Here at Dinkie Dannies we have the know-how to take great life casts of your child, which display a huge amount of detail in the finished product.  You will be able to see all the fine lines and wrinkles on the hands and feet, with finger and toe prints. If your child is slightly older (say over a year) even the cuticles on their fingernails will show.

This excellent result is achieved by using the best products available on the market. 

We start by taking a mould of your child's hand or foot, using alginate specially formulated for working with children. The alginate is non-toxic and totally safe to use on baby's skin. Unlike some alginates on the market there are no essential oils such as peppermint which can cause skin sensitivity.  Once mixed the alginate will set within about one minute, making the process very quick for your child. Having set it is very easy to remove your child's hand or foot from the alginate as it retains a slight elasticity for a while after setting. Unlike do-it-yourself kits, your child does not need to be sleeping; we are quite used to dealing with wriggling babies.

The mould is then taken back to our workshop where a plaster cast of the mould is taken. Once again we use plaster, which has been specially formulated for the job.  It takes on all the detail in the mould, but is very strong and difficult to break.  As part of the process we scrub the plaster cast under hot, soapy water, which you just can’t do with many other plasters on the market.

Depending on which finished product you buy we would then either wax and polish the plaster cast ready for framing, or go on to make a second mould into which we pour the cold cure metal.

The cold cure metal takes about two days to cure, after which we use three different products to polish and patina the finished item.  A clear sealant is then applied to prevent tarnishing of the cast.

Should you wish to purchase a frame for your item, these are all hand made to order in England using pine, oak or mahogany.  The quality of our frames is second to none and all come with name and age plates for your child and are ready to hang.