Family casts and baby casts do make ideal gifts, with the ability to capture a precious moment for a lifetime, they truly are something to treasure and there are few tips and tricks for hand, foot and family cast prints and to make it easier we would like to share some tips to make it easier for you make those beautiful memories.

Have you used one of our home casting kits? If so, you’ll know that creating the perfect cast isn’t as easy as it seems. So, what do you do?

Home Casting Tips & Tricks to Make Memories 

Tip 1

Firstly, we know, mixing alginate can be unnerving, especially given it has a setting speed of 2-3 minutes. Top tip: BE FEARLESS! Alginate smells fear! But seriously, get stuck in and work as quickly as possible.

Tip 2

Read the Instructions mentioned in the box thoroughly as skimming through the instructions there is a potential to make mistakes.

Tip 3

Avoid mixing the alginate by hand. As tempting as it may be, avoid mixing the alginate by hand. Alginate can be very difficult to mix thoroughly, therefore opt for whisking or gradually adding the alginate.

Tip 4

Practice makes perfect. Regardless of the cast, always place the hands or feet into a container before mixing the alginate, to ensure there is plenty of room around the persons being casted. When it comes to mixing alginate, there is more than meets the eye.

Tip 5

Always add alginate to the water. If you slowly add alginate to the water, there is less chance if any powder being missed during the mixing process. Think of it like hot chocolate, some of the powder often sticks to the bottom of the mug completely untouched by the water. It’s the same with alginate.

Tip 6

Mixing the plaster can get messy and everyone does it differently. For example, our instructions suggest specific measurements. Another, yet effective method to getting the right consistency, pour water into a disposable box/pot, and fill with plaster until the water stop absorbing the plaster – you will notice a dry patch of plaster on top of the water. Only then should you mix the two components together, to the perfect consistency.

Tip 7

Avoid pouring all the plaster into the mould at once, start by adding small quantities of plaster, and rotating the mould, swilling the plaster to reach every nook and cranny. Using this technique, gradually add more plaster until the mould has been filled.

Tip 8

We know that the base of the cast isn’t always as smooth as you may like it to be, so a simple tool to avoid this issue is sandpaper, simply rub the base of the cast until you are content.

Tip 9

casting kit paint it to make memories

Time for the fun stuff. Paint! We have silver, bronze and copper for you to enjoy the impressions