Hello

In General

​

Where possible, please try to pick an appointment time when your child has been fed and had a sleep so that they are settled and less likely to be upset by something new. This will make the process much less stressful on both of you, it's supposed to be fun! 

​

Please come dressed in clothes that you don't mind getting dirty. The 3D alginate material can stain clothes although I'll always do my best to avoid you getting messy. All materials used are safe and widely used across the world for taking dental impressions and moulds for casting, alginate actually contains seaweed algae!

​

I work from home in Gorey Village so you may see my children and we also have two very friendly and patient cats who are used to children. If you have an allergy or don't want the cats in the room please let me know so I can accommodate this for you or make alternative arrangements for casting. I'm more than happy for you to bring your other children or family with you if you wish. 

​

If you can't drive or don't drive, don't worry. I can visit you to do a casting appointment at your home instead, please get in touch with me to arrange a mutually convenient time as I may need to arrange childcare.

​

I will always try my best to take the best casting for you first time, however, especially with 3D casts, it's not always easy to tell if there are imperfections with the cast until the plastering has been done and  the mould is opened. If I'm not happy with the final cast, I may contact you to arrange a second sitting at no extra cost to you, to get you the best result.

​

Imprints/Outprints

​

I will prepare a clay or dough base which will be kneaded and rolled out ready for taking prints. Hands and feet to be printed should be clean (no fluff in the toes or crumbs on the fingers!). 

​

The hand or foot will be placed on top of the dough and gently pressed down to make an impression. This will be repeated for other hands/feet where impressions are to be taken. The dough shouldn't stick to the skin but you may wish to use baby wipes to clean the skin afterwards if you want to. 

​

Once this part is finished I will take a mould in the shape you wish for your tile(s) and apply the finish and framing (if required). The tiles must be completely dried out before they are sealed and finished, therefore this part of the process takes approx 3 weeks to complete.

​

3D casts

​

I will prepare a material called alginate with warm water to take the impression of the hands/feet using either a bag or a container. This is a hypo-allergenic material. It takes 1-2 minutes to go from coloured to white and once white, it is set and feels a bit like wet rubber. The hand/foot is gently removed from the mould and checked to see if there are any holes/imperfections that can be seen. If so, a second impression may be taken to get you the best results (at no extra cost to you). 

​

Some alginate may stick to the skin but it can be easily rubbed off or cleaned off with a baby wipe and/or water. As noted earlier, it's always a good idea to come dressed in clothes that you don't mind getting messy just in case the alginate does get onto clothes as it may not come out easily. 

​

Once this part is finished I will cast, dry, seal, paint, wax and finish the casting process, including framing. As with the outprints, the casts must be completely before they are sealed and finished, therefore the process takes approx 6-8 weeks to complete.

​

​