad this was able to help. I had a conversation last Sunday with a guy who works for a prop making company who was trying to convince me of the benefit of a latex mold. I asked him how many pours he got from the latex mold. He said around 100. I replied I can get an infinite amount of pours from the wax and in different positions if I need it.


----------



## Mad Mad Mark (Oct 24, 2009)

Thanks for all the info! I am in the process of making a full body "Jack the Ripper" of paper mache. I am most certainly going to use your ingenious technique.

If you do experiment with liquid latex before I do....PLEASE give us an update ok?

Once more....thank you so much!!! -- MMM


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

I already am experimenting with the liquid latex in the mold. It looks like its going to take a few days to dry.

I'm watching it to see how it does. I'll post updates as it progresses.


----------



## Terra (Sep 23, 2007)

Always wanted to know how to do this. Thank you!


----------



## The Halloween Lady (Jul 17, 2010)

What about using a Urethane Pour Foam? It is sort of like great stuff, but you pour it in. You could cut off the expanded end. It would be durable and light weight, plus you could add an end screw that would allow you to attach it to an armature??????


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

I'll have to see if there is anyplace local that sells this as the shipping is kind of high. Thanks for the suggestion though.


----------



## chop shop (Oct 31, 2010)

dionicia said:


> I already am experimenting with the liquid latex in the mold. It looks like its going to take a few days to dry.
> 
> I'm watching it to see how it does. I'll post updates as it progresses.


Yeah, it'll take some time to dry without a porous mold to draw out the water and ammonia from the latex. Try a hair dryer yet? or a fan. Waiting is a drag, lol.


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

The only down side is that I can't use anything to heat it up cause the wax will melt.


----------



## Mad Mad Mark (Oct 24, 2009)

I am very curious to see how the latex works in the wax mold. If it yields good results , it will be worth the wait!


----------



## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

oh wow, this is so great! I wonder if I can use my mannequin hands for this as my hands are not as elegant. Will it slip out of the mold or do the fingers need to actually wiggle out?


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

kittyvibe said:


> oh wow, this is so great! I wonder if I can use my mannequin hands for this as my hands are not as elegant. Will it slip out of the mold or do the fingers need to actually wiggle out?


I'm not sure if it would work with mannequin hands as regular hands are a little softer and able to wiggle out of the wax. If the mannequin hands are hollow you might be able to pour water in and around them to wiggle the wax off, but I recommend making sure to use a stronger release agent than lotion. 

If you do try, please post the results. I'm interested to see if that works. 

Thanks.


----------



## FarmerChad (Oct 21, 2008)

Great idea, to use wax. Im going to have to keep an eye out for another crock pot at the thrift store!


----------



## madmax (Dec 28, 2003)

I use a crock pot to melt my wax and it works great but be very careful when dipping a body part into hot wax....it gets very very very hot and burns like crazy if you don't do it quick.

Before sticking a whole hand in the wax....practice with something else like a piece of wood then a finger (better to blister a finger than your whole hand) then the hand.

Quick in and out and into the water....this is where the practice comes in handy

A cheap source of wax is the large candles that you can get at thrift stores or yard sales for .50-$1.00


----------



## gia0821 (Apr 21, 2009)

Hi, I just want to know, when you first put your hands in the wax, should the wax be a certain temperature in order for it not to burn your hand? I mean how do you know when it is ok to put your hand in?


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

gia0821 said:


> Hi, I just want to know, when you first put your hands in the wax, should the wax be a certain temperature in order for it not to burn your hand? I mean how do you know when it is ok to put your hand in?


I shouldn't be any hotter than 135 degrees and make sure you have the ice water bath to dunk your hands before you put then into the wax to help with the heat.


----------



## JustJimAZ (Jul 26, 2010)

"It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again!"

Been following this on YouTube a bit. Doing great!



dionicia said:


> Of course.
> 
> The lotion help to keep your skin lubricated so that you can remove your hand carefully from the wax. Once the wax is firm, it kinda slips off like a glove. I used lotion from Bath and Body cause it's what I had on hand but it was good and greasy and my hands felt so silky smooth afterwards.


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Well the latex hasn't firmed up and Joiseygal tried with a thinner latex and just coated the inside of the mold about the same time I did and hers wasn't dry yet either. 

I think I'm going to drain both and just let them dry that way. Maybe the dry climate here will dry it out the rest of the way so I can do layers.


----------



## Mad Mad Mark (Oct 24, 2009)

Mad Max, great idea about thrift store candles for cheap wax!!!


Too bad the latex is giving problems. But a great method!!!


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

One of the folks from my haunt group said Michaels is having a 50% sale on the large pieces of wax. You may want to check your local store as I'm not sure if this is the case with all of the stores.


----------



## hvacmac7 (Mar 12, 2010)

i had a time with finding/making hands for my props too.i tried several methods i had seen on this site and others.lots of fails and money later ,i found a reasonably cheap way to make em.(and skulls too btw.thanks alot unorthodox tutorials for glove mold making)i shelled out 60.00 bucks for a prop from spirit,its a zombie that spits smoke and his head turns back and forth,pretty cool looking ,but destroyed one of my foggers,anyways he has a great set of scary claw hands on him that only attach to rest of prop with velcro.so basically i had two nice blow mold hands,first i tried making a two part plaster mold of em,coated em in vaseline and poured em top and bottom,kinda worked,but then i poured a whole jar of castin craft liquid latex in em.bottom line it took days to dry ,and it was hard to get latex to get into small parts of mold ,cause its so thick.not good results.then i just used the glove mold making process i saw on the forum,many layers of latex ,after like 4 coats ,instead of making plaster hands using latex as mold(hands would deform from weight of plaster) i just peeled em and stuffed em with the innards of an old pillow.they look good and they are inexpensive if you coupon at michaels and hobby lobby for the latex .


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Actually the latex is the craft latex from Michaels. I think I may try and fill it with that expandable foam one of these days when money isn't as scarce. 

Good information though. Thank you for posting.


----------



## BadTableManor (Sep 8, 2007)

If you don't have access to wax, you could get a big wad of Play Doh, and use it as a mold. I've used it to make my Martha Stewart-style finger invitations, and it works beautifully. I especially like how the Play Doh even captures the detail of my fingerprints, plus you can use the Play Doh over & over. 
Although your method has a much more macabre, Vincent Price-ish House of Wax vibe that I like.


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Doesn't the play doh get hard if left out in the air though?



BadTableManor said:


> If you don't have access to wax, you could get a big wad of Play Doh, and use it as a mold. I've used it to make my Martha Stewart-style finger invitations, and it works beautifully. I especially like how the Play Doh even captures the detail of my fingerprints, plus you can use the Play Doh over & over.
> Although your method has a much more macabre, Vincent Price-ish House of Wax vibe that I like.


----------



## BadTableManor (Sep 8, 2007)

The Play Doh would be in a container, and if you're worried about the top part drying out, just cover it with some plastic wrap. Should work fine.


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Ah ha. Gotcha. Thank you.


----------



## acookiemonster (Nov 27, 2008)

how sturdy are the hands? Sorry if its already been asked!


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

It depends on the material you pour inside the mold. 

Regular plaster of paris is fairly sturdy if you don't manhandle it during the un-molding process (like I've done a few times). 

It's also been suggested to me to use a wire frame underneath which is a really good idea. I also tried Hydrocal, but I wasn't happy with the results. 

I'm also going to try a stronger plaster to see if it holds up even better. 

I hope that helps. 



acookiemonster said:


> how sturdy are the hands? Sorry if its already been asked!


----------



## Revned (May 21, 2011)

Brilliant, thank's for sharing such a brilliant technique.


----------



## Mad Mad Mark (Oct 24, 2009)

Well, today I tried my hand at making my wax hand mold (Yes...I know it's a corny bit of a pun,but I couldn't resist) 

Any way I have not poured the plaster yet, just made the wax hand mold.

So far so good, however I did discover two things I should have kept in mind using this method.

#1 The mold is for the hand....JUST the hand. I tried to take the wax coating a little up the wrist as well.
This was my silly mistake,Oh the wax formed a nice shell ok....But duh...I should have known you can't pull a large hand through a smaller wrist when you try to slip the mold off ! I kept this in mind on my 2nd try.

#2 I also discovered that if you are a big hairy guy like me....Do yourself a big favor and SHAVE the back of your hand to the start of your wrist area BEFORE you pull em all out with wax (Ouch!!!  ) The stronger hairs just pull the open end of the mold apart !


I can tell this method will work just fine, and I got all the wax I could need by melting old candles I bought at our local thrift shops. I gathered about 5Lbs. of wax for $3.00 and change. Most were the larger "Pillar" type candles.

I just thought I'd post this so others may learn from MY silly mistakes. This IS an ingenious method!


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Very cool that you gave this a try Mark. Did you put lotion on your hand prior to dipping it in the wax? If you did, then I agree shaving big hairy knuckles is a plus. 

I found that strong cast works really well for this project if you need sturdy hands. The plaster of paris is ok but I like how the strong cast hands turned out. Also, when you pour the plaster or strong cast, put them in the refrigerator to keep them cool. Plaster of paris and strong cast both get warm and will melt the wax. 

Finally, when it comes time to remove the wax, remelt the wax that you dipped your hands originally into and then put the hands back into the wax. The wax will melt to the point where you just have a thin layer of wax left on the hands but it sure beats picking the wax out from between the fingers not to mention breaking something off in the process.


----------



## MissMandy (Apr 18, 2011)

Very very cool. You are a genius!


----------



## Mad Mad Mark (Oct 24, 2009)

Dionicia, Yep...I first put a layer of Vaseline on but thought it may not be slick enough so I swiped some of my wife's hand lotion. 

This may be a dumb Question but what is "Strong Cast" and where do I get it and how much $$$ ? It sounds good.

Thanks for the additional Tips. I like the idea of gently sort of re-melting the wax off the finished hand to a thin layer to help un-mold! Bet it makes a clean job of it and returns the wax to the "Vat" 

You have hit on a great method!


----------



## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Mad Mad Mark said:


> Dionicia, Yep...I first put a layer of Vaseline on but thought it may not be slick enough so I swiped some of my wife's hand lotion.
> 
> This may be a dumb Question but what is "Strong Cast" and where do I get it and how much $$$ ? It sounds good.


You can find a 2 pound container of Strong Cast at Michaels for around $8 (take a coupon to get it cheaper).



> Thanks for the additional Tips. I like the idea of gently sort of re-melting the wax off the finished hand to a thin layer to help un-mold! Bet it makes a clean job of it and returns the wax to the "Vat".


 Exactly. Less cleanup and stress.


----------



## deovrat20 (Nov 14, 2012)

Did you do any special WAX ...coz my hands got burnt while trying this x-(...


----------



## JustJimAZ (Jul 26, 2010)

deovrat20 said:


> Did you do any special WAX ...coz my hands got burnt while trying this x-(...


I am a member of Dionicia's AZ Haunters group. She used candle wax. She melted it, turned the heat down so it was just warm enough to stay liquid, and used an ice bath before and after each dip.



dionicia said:


> First a warning. This has the potential to burn you. Please ask any questions you need to before starting this project as you undertake this project at your own risk.
> 
> Now that you have accepted your fate, you will want to set up the double boiler with the wax and start melting it on medium high (you may need to set it higher depending on how fast you want the wax to melt) on the oven cook top (unless you have something else that can melt the wax) and then turn it down low enough where the wax doesn't start to solidify.


It's unfortunate that you got burned. Hope that heals up OK. If you try it again later, it might be a good idea to double check all the steps and ask any more questions before proceeding.

Good luck!


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Great idea...we actually did the waxed hands at an amusement park when my son was younger...exactly the same as your technique...never thought of using them as molds. Thanks so much for sharing


----------



## Kelloween (Jun 8, 2012)

omg, where were you when I needed you?? lol.I absolutley HATE making hands!! thanks so much!


----------



## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

Any results on the latex applications?


----------

