INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Use enough clay to form a cylinder that’s roughly as big as the sized hand you wish to make. Round both ends so there are no sharp edges. Then flatten the clay slightly, using your fingers or a rolling pin. Smooth the clay until it’s the desired thickness for your fake hand. Picture your clay as a hand facing you with its palm up and all of its fingers straight and pressed together, including the thumb. Gently pull enough clay from one side to indicate a thumb without detaching it from the rest of the clay. Next, form the wrist. Indent the clay below the ball of its thumb, along the bottom of its palm. Use your fingers or a small cylindrical object (pencil, paintbrush handle, etc.) to indent the clay along its thumb. Lay your tool lengthwise along the top of the clay, angled toward the wrist, with the tip of your tool roughly centered in the middle of the palm. Gently roll or worm it to form an impression. Imagine your clay is a clock and your tool as the hour hand. If you’re making a left hand, the hour should read 10:30. If you’re making a right hand, it should read 1:30. Pull more clay from the rest of the hand and then detach the thumb, leaving its base attached, just like a real thumb spreading out from its hand. Round it into the shape of a thumb. This time, lay your tool across the palm where the base of the fingers will join. Also indent along the thumb and wrist as before to redefine the impressions. Use a scalpel to cut between each finger, leaving the base of each attached to the palm. Trim the top of each finger to taper them. Remember: the middle finger is longest, the pinkie is shortest, and the ring and index fingers are roughly the same size. Pass a needle up and down each cut between the fingers to spread them further apart. Go slowly and gently; this step is delicate. Depending on how large your sculpture is, switch to a larger tool once there’s enough room for it to fit between the fingers. Gently roll each between your own fingers to round them. Pay attention to the thickness of each so that no one finger is too thin or too thick. If needed, stretch them out to lengthen them. Then trim the excess and round the fingertips. Use a thin cylindrical tool (like a needle or the tip of paintbrush handle, depending on the size of your sculpture) to sculpt between the base of the fingers if your own fingers are too big to get in there. Use a small, thin cylindrical object to form a very light impression for each joint in the fingers. Be careful not to make too sharp of an indent; the smaller your sculpture, the more likely your finger will break here if the indent is too sharp. Flip your fake hand over to work on its back. Add small balls of clay to the base of each finger. Smooth them into place until they’re seamless. Continue the indent for the wrist along the back of the hand to mirror the front. Then slice a thin layer of clay from the back of the hand just above the wrist to create a more contoured effect. Trim and smooth the clay where needed. If too much has been trimmed or smoothed, apply a dab of clay to repair the area. Refer to your own hand to study the lines in your palm. Use a needle to lightly trace them in the palm of your sculpture. Flip the hand over and do the same for fingernails. Flex your own hand to see how your fingers and thumb work together in different poses. Gently bend your sculpture’s fingers to replicate. Follow the directions and recommendations listed on the clay’s packaging. Different types and/or brands of clay may have special instructions.

SUMMARY: Roll a lump of clay into a cylinder. Form the thumb and wrist. Indent the palm. Separate the thumb. Indent the palm again. Separate the fingers. Separate the fingers further. Form the fingers. Indent the fingers’ joints. Form the knuckles. Finish the wrist. Double-check your work. Add details. Pose your hand. Bake your sculpture.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: before freezing them. Pull off the heads of the shrimp with your hands or chop them off with a knife. Unlike freezing cooked shrimp, do not take off the shells or veins. Raw shrimp stays preserved best if it's left in its shell while frozen.  Do not leave raw shrimp on the counter for more than 2 hours to prevent spoilage. Although you can remove the shrimp shells to conserve space, they may not retain as fresh of a flavor. Place the shrimp in a bowl and place them under your sink's faucet. Turn on the water and rinse them thoroughly, removing any visible debris if you notice any. Getting the shrimp wet before freezing them creates an icy glaze that helps them stay preserved longer. Take the shrimp out from the sink and place them in a tupperware container or similarly rigid container (like a yogurt tub). Leave as little room between the shrimp as possible to limit how much air is in the container. Freeze the packed shrimp within 1-2 days, as raw shrimp can only last up to 2 days in the fridge. Mix a brine solution of 2 tablespoons of salt per 1 US qt (0.95 L) of water. Fill the container with the brine, leaving about an inch or several centimeters at the top for the water to expand, and set it in the fridge to store it. Until the brine freezes, leave the container in a spot where it can stay upright to prevent spilling.  Label the container with the date to help you remember how much time you have until it expires. You can buy brine from some seafood specialty shops as an alternative. Both raw and cooked shrimp stays preserved for up to 6 months while frozen. Once you reach 3 months, however, plan to use the shrimp within the next several months for the best taste. As long as the shrimp stay frozen, they technically do not expire. Their flavor and ability to withstand freezer burn, however, rapidly deteriorates.

SUMMARY: Remove the shrimp heads Wash the shrimp under running water. Pack the shrimp in rigid containers. Pour a brine solution into the container. Store frozen raw shrimp for 3-6 months at a time.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Before you shop for a door, you’ll need to know the exact size of the opening that the door needs to fill. Use a tape measure to measure the full width of the hole. Measure from stud to stud.  Measure both the width and height of the opening. Write down these measurements so you can refer to them when shopping for a door. Before you measure, make sure to remove any boards or shims that may have been added to make the old door fit. Visit a home-supply store—such as Home Depot or Lowe’s—and look through their selection of glass doors. Make sure to bring your tape measure with you to confirm that the door you choose will fit well within the opening in your house. Glass door frames can be made of various materials, including wood, vinyl, or aluminum.  The material and quality of the door will determine its cost. A simple 6 feet (1.8 m) glass door will cost around $300. A pre-hung glass door (which is the easiest type to install) will range between $1,000 and $4,000 USD. Pre-hung sliding glass doors can be installed as a single unit. You won’t need to assemble the frame before installing it in your wall. At this point, the opening that you pulled the old door out of will likely be cluttered and rough. Remove any leftover nails or torn material. You may also need to adjust the opening. Use a carpenter’s level to make sure that the top, bottom, and side frames of the opening area all level.  If any aren’t level, you can use a shim to even out the door frame. If the frame is slightly too large for the sliding door you purchased, nail in one or more strips of 1x3 plywood to adjust the size of the opening.

SUMMARY:
Measure the opening for your glass door. Purchase a sliding glass door. Clean up and adjust the opening.