(please note this is a lesson from my full ‘How to Cast Baby Hands & Feet’ online course)

Alginate is a dental product, made from seaweed, that has unique properties which are perfect for mould making. Alginate can be purchased from Dental & Art supply stores, or online retailers such as Amazon.

I use an alginate that is fast setting, has colour changing properties, a mild aroma, captures great detail, is flexible, strong, affordable, and readily available to me.

Alginate must be mixed thoroughly and quickly - working within the setting time constraints to get it to a consistency which won’t cause issues with the mould.

Alginate can be mixed by hand, or with an electric mixer. My rule of thumb is that if it is over 2 litres worth I will use an electric drill with a paint mixer attachment.

In this lesson I will be covering mixing small quantities of alginate by hand.

This is what you’ll need to mix your alginate:

• Alginate - pre measured in the container you will be casting in

• Pre measured water - up to your chosen temperature (no warmer than 37 degrees celsius for baby hands & feet)

• A mixing jug - which will need to be atleast double the capacity of however much water you’re mixing (this jug has a 2 litre capacity, so I would only mix up to 1 litre of alginate in it before deciding I need a bigger mixing vessel)

• A whisk - specifically for mixing small amounts of alginate by hand. For mixing larger quantities or alginate, an electric drill with a paint mixer attachment is best to get the job done quickly.

So to begin I start my timer, and tip my alginate into the water. It doesn’t need to be sifted and can be done in one go.

Immediately I will start to mix - thoroughly and as fast as I can while scraping the edges down - for between 20-30 seconds. If you are using a colder temperature mixture you will be able to mix for longer - but this is how long I mix my warm mixture for when I’m casting babies so they don’t have to have their hands or feet in the mould for long.

After mixing, you’ll want it to be a thick pancake batter-like consistency. It will have air bubbles in it, and it may have some small lumps of alginate too - that is ok as long as they don’t cause issues.

Then quickly pour the mixture into the casting container - take it directly over to your casting subject - who you’ll have all prepared and in position before you start - and submerge their hands or feet and wait for it to set.