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.
The appearance of the finished product and its strength characteristics will depend on the quality of the gypsum. 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 of the 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
There are many different materials for casting molds. 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 make a 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 - sets more slowly. A 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 dishes. 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 lubricated with a thin layer of castor oil or petroleum jelly.
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 an affordable material that can be reused many times after failed 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 with vegetable oil or petroleum jelly. 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 a complex shape, special compositions are used. One of the most affordable options is 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. Pure cold water is collected in the mixing container in the required amount. 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 over the inner surface and falls 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 of a suitable 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 mixing significantly reduces the time of use of the molding material, so everything must 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 some, the ideal option would be toning 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, elastic silicone is better. 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!
I wanted to make some unusual birthday present from my son to my grandmother and aunt. Of course, to this gift I also added the usual gift from my mother :) But that's not about that now :)
I came up with the idea to do imprint pens child from dough for grandma and imprintlegs for aunt. Our loved ones loved this gift!
In addition to the fact that such a craft is a great gift and a wonderful educational activity for your child, the mold is made quickly and easily enough. You can also involve small children in this activity. For example, my son was a year and a month old.
So let's start cooking. imprintlegs and arms of a child made of dough.
Cooking dough.
For the test you will need:
- 1 cup of flour (you may need a little more, start with a glass, and then, a little bit, you will add);
- 0.5 cups of salt;
- 125 ml of water;
- 1 tbsp PVA.
- to make colored dough, you can add gouache.
We form an imprint.
The test is obtained for 2 crafts. Therefore you can:
- do imprintone handle and one leg;
- 2 handles;
- 2 legs;
We take the first ball and roll out a pancake of the desired size and thickness from it, as you visually like. The resulting pancake immediately put on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. We take the baby’s arm or leg, hold it tightly and press it into the dough. The dough should not be sticky, but if it is, brush the handle/leg with sunflower oil.
Do not forget to make a hole for the tape if you want to hang the craft.
For me, the most difficult thing was to take my son's hand / foot and make a beautiful print. The son was spinning, moving his fingers, trying to immediately dig into this test ... :) Therefore, we did not succeed in making an imprint from the first attempts. Therefore, do not be discouraged if the first time you do not succeed either, let the whole process become an exciting and fun game for you :)
We decorate the craft to your taste.
I lightly decorated with Easter sprinkles and made the prints with a bump around the edges. When choosing the type of jewelry, you need to take into account an important point - if you dry the cast in the oven, choose materials that are resistant to high temperatures. During drying in the sun, you can choose any materials.
We dry the mold of the child’s arms / legs from the dough in the oven.
I dried the craft as much as possible in the oven, and then slightly dried it in the room.
We send the craft to the oven at a temperature of 80 degrees and dry for about 2 hours. Ovens are different for everyone, so you need to follow the craft. You will feel when it is ready: the dough will be light in color on top, firm and slightly ruddy on the bottom.
The temperature setting in my oven does not work, so I dried it by eye. And another interesting moment. I did crafts in 2 visits on different days: first a cast of the handles, then a cast of the legs. The casts of my legs began to swell. I did everything the same, except that I put the cast of the pens in a cold oven and the temperature was slightly higher. Perhaps the reason lies precisely in this. When I saw that the cast of the legs was slightly swollen, I pierced a couple of holes with a toothpick. Despite everything, the cast of the legs turned out to be pretty too. To hide the flaws, I tinted them with yellow paint.
Last steps.
After the crafts have cooled, they can be decorated with gouache to your taste. I like the unpainted version better :)
We put on ribbons and gifts are ready, and this is also a great memory of the baby. Sign the date or age of the child with paint on the back of the craft.
Here are my options.
Craft "Footprint and child's hand from dough" as an educational activity.
At the time of preparation of the craft, my son was 1.1. He himself could not yet make prints, decorate, etc. But despite this, we got a great developmental activity:
- the son crumpled and tore the dough with his fingers;
- touched the flour mixed with salt with his fingers. I also added pebbles, cones, sticks there and got a small sensory box. The son poured the materials of the box with a spoon into the vessel.
- I made a cast of a leg for my son, and he felt the shape of his leg with interest;
- the son laughed when I made prints of his legs.
There was a lot of cleaning, but I do not regret it at all :) We are not afraid of cleaning at all.
Small children grow up quickly, and so you want to capture their tiny fingers and legs in memory. Casts of arms and legs made by parents can become quite a tangible thing. The manufacturing process is very simple, the materials are available, and the result will delight you for many years.
You will need:
- flour;
- salt;
- water;
- gypsum or alabaster;
- paint in a can;
- picture frame;
- liquid Nails;
- photograph of a child, jewelry.
The considered option allows you to make casts of arms and legs using improvised materials. To get three-dimensional casts, you can purchase ready-made kits with a gel filler.
Our mothers circled our hands and feet in childhood, so that in the children's album there would be a memory of what we were. Already at school, we circled them ourselves and gave them to each other.
Today you can make an imprint of the child's hand and foot with every fold on the skin. And your Romeo will be able to give his Juliet in kindergarten not just a picture, but a three-dimensional copy of his pen. In our age, you won’t surprise anyone with photographs, videos are shot with a mobile phone, and casts of children’s arms and legs in 3D format are really exclusive, which cannot be bought, you can only order a master or make it yourself.
Godparents buy a gift certificate for this service so that an adult child will remember them with gratitude. Lovers (as in the "Avenue of Stars") and newlyweds order handprints on a stand with engraving. For the hero of the day, you can call a specialist at home, and organize a gift - a procedure as part of the holiday program.
Now it is fashionable to collect sculptural copies of the entire family and keep them as family heirlooms for posterity. Many people order accurate 3D sculptures of their hands.
Of course, such casts were invented a long time ago, but this service was expensive, and not everyone dared to take their crumbs across the city to the sculptor's workshop. Children grow rapidly, and I want to leave an extraordinary gift in memory of childhood. When your child becomes famous, these casts will be worth more than gold. Now many masters provide this service, but it is quite possible to manage on your own at home.
Children's casts. Method one - on the sand
Tools and materials
Step-by-step instruction
- Sand is poured into a bowl (without tamping).
- Carefully in the center we make an imprint of the handle or foot of the child.
- Along the edges we lay out the selected decor for prints.
- Dilute alabaster to the consistency of sour cream (preferably with cold water, as it seizes very quickly).
- In a thin stream, so as not to spoil the work, pour the solution onto the sand with a layer of 2 - 3 cm.
- After 15 minutes, when the alabaster is completely hardened, carefully remove it from the mold.
- > We clean it from sand with a brush and cover it with paint, varnish, apply a commemorative inscription.
Materials of casts of children's hands and feet are very diverse. We got used to the sand, you can experiment with plasticine.
Method two - plasticine
Tools and materials
- children's soft plasticine;
- gypsum;
- PVA glue;
- decor material.
Step-by-step instruction
Method three - in the test
Tools and materials
- wheat flour - 1 cup;
- fine salt - half a glass;
- vegetable oil or glue - 1 tbsp;
- paints;
- decor material.
Step-by-step instruction
For grandparents, this is the most desired gift that they will keep for a lifetime.
But no one canceled grandmother's fun and simple method - if there are hypoallergenic paints in the house, just give your child paper and paints - and you will have a lot of prints in five minutes.
If you have mastered simple methods from simple improvised materials, you can purchase a kit for professionals.
Children grow up very quickly, and you need to have time to catch moments that will delight you all your life!
Sometimes it seems that children grow up too fast, parents do not have time to enjoy communication due to worries, and the thrill that they experience when looking at the small arms and legs of children slips away. I so want to leave something in an unreliable memory so that it reminds of a baby and demonstrates the miracle of a baby’s growth. Photographs and plaster casts of the palms help in part.
Photo Shutterstock
It is not difficult to make plaster casts, the only problem is that the kids are mobile, to force them to put their hand with the right force at the right time and not bring the baby to tears - this is really difficult. Little secrets come to the rescue.
Option one - economical
You will need: - soft plasticine, - oilcloth, - vaseline, - gypsum, - a glass of water.
Cover the table with oilcloth, otherwise you risk spending the rest of the day cleaning. From plasticine (take a couple of pieces at once), mold a cake with a thickness of at least 3 cm. It should be even and without holes. Apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly to one of the surfaces of the cake, you can even use petroleum jelly.
It is not necessary to use gypsum at all, the prints of the legs on plasticine look no less cute
In a bowl, dilute a bag of medical plaster (sold in pharmacies or by weight, or packaged in 150 grams), pour it into a glass and gradually pour in 200 ml of warm water. Stir constantly so that there are no lumps. Cover the glass with a lid.
Now send the finished plasticine to the microwave for 10-15 seconds, so it will become very soft and plastic. Check if the mass is too hot, if the baby will burn the hands.
Let the baby "drown" the handle or leg in the mass of plasticine. This must be done quickly and clearly, it is impossible for the child to have time to squeeze his fingers or twist his palm in a warm mass. Feel free to remove the pen, the plasticine should not stick, because there is a layer of Vaseline on it. For safety net, you can smear your baby's hand with a greasy baby cream.
Pour the prepared gypsum into the resulting recess and leave the mold for 2-3 hours. As soon as the plaster dries, you can remove the plasticine. Dry the gypsum for another day, now you can cut off the irregularities of the gypsum with sandpaper. Cover the cast with paint, acrylic or meat ones fit perfectly. It remains to be placed in a deep frame, you can even without glass.
Option two - home
Make molds from salt dough. Knead in a bowl 2 cups of flour with 1.5 cups of warm water, add 1 cup of fine salt. For softness and smoothness of the dough, you can squeeze half a tube of baby cream into it.
