h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In the era of the seance room, one trick I always found interesting was the Kluski wax hands experiment, where the dead supposedly came back, plunged their hands into hot wax then into cold water, to create hand casts. Can anybody explain how ordinary living beings could do this and get the wax off, without peeling it off?

You're confusing me. If it's the dead who dip their hands into hot wax, then by definition they are not "living beings."

Ba doom tish!

It's hot weather here, so my brain is challenged anyway. Extra confusion is not needed.

I'd do it by sculpting ice hands and plunging them in not-too-hot wax. Washing in cold water would dissolve the ice but leave the wax in shape.

Did the fingerprints match?

The trick seems to be skin lotion.


http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Wax-Hands

Interesting idea Recumbentman. Also interesting point about the fingerprints as it would prove if it was the dead person's hand or a living person's trickery. Unfortunately I wasn't there at the time and Dr Who's TARDIS is booked for the next six months, while the new Doctor gets into their role, so I can't pop back in time to check your hypothesis (and it would smell 'high' if it was a genuine corpse's hand: apropos to that - it was said that you could tell if it was a true deceased person at the seance because the smell of decaying flesh was evident (gives a new meaning to coming to a sticky / icky end))

Paulh the question is, is this inexplicable and therefore possibly supernatural or did a living person have a hand in it (don't forgive the pun)?

I thought it could have been cut carefully round the palm area, peeled and pulled off the fingers like a glove, then melted at the join by finger heat, so it was seemingly seemless

Ice is easier. Also, you can easily mould ice hands by filling rubber gloves with water, tying them off, and putting them in the freezer. The rubber gloves will snip and peel away, then Bob's your uncle.

The pun is super. Thanks!

Recumbentman, I don't think the Victorians had rubber gloves but as a modern method, not bad!

Paulh, oh you are just saying that because its true!

Baron, that is grim indeed! You have lifted the wax scales from my eyes and I am no longer deluded into thinking that this was imp-possible!

I wanted to wax rhapsodic, but Rhapsodic didn't think it was a great idea.

Rubber gloves date from 1889...

... and you wouldn't even have to snip them.

"Rubber gloves date from 1889..."

They always seem to be in pairs, so it makes sense that they're dating.

Are you calling me a liar? This is a case for pistols at dawn! (or how about rubber gloves full of custard at fifty paces?)