How to make casts of children's arms and legs. Casts of arms and legs: how to do it yourself? Three manufacturing options and decorating tips. Salt dough print

To make a trace of the arms or legs of your baby, that is, the first trace of the crumbs, you must read this instruction.
All materials that are intended for making casts do not cause any harm and cannot cause.
For their manufacture, a small amount is required, this will not disturb the child, because the technology by which the casts are made is innovative, and the composition from which the cast will be made is hypoallergenic.
Specialists have specially developed kits so that parents can create children's casts on their own.
Often, the parents of children purchased kits in stores, but there was not enough molding mass for a sufficient number of casts. But there are kits with which parents have several attempts before the real start. They train and begin to sculpt something really beautiful and neat. It turns out a quality cast. They can create it not only for themselves, but also as a gift to grandparents, godparents of their little one, make casts of children of close friends as a gift to them.

In addition to casts of the tiny limbs of your baby, you can create a cast of the hands of two lovers or newlyweds, a cast of your own hand.

Today, there is a great abundance of such things on sale, with the help of which it is easy to create your own design of casts.
And on the Internet there are many samples for making casts.
If you want to put the resulting cast on a table or shelf, you need to fill a plastic mold, for example, from under sweets, with plaster, paint it with any paint, then glue the resulting cast of a leg or handle with good glue.

3d impression kits

Watch a video on how to properly create a cast:

Now let's take a closer look at this video: mix the dry gel in the required proportion, beat with a mixer until a homogeneous mass is formed, convenient for use. After that, we lower the child's leg into the mass, take it out. We fill the form with special plaster, after a while we take out the resulting sculpture.
Pretty not difficult, right?
And now let's dwell in more detail on the proportions by which you need to mix water with the impression gel.
Take 100 grams of dry gel, also 400 milliliters of water. Well, to create the hand of an adult, instead of a mayonnaise bucket, they take a two-liter bottle of plastic, cut off her throat. Take 250 grams of gel per liter of water.
For children whose age ranges from and older, it is necessary to calculate the proportions yourself. To do this, measure the amount of water required to completely immerse the child's arm or leg in the container.
In order to fill the form, take a special plaster. To pour one cast, take ten five tablespoons of gypsum and 0.05 liters of water.
In order to pour one cast of an adult's hand, you will need 20 tablespoons of gypsum and 0.18 liters of water.

2d impression kits

We create a convex cast of any part of the tiny limbs of your baby.
This technology involves a plastic material for reusable use.
It is quite plastic and soft, able to convey every fold and line of the skin, keeps its shape perfectly.
But this material can be used almost unlimitedly.
The main condition for storage is the obligatory presence of the material in a jar, the absence of contact with water, talc and oil.
This kit will help you make casts of children's legs and arms every month. You will compare how the baby has grown.
And now the video instruction for creating impressions 2 d:

When analyzing this video, we want to clarify again that the convex layer of the handle is made using a finished impression mass by hand, filled with special plaster. Then everything dries up, the cast is pulled out, the mass is again kneaded. A new cast is created from it.
After this procedure, the impression mass is kneaded again, it is placed in a bag into which air will not enter, in order to take out the mass next time and create a sculpture again.
Casts can be painted in any color you like. This can be done using watercolor, gouache, acrylic. Glue what you got to the photo frame. At the same time, use any decor that you like, some collages, booties, a tag, a dummy, an ultrasound scan, a bodysuit, a vest, a hat. The main thing is to use your imagination.

Surely all parents want to keep warm emotional memories of the childhood of their kids. But, unfortunately, even the most detailed pictures cannot always convey the quivering magical feeling that mom and dad experience while touching their child's tiny fingers. To the aid of sentimental parents in this case come casts of children's arms and legs, made with their own hands.

colorful footprints

The first thing that comes to mind to perpetuate the arms and legs of a child is to dip them in watercolor or gouache and print them on plain paper or cardboard. Yes, it's not the best original way but it is cheap and fast. To keep this sheet for a long time, you can either laminate it or put it in a beautiful stretcher.

Plasticine legs

Also, a simple option to make casts of children's arms and legs with your own hands is plasticine. The one that hardens in the air itself, or a special mixture for modeling, is best suited. The mass should be flattened in the form of a medallion and it is good to print the baby’s hand or foot in it. Be sure to make a hole before the plasticine is dry so that the “home heirloom” can be hung on a ribbon.

Salt dough print

Many of us sculpted “salty” figures in childhood, and now, having become parents, salty dough will help us capture the tiny fingers of our kids. So, how to make casts of children's arms and legs from salt dough?

We dissolve half a glass of salt in a glass of water and add about a glass of flour (more can be until the dough starts to come off your hands). We divide the mass that we have obtained into 4 identical parts and roll it out with a rolling pin into flat rounds a couple of centimeters thick and the size of a child's arm and leg. With dry clean palms and feet of the baby, we press deeply into each piece. If the cast is fuzzy or you don't like it, you can roll the dough again and repeat the procedure.

When the cast is ready, put the dough to dry for 2-3 weeks. After that, the dough can be painted with acrylic paints. As you can see, this method is quite painstaking, but the result will be durable and original casts of the child's arms and legs from salt dough.

Cast of salt dough and plaster

Even more meticulous and unusual way get prints (casts) of children's hands and feet with your own hands - plaster them.

To do this, we make the dough according to the recipe described above, and in the same way we form prints, and it is better to make the dough 2 times more so that the print is as deep as possible (2-3 cm in depth). We take gypsum (a set for creativity from special art children's stores is best, but a construction kit is also possible). We dilute it with water in the proportion of 1 glass of gypsum to half a glass of water (it is important to add water to gypsum, and not vice versa). Add 2-3 tablespoons of PVA glue to make the resulting cast stronger. Knead everything very quickly and pour into the form with the dough.

While the mass has not frozen, it is better to wipe all the ugly edges with a cloth, otherwise they will have to be cut off later, which can damage the shape. We leave for a day to solidify a cast of a child's hand (leg) with our own hands. Gypsum usually dries quickly, but in order for everything to turn out well, it is better not to touch it for several hours. After that, the finished cast can be taken out of the test. We grind all the irregularities with sandpaper. You can decorate such prints with acrylic paint or make an interesting collage of children's photos with them. The main thing is to approach the process with imagination!

Casts of sand

Another way to get casts of children's hands and feet with your own hands is to use sand instead of dough. The principle of operation is the same. We pour sand into a deep container, moisten it with water so that it turns into a thick mass, but does not float in water and the child's print does not spread. We lower the baby’s leg or handle deeper (1-2 cm) so that an imprint remains, and take it out. Then we lower the gypsum into the resulting mold (the proportions are described above) and leave it for several hours to solidify. Then shake off the excess sand.

Casts from a ready-made set

Several ways were given here on how to make casts of children's arms and legs with your own hands, but you can also use ready-made kits for creativity. They allow you to create high-quality “handles” and “legs” without the use of improvised means, just follow the instructions. There are 2D sets (only with prints), 3D sets (full hand and foot), as well as with the possibility of making a cast of a child’s hand together with an adult hand, casts in a frame, on a stand, in an album, with an engraved plate and much more. The only drawback of this method is the high cost, but those who really know a lot about original and memorable gizmos will appreciate it.

Instead of a conclusion

Creating memorabilia, whether it be photographs or the first homemade handmade, is very important, because children grow up very quickly, and we can’t keep every detail in memory. In addition to such wonderful casts, mother's chest with little treasures can be constantly replenished - with tags from the hospital or a photo from the first ultrasound, greeting cards from relatives and friends. Photo albums, a bag of the first strand of hair, the first clothes, the first toy, the first pacifier or the first bottle, and when the baby grows up, the first drawings, the first fakes and many other amazing memorabilia.

Yes, and a child, for sure, in adulthood, will want to get acquainted again with the things that surrounded him in childhood, and even, perhaps, just a little bit to remember that wonderful carefree and happy time.

For every mother, her baby's heels and hands are the most valuable thing in the world. We always kiss them, we call them “sweets”, and we really want them to stay so small and cute longer. But children grow, and so do their heels. To preserve the memory of these tiny arms and legs, you can take as many photos as possible with them, you can make a plaster or clay cast.

And we want to offer the most creative, in our opinion, way. Let's create decorative pictures with prints of the arms and legs of the child. We offer you 7 of the most original variants, which can be hung both in the nursery and, for example, in the kitchen. By the way, pastel shades of colors look the most harmonious in such drawings.

An owl whose wings and ears are the imprint of a child's foot.

Butterfly wings made from baby footprints.

Rays of sun from footprints.

Flowers are prints of children's little feet.

Family tree of handprints of dad, mom and baby.

A kind whale with footprint fins.

Available to everyone. A casting made in accordance with all the rules and in compliance with the proportions when mixing the working solution will turn out to be very realistic.

Depends on the quality of the gypsum appearance finished product and its strength characteristics. To achieve maximum similarity, a quality form is needed. For its manufacture, special materials are used.

Idea

For lovers, a plaster cast of a pair of hands intertwined together can serve as a gift for a significant date. Often such a composition is ordered by newlyweds on their wedding day.

Children's casts of hands and feet are ordered by parents as a keepsake in addition to photos and videos with their babies. Such a souvenir, decorated in an elegant frame, can be presented to relatives and friends as a memory of a memorable date: the first or anniversary birthday, baptism, the first independent step of a child, etc.

You can create a whole collection of such casts made in different periods active growth of the child. Later, holding them in their palms, children may remember the happy moments of their childhood.

An elegant plaster hand, made and decorated with your own hands, can also serve as a detail of the original composition. Such a decoration, for example, can also be used as a mannequin for storing rings.

Gypsum

For mold castings, there are many various materials. These are paraffin, wax, concrete, silicone, metals, even chocolate can be poured into a food form. Compounds of plastics, resins have now become available. All of them have their own specific casting features. To answer the question of how to do plaster hand, you first need to understand what kind of material it is. It is also important to understand the technology of its casting.

Gypsum powder is a natural material. It has a white or grayish color, fine grinding, quickly absorbs moisture when water is added. It is obtained by firing gypsum stone and is distinguished by its purpose: for medical purposes, for molding, for plastering and the production of plates.

Gypsum for construction has a coarser grinding, medical - the purest, molding - seizes more slowly. Useful property for sculptures is an increase (up to 1%) of the working composition in volume. This extension makes it possible to fill in a small drawing of a form. When preparing the mortar, after a few minutes it begins to harden and completely seizes within 20 minutes.

Technology Features

Store gypsum powder in a dry place. Soaked or damp material is not suitable for casting, it does not set. Its characteristics also deteriorate from long-term storage. The working solution of gypsum is prepared quickly. From prolonged mixing, it “rejuvenates” and seizes weaker, which ultimately leads to a loss of strength of the finished product.

If the working solution has hardened before filling is completed, it is no longer suitable for work. Adding water and re-mixing it will not fix the situation. Liquid glue can help slow down the setting of the solution. It (3-4 tablespoons per bucket of water) is added beforehand and mixed well.

It is necessary to dry the casting at a temperature of up to 60 degrees. It is not desirable to exceed this limit - the material loses its strength and begins to decompose. Do-it-yourself gypsum hand is made taking into account all these nuances. To make the finished product stronger, the solution is kneaded with milk of lime.

Moisture and dampness adversely affect gypsum products, so they must be used and stored indoors, especially if they do not have a protective coating.

Preparatory operations

Making a plaster hand on your own is possible at home without the use of any special technologies and special equipment. However, for the casting process to go smoothly, you need to carefully prepare. Different batches of gypsum (especially building gypsum) may have different setting times.

To accurately know it, it is best to conduct a test batch and pour a small amount of the solution into any simple form. This will allow you to accurately calculate the proportions of gypsum and water, determine the time period within which the solution retains its casting properties. As a result, this will help save material, time and nerves.

At the preparation stage, they are determined with a container for the mold, and also select a suitable vessel for mixing the gypsum mortar. For a one-time filling, you can take disposable tableware. If you plan to continue casting, it is best to purchase a rubber plaster to mix the working solution.

For these purposes, a half of an old children's ball is suitable. Dried gypsum from the walls is easily peeled off when the rubber is deformed. The skin of the hand that will be immersed in the molding mass can be smeared with a thin layer castor oil or vaseline.

simple clay mold

A trial plaster cast of a hand can be successfully cast into a clay mold. This will not be a full-fledged volumetric copy, but it will provide an opportunity to get the first practical experience. Clay is available material, it can be used repeatedly after unsuccessful attempts, which is just right for beginners.

You need two pieces of board or plywood 5 cm larger than your palm. They and your hand are lubricated vegetable oil or vaseline. This is necessary so that the clay does not stick. They put a hand on the board with the palm of their hand, press it tightly and begin to apply clay moistened with water and kneaded to a thick dough, kneading it well and compacting it.

The total layer should be at least 5 cm. Its top is leveled on a plane and covered with another board. The whole structure, together with the hand, is carefully turned over. The bottom board is removed and the palm is carefully released. The form for filling is ready. To obtain ideal castings, plastic molding masses are used.

Alginate for impressions

To make a mold for volumetric casting of complex shape, use special formulations. One of the most available options is the alginate mass. Its main purpose is the production of casts in dental practice. But such material is quite suitable for sculptural castings.

Alginate is a raw material from seaweed. Its dry powder, mixed with water in exact proportions, quickly thickens and acquires the properties of a dense jelly. If, before the start of the setting process, a hand is placed in such a mass, and then, after reaching the optimum density, it is carefully removed, then a cavity is formed in the mold. If a plaster solution is poured into it, then after hardening it forms an exact copy of the hand.

It will not be possible to extract the casting without destroying the mold. The alginate mass is in a state of plasticity for a short time, it begins to lose moisture, becomes brittle and collapses from deformation. Therefore, filling with a working composition should be done immediately after removing the hand. In this case, you can expect a high quality cast copy.

Some brands of alginate masses change color as they harden. When kneading, they have one shade, in the initial phase of setting (the optimal moment for immersing the hand) - another, after reaching density (when you can remove the limb) - the third. The process of making a plaster hand with the help of such a molding material is within the power of anyone.

Solution preparation

A gypsum hand is cast in a pre-prepared form with your own hands. Clean cold water V required quantity. Dry gypsum powder is evenly poured into it. Ideally, it should form a hill above the surface.

Gypsum begins to absorb water intensively. At this time, it must be well stirred. This should not be done too intensively, as air bubbles form. They remain in the solution, get into the mold, and after it hardens, they form shells and cavities. Therefore, you can use a drill with a kneading nozzle only at low speeds. It is better to do everything by hand, using a spoon or a wooden stirrer. The goal is to get a homogeneous mass without lumps, resembling sour cream in density.

The proportions of water / gypsum (approximately one to two) are determined experimentally in advance. After mixing, the container is lightly tapped to release air bubbles to the surface. The resulting foam is collected with a spoon. The prepared working solution is immediately poured into the mold. The time from the beginning of mixing to pouring is no more than a minute and a half.

Filling in a mold

Do-it-yourself gypsum hand is made by casting into a prepared mold. The solution is added in portions. If they fill out a complex form at once, then air sacs can form in it. The gypsum mortar does not fall into such voids; as a result, the finished model will have defects.

To avoid this, the form is rotated in all directions after pouring the first small part of the working solution. So it spreads inner surface and gets into all the recesses. The air inside does not accumulate and is gradually forced out.

With the next portion, the gypsum mortar is deposited on the walls more and more, its layer becomes thicker. When complex undercuts are completely filled, you can pour the rest of the gypsum.

The technology for making a cast of a child's hand is slightly different from the workflow with adults. The fact is that the child, as a rule, cannot keep his hand in a constant position until the molding mass seizes. Finger movements during molding spoil everything. Therefore, it is best to carry out this procedure during sleep in its deep phase.

An alginate molding compound is used. It is kneaded in a bowl right size. All components are prepared in advance according to the instructions. Alginate powder is poured into the water and stirred with a spoon until smooth for about one minute.

For adults, cold water is used. But so that the child does not wake up during sleep from contact with a cool mass, it is better to warm it up. warm water for kneading significantly reduces the time of use of the molding material, so everything needs to be done quickly.

When the mixture is ready, it is poured into a suitable glass, matched to the child's hand, and his limb is placed there. The hardening time of the mass is 1-2 minutes. During this period, you need to keep the form at rest in order to get a quality print.

After the allotted time, the baby's hand is carefully removed. As a rule, this happens without problems, since the mold is plastic and does not deform from light loading.

Immediately after this, a working solution is prepared and poured. Gypsum is kept in the mold for no more than 30 minutes. Later, the alginate mass begins to give up water, which will adversely affect the casting. The form is removed from the glass, cut into pieces, the plaster handprint of the child is released. It is cleaned and left to dry.

By the same principle, the hand of an adult or a child is cast, which can keep the hand at rest during the molding.

Kits for making self-made 2D and 3D impressions

Recently, a copied souvenir plaster hand has been popular with the townsfolk. How to make it with your own hands is described in detail in the instructions for ready-made kits for modeling. Such a kit is ideal for those who want to try their hand at volumetric casting, but do not have the opportunity or do not want to understand the brands of molding masses and gypsum.

The kit will cost more than separately purchased components. But manufacturers are focusing on the convenience of such a configuration. In addition, they give a guarantee of the quality of their materials. The kit includes a dry hypoallergenic mass for forms, it is easy to prepare it by filling it with water in the required ratio. There is also a model cleaned gypsum of increased strength.

A reusable plastic molding compound is included in the kit for making simple impressions of hands or feet. Before use, it is kneaded, an impression is made and plaster is poured into it. After solidification, the casting is removed. If re-filling is not expected, the mold is again kneaded to a soft state and set aside for storage, packed in a plastic bag.

Finishing

How to make a plaster cast of a hand as a finished composition? To do this, it must be painted. For someone ideal option will be tinted with gold or bronze paint. Another will choose a skin tone or white.

Acrylic emulsion is suitable for a decorative coating, but its layer, although thin, can smooth out fine lines and wrinkles on the cast. Although, if the copy turned out to be imperfect, then this option is quite suitable. If you need to preserve the smallest details, it is better to use spray paint.

Before finishing, the cast is inspected, all irregularities are polished, defects are corrected. In order for the paint to lay down in an even layer, the workpiece can be pre-primed, allowed to dry and then sanded again with fine sandpaper.

For installation, they select a decorative base at their discretion and mount a copy of the hand or a composition with it on glue. After drying, the souvenir can be varnished for greater effect.

How to make a plaster hand yourself for replicating copies?

Having worked out the technology of casting and making molds, you can try to expand the range of products. A copied plaster hand, made with your own hands, can serve as a detail of the original composition.

For example, if molded in the position of holding an object, it can serve as a phone stand. In another case, it may be the base of a candlestick or table lamp. A decorative glass can be placed in a plaster hand and such a composition will turn into a pen holder or an original flower vase.

It is impractical to make disposable forms for mass copying. In this case better fit flexible silicone. Forms from this material can be used repeatedly. To remove the casting, they are cut on one side and a copy is carefully removed.

Silicone is installed in the container in which it was poured during manufacture, and the process is repeated. For the convenience of extracting castings, you can use release agents. In such forms, you can pour not only gypsum, but also paraffin, tin or chocolate. The imagination of the authors is limitless - the main thing is not to be afraid to experiment!

Now my sun is already three and a half months old, and she is getting older and bigger every day, although I don’t notice it at all. That is why I wanted to have at least something to remember her the way she is now.

Somehow I came across an ad about making compositions with clay casts of children's hands and feet. Of course, I really liked the idea - after all, having a cast of your favorite feet and hands is much more pleasant than just a print or a contour drawn with a pencil around thin, sweet fingers. But I decided not to resort to the help of strangers, but to do everything myself - it's much more pleasant, and the baby can be scared of strangers.

I did it like this:

1. Kneaded salty dough.

It is best to make elastic salt dough according to this recipe:
2 cups of flour
1 cup salt (preferably fine)
1 tbsp starch / hand cream / vegetable oil
0.5 - 1 tbsp. water

All ingredients must be mixed thoroughly. The mass should be quite thick. The dough should not crumble. If it turned out to be too thick - add a little water, too thin - salt with flour (it is always necessary to observe the ratio of flour and salt 2: 1).

2. When the dough becomes like this:

We tear off small pieces from it, on which we will make prints of children's legs and pens, something like this:

3. Now, we bring a piece of dough to the child's foot, and take root tightly. We need to get as deep an imprint as possible. Ideally, all the lines on the baby's foot should be printed on the test, but I will say right away: it is quite difficult to achieve this, in any case, when making prints in this way.

Making a pen print is more difficult, especially if the child is not yet six months old - my baby always took pieces of dough with her)))

5. The last two procedures can be repeated indefinitely. I made about five to seven prints of each foot and each hand in order to be able to choose the most successful ones.

6. Then there are two ways. You can first bake the resulting prints of children's hands and feet in the oven (about 30 minutes at a temperature of 130 degrees), or you can work with raw dough. In the first case, you will be able to use each print several times. In addition, if you bake the dough longer, you can save the trace itself - it also looks very good. You can make a memorable composition with him)). However, making molds from raw dough is easier and faster.
I've tried both methods and I like the second one better.

7. So, we take a baked or raw print of a child's foot or pen, and pour plaster into it. This must be done quickly before the plaster has hardened.

Let the mold dry in the mold for 15 minutes.
If you're using a print made from baked dough, it's best to lubricate it with Vaseline or vegetable oil first so you don't damage the print when you take it out of the mould.

8. We take out the casts, clean them from the rest of the dough (if you used raw dough) and dry them. It will take a long time to dry - 3-5 days.

9. We grind plaster casts with a knife and sandpaper. We cut through the fingers, remove all unnecessary, make the surface smooth. Be careful - make sure that all baby lines are preserved.