Want to make your own prop hands instead of buying them? These corpse hands are easy to make, look great, but best of all they are cheap! They are made from latex so they are durable and can even be posed.
Start by taking a piece of PVC about 5 or so inches long and using a hammer smash the end. It cant be seen in this picture but I cut a noch out of it about a inch down the length. This just makes it easier to install the fingers. You will need to drill small holes into the PVC for the fingers. I drill four holes in a row and then one for the thumb about a 1/2 inch lower.
Next you need to make the fingers. I just take the bic pens and hold them up to my hands. I start at my wrist to the first knuckle. Then cut the pen to length. Then joint to joint and so on. Once all the joints of one finger are cut slide them over a coat hanger. Bend the end that will be the finger tip and crimp it with pliers. On the other end bend the wire in a L shape and cut the wire..
Next you need to make the fingers. I just take the bic pens and hold them up to my hands. I start at my wrist to the first knuckle. Then cut the pen to length. Then joint to joint and so on. Once all the joints of one finger are cut slide them over a coat hanger. Bend the end that will be the finger tip and crimp it with pliers. On the other end bend the wire in a L shape and cut the wire..
Now its time to start filling in your corpse hand with cotton and latex. Using a small paint brush coat one of the pens that makes up the hand with latex and rip some cotton from a cotton ball and apply it over the latex. After the cotton is applied coat it with latex.
Once the back of the hand is coated with cotton and latex fill in between the pens with more cotton to fill in the hand. Cover that with latex also. Remember not to go to thick. You want the outline of the pens to show through giving the hand a bony look.
Next is the knuckle joints. Coat them with latex so that the cotton with adhere to them and cover each of them with an ample amount of cotton.
After you have coated the knuckles with latex use your fingers. to shape them. The Latex and cotton mixture acts like putty and can be work well into shape. Run your fingers. down between the “bones” of the hand to give it a sunken look.
Using the brush start with one finger at a time and pull the cotton down toward the end of the finger. Add more cotton if needed but don’t over do it. A corpse fingers. are bony
Working with the same finger add cotton to make the next joint. Coat it with latex and then with the brush pull it slightly toward the next joint as before. Once all the joints of the finger are complete add a bit of cotton to make the finger tip.
Continue this process until all fingers are shaped. Turn the hand over to be sure that the inside of the hand is coated. Fill in the palm if needed. Once the hand is well formed start working on the wrist. Apply cotton to the sides to give it an oval shape.
Look at your wrist for a guild.. The joint is slightly thicker. Apply some cotton to the outside of the joint to make a knot. (SEE PIC) For some final detail you can add veins to the hand by rolling latex soaked cotton between your fingers until its a few inches long and then laying it over the back of the hand and brushing latex over it to smooth it in. To give the hand a skin texture lightly brush over your finished hand. Brush along the fingers. but across the knuckles. This will give the appearance of skin.
The last thing to do is to give your hand some wrinkles. Allow the hand to dry to the touch. The latex will still be slightly wet inside. With your fingers pinch the skin along the length of the thin part of the fingers and the back of the hand to crease them. Don’t do the knuckles in the same direction. The knuckles need to be pinched so the they crease across the join, not with it. If you want to get real gross you can rip the skin in spots. The Bic pens inside will look just like bones.
Thats about it. I am sure once you make your first set you will never buy prop hands again. It only takes about an hour to make two. Let them sit over night and then paint as desired.