Making Casts of Your Baby's Hands

Catrina Skepper: It won't be long before your cute little baby becomes rampaging naughty toddler. Well, the Magic Custard Company can't do anything about the behavior of your kids, but they can help to remind you how lovely your baby was when he was just a few months old. With one of their unique hands and feet casts. Martin Kern from the Magic Custard Company is here today to show how they make these great mementos of your baby's early days. Also with me is Mimi with her mom Stephanie Quante (ph). Thank you very much to all of you for coming here, especially to you Mimi because you don't know what's about to happen. Martin, tell us about, first of all, how did you set up the company? Why did you do it? Is it from wanting to have a memento of your own children? Martin Kern: That's exactly it! My son, like all other children, growing up very, very quickly and suddenly I realized that we were losing the uniqueness of him being so small. So, I thought of doing a hand cast of him, I knew how to do so because of my history, my background. So, technically I knew how. Catrina Skepper: Your background was in theatre making sets and things. Martin Kern: That's right, yes. Working with all sorts of different materials. So, I did a hand cast of him at home. And when I saw the results, I was so flabbergasted that I thought, My goodness! Other parents surely would like this. And that's how it was born. That's the way it was born. Catrina Skepper: And now Magic Custard is all around. But of course, it's a process which you have had to refine, because you couldn't just do it with ordinary plastic, this is not something that parents should try at home, in their back garden, right? Back shed? Martin Kern: Not unless they buy one of our kits that's specifically designed to do so, but no, I mean you have to use the correct materials. Catrina Skepper: Which is obviously meant to be unharmful to children and small babies. Martin Kern: Absolutely! The Magic Custard itself is a form of dental alginate. It's what dentists would use to take impressions of your teeth. So it's a medical product, it's been around for long time, very much tested, and very, very safe on children's hands and feet. Catrina Skepper: Now presumably, when you go around somebody's house, like in this case, we have got Mimi here, who is a willing customer, willing guinea pig. Do you take all the kit with you or is it already mixed? What's the process? Tell us, talk us through the process. Martin Kern: When we are going to a customer, primarily we will take samples of our whole range. So, customers get to choose exactly what they want to purchase. Catrina Skepper: Now range you are talking feet, hands, that's -- Martin Kern: Well both. Yes, I mean, we start off with casts that are made from, what we call cast stone and then they are painted like this. Catrina Skepper: Okay this is painted, this is not bronze. Martin Kern: That's right. That's actually a painted stone piece. Catrina Skepper: That's why it's so light. Martin Kern: Yes. And then they generally mount it into box frames and that's the kind of a final piece hung-up on the walls. But then, yes -- Catrina Skepper: This is behind glass obviously. Martin Kern: Exactly! That's right. Yes. Catrina Skepper: And that's you have got the date or the name of the child. Martin Kern: That's right. So, that would be a pair of hands, we also cast feet, pair of feet, or some parents like to have one of each in a box frame. Catrina Skepper: And what age would you say, what's the youngest that the child can be when you take this? Martin Kern: In fact, from prior to birth day oddly enough, we have done premature babies. I have been to hospitals and had to actually mold baby's in incubators. So, these are babies that are several weeks early and really I have molded tiny, tiny little feet which are then being turned in casts. So, the general answer is from birth day, but even prior to birthday with premature children, would say. Catrina Skepper: Stephanie is there something you have been wanting to do with Mini? Stephanie: Yes, yes. I mean, I am very conscious that she is growing up fast. Catrina Skepper: Changing so fast. How old is she now? Stephanie: She is 15 months now. Catrina Skepper: You are so precious and you are very steady on your feet. Would you like to have your foot molded? Not so sure. You are going to love it. Look! Martin Kern: Yes, she definitely likes it. Stephanie: That's where your foot is, isn't it? Catrina Skepper: That's very good. Fantastic! But it's lovely, isn't it? I mean, I did with my, one of mine and I regret not having it done with the other two because it's something that I roll past everyday, and I look at it on my desk and it's just so incredible when they have grown to larger size, that you can remember how little they really were. You said the process is obviously totally unharmful, do you find is difficult to win children over? Or is it sort of just a matter of play? Martin Kern: That's a big part of my role. When we are working with babies and young children, something that I am very, very conscious of, and something that I train our licensees to do, and that is to really first of all, build up some communication and some rapport with the child. And Mimi particularly is of an age, where she is going to have to feel comfortable with me, making this mold, otherwise it's not going to work very well. Catrina Skepper: If she is not a willing baby anymore with what's going on. Martin Kern: So, I mean, I only met her about five minutes ago and I am trying to certainly make my -- Catrina Skepper: Keep up the good vibes. Martin Kern: Yes, absolutely! Catrina Skepper: But listen, maybe the process will interest her obviously, because this is fascinating. Why don't we start the process. Tell us, talk us through what you have to do? You have got this bowl full of, I don't know what to call it, powder? Martin Kern: Right, yes indeed. So this is, this powder is the Magic Custard. Parents sometimes say, well that's okay we can do this at home with plaster, Parisian plaster. That would be quite dangerous to do. Magic Custard, as we have said, is a form of dental alginate, it's a medical product. It sets very, very quickly, that's one of the benefits, but the other major benefit; and this is crucial, is that it's very flexible when it sets. Catrina Skepper: Because children don't stay still. They are not going to sit there posing. Martin Kern: Absolutely! But more than that, the Magic Custard itself, once it's set, it needs to be flexible so that the children can take the hands and feet out, because if it's not flexible, they will be stuck in the mold. Catrina Skepper: Look mommy, I am stuck with my cast. Martin Kern: Indeed, indeed. Stephanie: Not quite what we had in mind. Catrina Skepper: Is that good, is that tasty, that foot? Martin Kern: So, the process would be, that we would empty some Magic Custard into the bowl. Then we empty some water into that Magic Custard. I would then mix that up into a paste. The paste is then emptied onto a cloth. That cloth with the paste in it, with the Magic Custard in it, we will then wrap around Mimi's hand or foot, or both and that would then set very, very quickly. There is a degree of expertise required with babies, while they are awake, but with babies that are asleep. Catrina Skepper: Of course, you can do it when babies -- at the various moments they are asleep. Martin Kern: Because we don't have that have that flexibility when we go to mom and dad's homes. Quite often we have to do it when they are awake. So it does take some degree of -- Catrina Skepper: Plus it is unfair to put you sort of under the camera lights to do this, but let's -- shall we do it? Shall we do the experiment? Martin Kern: Yes, absolutely! Let's go for it. Catrina Skepper: Obviously you have got some here that you have cast earlier, just to see the end result. But the other thing I want to know is, why did you call it Magic Custard, because it's such a wonderful name? Is there a reason? Does it smell nice? Martin Kern: There is a very, very well know children program called 'Teletubbies'. Catrina Skepper: Yes, unfortunately. Martin Kern: And we know it. And in the early days, in fact, prior to Magic Custard, I was doing this as a business, as my own business. But I was always searching for a name, for the activity and parents used to say, hold your -- stay still for the magic for the Teletubby Custard. And I used to think, well that's not really right, because I don't work, I am not a Teletubby. And we started generally referring to it as Magic Custard instead for ages. Catrina Skepper: Which is great, because all children love magic too. Martin Kern: Exactly and then that's how it stick me. Then one day we just realized, that's it. We can call it the Magic Custard Company. Catrina Skepper: Mimi are you ready? Stephanie: She is good to go. Martin Kern: She is good to go? Are you good to go? Stephanie: I have freed the feet. Catrina Skepper: Now the fun thing is that, as you said, it doesn't really matter if she moves inside because there is a certain room for flexibility. Martin Kern: Yeah, there is a room for maneuver. But for all intents and purposes, we are going to have to keep her relatively still. So, you've done, you have seen this working before. So, let's have a go and see how it works for Mimi. So here we go! This is how this would work. And what I try to do particularly with children of Mimi's age is just keep them interested in what we are doing. So there is a kind of a little game and even as they get a bit older, I get them to help me mix the Magic Custard. Because quite often, parents have had other children, and for example, I maybe doing a baby in mom and dad's home, but then I may have an older brother or sister. So, we include them in the process of casting. Catrina Skepper: And they might think that we are about to make pan cakes on Sunday, this would be perfect! Martin Kern: We are done. Catrina Skepper: Nice and gooey. Martin Kern: Okay. So that will come off in a second when that sets. Catrina Skepper: Look at that. This is just an ordinary cloth, you are using here. Martin Kern: That's right yes. Okay. So there we go! Catrina Skepper: Keep looking on that. Wow! This by the way is probably because of the shock of the cold, it was probably a little cold. Martin Kern: I think, to be honest with you, because what we do we mix this warm, so it's actually, it's warm. But it's probably because it's -- Okay. There you go. Good girl! What a good girl you are. We are all done. So, now we can see, that's actually has set now already. Catrina Skepper: So lovely. I am going to peel it off for you. Martin Kern: Now normally, when we don't have this wriggling, this is absolutely clean. All of these areas would be absolutely clean, but there we go. Alright baby. Yes darling! That's okay. It's all done. Catrina Skepper: Where is her juice? Martin Kern: Where is that juice? Here we go. So, you can see actually how that all just wipes off. There is -- Catrina Skepper: And also it doesn't cause, I mean, you haven't known any sort of allergic reactions -- Martin Kern: Never. Catrina Skepper: Because that's also quite important. You never had any -- Martin Kern: Not once now. Okay, if you are looking there, you can see inside and see -- Catrina Skepper: Absolutely! Oh! It's wonderful actually. Martin Kern: The mold. That's now perfect impression -- Catrina Skepper: But that presumably you keep until you take it back to your studio? Martin Kern: Exactly! That would now go back to the studio and the girls would then work on that. I have actually brought something in to show you the process. Catrina Skepper: Talk us with the process. So, this goes back to the studio. Does it need to be baked? Martin Kern: No, what happens now, so this goes to the studio, it's numbered with the customer's details and then it kind of goes to the studio and what the girls do now is they fill this with a very, very high quality plaster, it's actually called dental stone. Catrina Skepper: Yeah, which is very fine. Martin Kern: Absolutely! So, that is then filled to the top rather like this. This is one in the classic case, the one I prepared earlier. Catrina Skepper: Yeah, the one you made earlier. Fantastic! We love these things. Martin Kern: So, this was filled and then what happens is the whole thing is peeled off. Now, we did this earlier in the studio but we used a doll back at the studio in preparation for the show. So, what I am going to take out now would be Mimi's foot, but in actual fact, what it is, it's a little dollies foot. Catrina Skepper: Good to see. That would be a very, very, very small foot. Martin Kern: Can you see that? Catrina Skepper: Yeah, but the detail is perfect. Let me hold it for the camera so that you would see how perfect that is. Now between the toes, there is a little bit of extra plaster here. Martin Kern: That's right! So, those little bits and pieces are then sculpted off by the girls and so you are left with something like that. This is actually now a customer's order in mid-flow. So, I have brought that in. Catrina Skepper: And what you can see, which is wonderful is the reason why you couldn't just have a sort of whole lot of these in your studio and just dish them up because they really have individual footprint, obviously like a hand print, lines, everything, it's totally unique. Martin Kern: Absolutely, I mean sometimes moms and dads have said to me, how do I know I am getting my -- how do I know it's mine? And really, you being a mom you will recognize, there is no, no disguising your own children's -- Catrina Skepper: The shapes of toes and things like that are really, totally individual. What do you think apart from Mimi, who wasn't too sure, but that's fine. She has recovered very well. What do you think Stephanie is that something -- Stephanie: She is not bothered by the process. Catrina Skepper: No, she is not. Stephanie: No, she is fine. Catrina Skepper: And is this something that you would be excited by, I mean, seeing this? Stephanie: Oh! Definitely, definitely. Yes. Catrina Skepper: What would you choose, because then I guess you could, if I was feeling very extravagant, if you are feeling very extravagant, I guess I could have this cast in solid silver or brass or gold even? Martin Kern: Definitely. The stuff that we have looked at already is our stone cast range and indeed this stone cast. After this, there are other molds made -- Catrina Skepper: This is obviously bronze. Martin Kern: Exactly! Well, that's actually 70% bronze but this is 100% bronze. So again, this is a less expensive version of that, but that is a solid bronze cast. Catrina Skepper: What do you mix this with? Martin Kern: That's actually mixed with Resin, so that's 70% bronze and 30% Resin made from a Silicon mold, and this one, is first made in wax. Then we send them off to our foundry and it goes through a process called a lost-wax process. So, that's actually solid bronze and the viewers can't feel that, but it's very, very heavy. Catrina Skepper: And that can sit on a table or desk or whatever. Stephanie: Yes. Martin Kern: Absolutely! Stephanie: Yes. You can use it as a paper weight. Catrina Skepper: Now what about silver and gold? I mean, obviously it would be extremely expensive. I don't know, how much would a bronze hand or foot costs, depending on the amount of bronze you use? Martin Kern: Well, it's baby up to six months old, the price of solid bronze for a pair of cast is £495. The process to get it done is quite lengthy and there is a lot that goes into that. Catrina Skepper: And obviously, the older the child, the more expensive it becomes. Martin Kern: Yes, it becomes slightly more expensive, but even at that level, which is really getting to the top of our range, bar gold and silver, we work on those materials as well. I mean, I quite often make a comparison between something like that would last a lifetime, and people will buy pushchairs, which last for a few years and then they are thrown away. Catrina Skepper: Pushchairs, for all kinds of baby paraphernalia which unfortunately cost a great deal of money, and then within a year, you are giving it away hopefully to somebody else who needs it. Martin Kern: So, these are really priceless casts. But these are alums of course. Have you done any celebrity, obviously you can't tell us who. But, is this something that you are finding on the increase, and celebrity moms and dads. Martin Kern: We have cast many,many celebrities, all of which can be seen on the website. But not mentioning their names, yes. Catrina Skepper: Oh! You can. You can put them on the website. Martin Kern: But we have, yes we have a -- Catrina Skepper: What is your website? We should give that here. Martin Kern: Oh! That's lovely. It's magiccustard.com. So, it's all the Ws and then magiccustard.com. Catrina Skepper: It's very easy, magiccustard.com, fantastic! And you said you have satellites. You are just not based, and where are you based, not just in London, it's all around the UK. Martin Kern: Well, I started this in my dad's kitchen and from that we now have a workshop which is about 3000 square feet. We have employed five girls to craft these, after the molds come in, we have ten licensees all over the UK. We operate out of some department stores, I guess, I can't mention their names but department stores. Catrina Skepper: I know that in certain hospitals, and clinics you can pick up leaflets for this sort of thing. Martin Kern: It depends where our licensees have infiltrated. Catrina Skepper: Infiltrated, right. Okay. Do you see the process going any furthermore, so you can do moms and dads and you can do, you know the whole family presumably, it's not just babies, it gets more difficult or expensive? Martin Kern: We quite regularly mold and this is a new line. And this has come through moms and dads requesting this, we are doing baby's bottoms. Catrina Skepper: Baby's bottoms? Martin Kern: Baby's bottoms are the latest line. Catrina Skepper: Okay. We are not going to do that to you Mimi, promise, okay. Martin Kern: And quite often we do -- Catrina Skepper: You timing has to be quite good on that. Martin Kern: And quite often we do pregnant bellies and bumps and things like that. And what we tend to do there is, have dad standing behind mom and mom's and dad's hand on belly and then we mold all of that, and we cast that. So, what comes out is a very, very emotional kind of piece. Catrina Skepper: Bond. Martin Kern: Absolutely! And they are lovely. Catrina Skepper: It's sculpture ultimately. Something that you connect with. Martin Kern: Yes, very much so. Catrina Skepper: Well, that's been fantastic. I think you did a magical custard demonstration. We are very grateful for you for coming and to demonstrate. Thank you Mimi as well. You can relax now and have your juice. Thank you so much. Martin Kern: Thank you, thank you very much!