One of the best ways for casting and molding baby handprint crafts in plaster is to use a special mold. These plaster molds are inexpensive and very easy to use. It is simple and easy to get a two-dimensional cast of your baby’s hand or footprint though using these molds.
There are special kits available in the market place for casting and molding your baby handprint or foot print crafts in plaster. Or you can just as easily supply your own mold weather it is a paper plate or spare unused biscuit tin with a lid and a bag of plaster of Paris or modeling clay.
To get the best print of your baby’s hand or foot, rub a little baby oil on their hands or feet. Push it into the plaster to make the impression. The baby oil prevents the plaster from sticking on to your child’s hand. You do not have to force your child to immerse their hand in plaster to get a good and clear handprint.
3-D plaster molds
Alternatively, you can use another type of kit for casting and molding baby handprint crafts in plaster. Mix cold tap water into molding powder or gel and fill up the molding bag with this mixture. Dip your child’s hand or foot into it and see that the gel is covering the hand at all times. Wait for the gel to turn white.
Thereafter, the alginate mold slips off your child’s hand
almost like a glove. Such molding material produces accurate
results even if your child tries to wriggle out of the cast.
Normally, the molding gel material for casting and molding baby
handprint crafts in plaster is dental grade alginate. This sets
within minutes. Alternatively, you can also use craft grade
alginate.
This needs a little more time to set nicely. Now, put the now set
alginate mold into a casting frame and carefully pour the plaster
mixture into the mold. Allow it to set for twenty-four hours and
check that the mold mixture does not flow out.
You can later peel off the alginate mold. You can color or paint
the now dry plaster cast or you can leave it just like that. You
can scan these molds into your computer and supplement them with
small notes, anecdotes, or even print them across pottery.