The best Alginate for bodycasting (hands, feet) on babys. Skin-friendly natural product made of seaweed.
To be mixed with water to form a pudding-like mixture. Dries to a gelatineous mass after 2 minutes depending on thickness and watertemperature. Surprisingly elastic and extreme high degree of copying.
In an alginate form casts can be made with : plaster, polyester, polyurethane foam or resin, wax etc...
A mould in alginate can be used for one cast only. (Dries, looses water, shrinks and starts deteriorating soon).
Colour : light yellow.
BODY CASTING ALGINATE FOR BABYS
HOW TO USE ALGINATE FOR MOULDMAKING
Mix - without lumps - the alginatepowder into clean water by means of a mechanical stirring device or a kitchen handmixer. Watertemperature : 20ºC. After 2 - 3 minutes the gelification process will start. In case the gelification starts to fast the water you are using can be too hard or the temperature can be too high. Lower the watertemperature or use desalted/demineralised water . The lower the watertemperature the slower the gelification will take place. Note : too cold water is unpleasant for the baby who's hand or foot will be immersed in the alginatemixture.
CHANGING THE MIXING RATIO :
10 gr. powder on 20 - 30 gr. water
This is the normal mixing ratio.
The mixed product is thick flowing and jelly or puddinglike and perfect to be poured into a bucket or box followed by immersion of the bodypart into it.
SEVERAL LAYERS :
Are possible ; a new layer sticks to a previous one as long as the previous layer is not older than 1 - 2 hours.
SHRINK :
Alginaterubber doesn't shrink during gelification. Castings have exactly the same size as the original.
Alginate moulds cannot be stored for a long time : they loose water, start shrinking and tend to rotten after a few days. Store them under water if necessary.
In general alginate moulds are intended for one-time usage.
Starting from the casting made in the alginate-mould a final mould can be made in silicone-rubber which will last for several years and can be reused as often as wanted.
SKIN-FRIENDLY :
Alginaterubber is a natural product based on seaweed and completely harmless for the skin. It can be used on any bodypart without risks of allergic reactions of what so ever. It is only intended for external use ( not in the mouth ).
CASTINGS :
Castings in alginate moulds are possible with concrete, gyps / plaster, polyesterresins, epoxyresins, waxes with a melting point lower than 100°C.
Not with polyurethane resins or polyurethane foams as the water in the alginate mould is an inhibitor for the polyurethane polymerisationreaction.
HOW TO PROCEED / GENERAL RULES :
Slightly grease bodypart with a thin vaseline film. This is necessary to copy all details (pores etc..)
BABY HAND / FOOT MOULD :
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Use a small plastic cup or box.
The alginatemixture can be much more fluid for these type of moulds.
Pour the mixture in the cup / box and put baby's his/her hand / foot etc... in it. Move toes, fingers to let all entrapped air escape. Then wait patiently till the alginate has gelified.
Once this has happened (usally after 2 - 3 minutes ) remove baby's hand/foot very slowly from the mould. Best way to do so : remove baby's hand/foot + the alginate mould from the cup / box and then slowly release hand/foot from the mould slowly to prevent fissures.
The mould is ready to make a cast.
Have fun !
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