These days more and more people are looking for personalized gifts to give that someone special, no longer content with the mass produced junk, thrust at us with every piece of junk mail, catalogue or advert.
Today people want to give gifts that have a little of them attached to it. A gift that will invoke fond memories, thoughts of happy times. Now there is nothing more personal and thought provoking than a perfect 3 dimensional replica of a baby handprint footprint casting.
Follow these easy steps and you to can make the perfect personalized gift.
Prepare the alginate as directed by the manufacture when the alginate mixture is ready for molding it should be of a smooth and creamy constancy. Immediately pour into the molding container. The material sets within about 1-2 minutes so you need to work quickly during this step.
Once the material has been poured into the container, immediately insert the hand or foot into the mold. Wiggle around for the first 5-10 seconds to allow the material to penetrate all areas. Babies and small children usually do this with out help.
Keep the hand or foot in the mold until the material sets and starts to separate from the wrist. The material sets from top to bottom, so just when you think it is ready wait another 15-20 seconds before removing the hand or foot to be on the safe side.
Wriggle the hand or foot to break the suction and then slowly and carefully ease it from the mold. There is no need to rush this step as the mold will not get hard for hour or two, so take as much time as you need to complete this step. Next, drain any excess water from the mold. You may do this by turning it upside down give it a gentle shake and then leave it to drain while you go on with the next step.
Prepare the casting plaster as directed by the manufacture. It should be thin enough to easily run off the spoon in one continuous pour. It should not fall off the spoon in clumps. If it is not thin enough, it will not fill all the tiny fingers & toes, etc. Fill the mold about 1/3 full with casting plaster. Rotate the container to line all areas of the inside of the mold.
One of the most effective ways to prevent air bubbles and to fill all the tiny fingertips or toes is to rotate the container upside down and allow the plaster to run back out of the container. You may even use a small paintbrush to brush along the inside of the mold to break up any surface air bubbles. Then begin refilling the mold little by little. Stop and tap and tilt the mold to release air pockets with each pour. Keep adding the plaster a little at a time being sure to stop between pours tilting and tapping the container as you go.
If you would like to, you can also keep pouring plaster up and over the mold to form a base about ½ inch thick. Once the plaster has hardened, you may begin removing the plaster cast from the mold. Normally, the mold and cast will slide right out of the container, but in the case of an integrated base you will need to break the container away from the top section where it meets the plaster base.
Begin tearing away the mold being very careful around fingers or toes. Tear away the mold in small pieces. Don't hold the casting by the delicate fingers or toes. Now you just need to do a little sanding on the base (once the casting has completely dried out) to give it a more professional look.
Katrina Harper
Author-crafter-site owner
Now there is nothing more personal and thought provoking than a perfect 3 dimensional replica of a baby hand print or footprint casting!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katrina_Harper
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