This section will be a list of products grouped into categories i have a list of categories:

New Life - Baby Hands and Feet are the more popular choices but can bespoke cast anything from shoes to bottoms, special group discounts for having Pairs or the whole lot mega savers deal (2 hands 2 feet).
Finger Rings Brand New!

Special Occasions - Weddings - Wedding hands with wedding bands, bridemaids. Birthdays. 
Sports Events - can be casted with objects in hands as part of the finished piece.

Group Casts - Family pieces such as The Family Tree, Sports teams, Work Departments.

Ornament and Furniture - Pieces such as The Hand Remote, Leg Garden Table and the Finger Coat Peg.

Specialist Casting - Busts, Face, Pregnant Bellies, Full Body Casts.

ANIMAL CASTING - Now catering for the WHOLE family, we can cast paws of domestic animals.

In this section we explain how we do things, so you have an idea of the steps involved in capturing those precious memories.

The first and most important part of our process is making sure that you, our client, has made a well informed and personal decision on which type of cast you desire.  

The Lifecasting page here, focuses on the details of each type of cast to help you with this.

Moulding

After you have chosen your cast, the next step is to decide how you want to do it. Traditionally we have always casted By Appointment only, though we found that more of our customers wanted a more direct involvement in the production of their special moment, or were seeking an alternative method that suited their lifestyle/schedules.  Therefore we have developed the Self Mould method, drawing on feedback and experience we have gained over the years.  This method is an alternative for people who want to be involved in the creation or require greater flexibility, as well as additional benefits, that are outlined and explained on our Self Mould page here.

If you have chosen to book an appointment, we will send someone out to you at an agreed time, to take the mould.  Once there, the Memento Mori Craftsman will mix the safe, non-allergenic solution (much like jelly) into a large enough container so that the hand/foot can be moulded (some other body casts require different techniques which we will fully explain should you enquire).  A few minutes after the hand/foot is inserted we have all the detail that we need and gently release the hand from the mould.

If you have chosen the Self Mould method, we will send you a kit with all the required materials and tools, along with a set of in-depth instructions.  These instructions provide a step by step guide on how to achieve the perfect mould as well as providing tips for creating more lifelike posture and checking the moulds integrity.  The instructions are supported by an online video which can be found at the Self Mould page here.

Casting and Production

Once the moulds are back at the studio they are checked by Quality Control.  It is very rare that the mould will be unusable, but in this event we will return to you free of charge.  If you are using the Self Cast kit we should have multiple moulds to work with, further decreasing the chances that it would be unusable.

Once the mould has been cast in your material of choice, a significant amount of time is spent perfecting it. Depending on the material type this could cover anything from cracks to touch-ups.  For solid metal casts we cast the mould in numerous materials first, so we can ensure the mould is perfect for when it is sent to the foundry.

Once the cast has been perfected, the extras and finish (if applicable) are applied.  The whole process typically takes 3 weeks to complete, after which we deliver the finished product back to you.  If your cast is made from a solid metal we advise a completion time of 6 weeks.  If you do have a deadline, let us know and we will do our best to meet it, providing this does not compromise it's quality.

We take pride in providing the utmost quality in our products and are always expanding on the experiences and knowledge we gain from helping you immortalize those cherished memories.

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Product Gallery: All images copyright Memento Mori Casting Studios 2014

Over time we have recieved numerous requests for a variety of different casts, some extremely specialist and others simply innovative for being the first of it's kind.  

If there is something you have in mind, discuss it with us and we will do our best to achieve it.

If you know what you are looking for then please visit our Order page here.

We recommend you have a look at our checklist below to get an idea of what it is you want from what we can offer.

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH WHAT YOU WANT

First Step:  Choice of Cast

This is the most important step, take some time to have a look around our site and get a feel for what it is you are after.  When you know what it is you want, come back to this section and continue to the second step.
Have a look through the Lifecasting section here for ideas.

Second Step: Choice of Cast Material

There are a total of 3 materials that we cast from with the first option being the only option that can have a finish applied, Casting Stone, Cold Casted Bronze/Silver/Gold and Solid Cast Bronze/Silver/Gold.  Please remember that unless cast in a solid metal, the finished product should be treated with care, a heavy fall could break the cast. 
 

     Casting Stone: This is a material like plaster but more                sturdier.  We apply a finish to the stone to give a desired            effect.  A list of finishes can be found below on the Fifth              Step: Choice of Finish.  If you choose to not have a                  finish it will appear as the standard plain white.

Picture: Casting Stone cast without finish.

Cold Casting Bronze/Silver/Gold: Cold casted with 80% of the original material.  Costs vary between the metals.

Solid Bronze/Silver/Gold: The mould is sent to the forge where it is cast out of 100% Bronze, Silver or Gold.  Costs vary between the metals as before.

All prices can be found on our Prices page here.

Please enquire for the cost of Metals using our Contact page here,
as these can vary.

Picture: Solid Bronze Foot (Left) and a Cold Cast Bronze Foot (Right)
 

Third Step: Choice of Finish

For casts made of Casting Stone we have 5 finishes we can apply:

CLASSIC WHITE

Description: Pure classic white for those who choose not to have a finish or those who want a China effect finish.  Can be gloss or matt effect.

BRONZE

Description: Metallic bronzed effect.

WHITE GOLD

Picture On its Way

Description: Lighter than the Antique bronze, giving a richer gold effect that still shines when in the light.

ANTIQUE WHITE GOLD

Description: White Gold finish darkened to give an aged, antique effect. Although similar to the Bronzed effect, when White Gold catches the light it shines brighter.

PORCELAIN BLUE (BABY BLUE)

Description: Baby blue, light and chalky effect, can be matt or gloss.

PEARL

Description: Pearl colour effect which is light and airy, almost white with a hint of sheen.

IVORY

I 

Description: Ivory texture effect with emphasis on natural Ivory colourings.

Fourth Step: Choice of Extras
Within our Extras section here, we can provide frames which encase the casts and make them suitable to hang inside the home as well as offer further personalization and character to your cast. Additional features such as plaques are available.  

With this step complete you are ready to be moulded.  The final step is how you wish to do it.

Final Fifth Step: Moulding By Appointment or By You
The final step is deciding how you want us to take the mould.  We have two options available:
By Appointment
With this option we schedule an appointment for one of our resident casters to visit your home to take your mould.  Subject to availability we would be able to cast on any days, typically between 9.00am to 9.00pm.  If the appointment location is outside of our 25 mile radius (of post code RM18 8TE) then there may be an additional transport cost.  We require a £10 deposit on confirmation of the appointment and that for baby casts in particular that there aren't too many excited family members around as this can sometimes unsettle the baby and make our job a lot more tougher!  

By You
More and more people are deciding that they want a more direct involvement with the creation of their treasured memory or are simply finding they cannot fit in an appointment time.  We are now offering a solution!  What we do is send you out the moulding solution to take the mould yourself, we provide step by step instructions and an instructional video on this site (Self Mould page).
Don't worry about messing it up because we give you enough to do it three times.
This gives you the freedom to do it within your own comforts, on your own time schedule.  Then you send the mould back in the package we provide to you and then we work the magic.  With some experienced hands and careful attention to detail we bring out the best in the cast, casting the material, perfecting the details and giving it a glorious finish.  We then send you back the finished piece, all safe and secure.  As with appointments, we will require a deposit of £20, being slightly higher to cover the postage, packaging and materials that are sent.

This method is only suitable for smaller casts, any that involve numerous people will need the expertise of a resident caster.  For all details relating to the Self Moulding Method please visit the Self Mould section here, and for any further enquiries contact us here.

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As a guideline we have grouped the children prices around ages. We will provide a quote on request if you are interested in some of the bigger products that require more time and material.                   

BABY LIFECASTS
(Ages 0-3 years old)

1 Hand or Foot
Casting Stone - £75 (includes a base and choice of finish) 

Half Set - 2 Hands or Feet - Mixed if required but 2 total
Casting Stone - £90 (includes a base and choice of finish)

Full Set - 2 Hands and 2 Feet - 4 Total
Casting Stone - £120 (includes a base and a choice of finish)
 

For any Cold casted or Solid Metal, Bronze/Gold/Silver, please request here as these prices vary with the price of metals.

If you have something in mind that you don't see here, let us know here, as more than likely we'll be able to achieve it.

CHILDREN LIFECASTS
(Ages 4-13 years old)

1 Hand or Foot
Casting Stone - £80 (includes a base and choice of finish)

Half Set - 2 Hands or Feet - Mixed if required but 2 total
Casting Stone - £95 (includes a base and choice of finish)

Full Set - 2 Hands and 2 Feet - 4 Total
Casting Stone - £125 (includes a base and choice of finish)

Hand holding Object (Any items within reasonable size)
Casting Stone - £105 (includes a base and choice of finish)
If it is a large item (larger than your hand) you require we ask that you contact us first here, as this may need to be priced individually. Some object shapes may require it to be cast individually and added to the piece.

2 Hands holding 2 Objects (Any items within reasonable size)
Casting Stone - £115 (includes a base and choice of finish)
If it is a large item (larger than your hand) you require we ask that you contact us first here, as this may need to be priced individually. Some object shapes may require it to be cast individually and added to the piece.
 

For any Cold casted or Solid Metal, Bronze/Gold/Silver, please request here as these prices vary with the price of metals.

If you have something in mind that you don't see here, let us know here, as more than likely we'll be able to achieve it.

ADULT LIFECASTS
(Ages 13 years old +)

1 Hand or Foot
Casting Stone - £95 (includes a base and choice of finish)

2 Hands (1 Pair or Two Persons Hands)
Casting Stone - £115 (includes a base and choice of finish)

Hand holding Object (Any items within reasonable size)
Casting Stone - £120 (includes a base and choice of finish)
If it is a large item (larger than your hand) you require we ask that you contact us first here, as this may need to be priced individually. Some object shapes may require it to be cast individually and added to the piece.

2 Hands holding 2 Objects (Any items within reasonable size)
Casting Stone - £135 (includes a base and choice of finish)
If it is a large item (larger than your hand) you require we ask that you contact us first here, as this may need to be priced individually. Some object shapes may require it to be cast individually and added to the piece.

We can also specialist cast busts, faces, pregnancy bumps and all other anatomy.  Enquire here for more details.

For any Cold casted or Solid Metal, Bronze/Gold/Silver, please request here as these prices vary with the price of metals.

If you have something in mind that you don't see here, let us know here, as more than likely we'll be able to achieve it.  

ANIMAL LIFECASTS

1 Paw
Casting Stone - £80 (includes a base and choice of finish)

2 Paws (2 animals or a pair)
Casting Stone - £95 (includes a base and choice of finish)
 

Typically we will only cast by appointment dogs of good temprement, but any animal can be cast using the Self Mould option, which will allow you to take the mould yourself, which can then be supplied to us. 

For any Cold casted or Solid Metal, Bronze/Gold/Silver, please request here as these prices vary with the price of metals.

If you have something in mind that you don't see here, let us know here, as more than likely we'll be able to achieve it. 

EXTRAS

Mounted Frames

Due to the variety in cast sizes and shapes all frames are custom made. Frames can be painted any colour requested. These frames will be priced seperately but for guidance we have put some average costs below:

Vanilla/Mahogany Box Frame  - Ranging from between £15 - £45 dependant on size

Plaques
Brass/Silver/Bronze Plaques  - £5

Cast Protection
You will receive the original mould back  - £25

PACKAGE OFFERS

To check the latest package offers, designed to suit larger families or those after a generational family tree piece, please contact us here.

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A Lifecast is a detailed 3-D capture of human anatomy, though this has been extended to animals and artistic casting of literally anything.  Using a safe, non allergenic mould we are able to cast in a wide array of materials, provide sleek and dazzling finishes, as well as provide additional finishing touches/extras.

During our time lifecasting, we are consistently reminded of the important things in life, friends, family, celebrations and commitments.

We have put together this catalogue to show you how some people chose to remember their moments.

CHILDREN AND NEW ARRIVALS

     Celebrate a new arrival to the family by having a cast                       of your baby's hands and/or feet.  Supplied with a base and a         choice of finish, you can choose additional extras such as a             plaque and/or  mounted frame.  

     For more information on Extras see here.  
    
      Any  number of children at any age can be cast, making                sure you are  able to capture everyone.  You get a choice of     casting materials,  as well as examples of finishes in the Product Guide here.  

Typical combinations of this product, 2 hands together, 2 feet together, 1 hand and 1 foot or 2 hands and 2 feet.  Since we appreciate how small and precious they really are, we'll give you bigger discounts for larger combinations.

SPECIAL OCCASIONS

Commemorate your special occasions, preserving an significant moment in your life.
Whether its a wedding/civil ceremony day, anniversary, birthday 
or any other milestone you have reached, a lifecast is a standing testament to your achievement.

Wedding/civil ceremony casts can be scheduled by special appointment for on the big day, or prior to as creation for a center piece. We also provide group packages for bridal parties, more details can be found on the Prices page.  

For anniversaries, 2 adult hands with highlights on the weddings bands and comes in a variety of anniversary finishes such as Silver, Ruby, Gold and Diamond or any other finish of your choice.

We have also provided casts for Sporting Events and Awards, such as the Golden Boot trophy cast from the highest goal scoring player of the club's boot, given to him at the end of the season.

If theres something you want to celebrate and you don't see it here, please do not hestiate to ask us here, years of experience allows us greater flexibility with what can and can't be achieved.

ANIMAL CASTS

  We all know that our pets mean the world to us        and appreciate that its tough to lose one. By having your pets  paw cast you have a memento to treasure when they sadly but  eventually pass away. Currently with Animal Casting we have  only been casting dogs of good temprement but with the Self-  Mould pack we send,  you could  take a mould of any animal you  like, providing they could  sit still  long enough and that they are  not fully submerged where they could have difficulty breathing.  The animal casts also come available in a choice of casting materials and a variety of finishes that can be  found here in the Product Guide.  A basic base is provided, with the addition of Extras found here if required.

GROUP CASTS

If the cast involves more than 3 people we classify it as a group cast, which means that we would need to visit you to ensure the best possible product result.  
For casts involving numerous generations of the family we have a special piece known as the Family Tree, a lineage of the family all connected to the same branch.
Discuss your group needs with us, as group casts need 
to be done by appointment visit with a resident caster we can only travel so far, but we will do our best to reach you if we can.

In addition to the products you see here, if you had something else in mind, let us know here.  We are able to do bespoke work for any desired project.

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We are currently developing our Extras range as a unique feature of Memento Mori Casting Studios with some very exciting things on the way, we hope it gives you our customers more freedom to choose something that suits your needs and offer you something a bit different.

MOUNTED FRAMES

All frames are custom made by our master craftsmen to suit the lifecasts, due to the variety of sizes and shapes of different parts of anatomy.  Typically this has to conform to a box frame rather than a traditional thinner frame, which has sturdier support for mounting upon the wall.

PLAQUES

To commemorate a particular date, age, name, whatever you choose.  You give us the message and we send it off to the foundry.

CAST PROTECTION

For those particularly sentimental casts you can choose to protect your cast by having a backup mould created. This is achieved through using a different mould type that is then encased and given back to you with a guarentee that we will repair/recast it at no additional cost.  This allows you to store a master copy of the mould in the event it cannot be repaired or recast.  Display your memories without fear of losing them.

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*Issue with the video is currently being fixed.

The Self Mould method is an alternative to Appointments, one that we have found is suiting more and more people.  Initially concieved for our clients requesting more involvment in the production of their memento, we have found that it is appealing to more and more people for different reasons, here we will highlight and overview some of the benefits of this method:

Direct Involvement:
For everyone who wants to say, "I did that".  You are providing us with the mould and we are doing the rest.
For those of you wondering if you have enough time to do it, rest assured this can be done within 5-10 minutes.

Time and Schedules:
We understand that things can get a little hectic, overlapping work schedules and simply too many things that need to be done.  With the Self Cast method you do not need to commit to trying to squeeze more time in to see us, you can do this in the comfort of your own home whenever you choose to.

Wider Location Availability:
One of the biggest issues with providing a service by Appointment Only is that we can only travel a reasonable distance from our studio.  With the Self Cast method we can provide our services to you from any location in the world.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SELF MOULDING

This guide is also sent to you in the self moulding pack, but these instructions will help you capture the mould so it is the best it can be.  For further instructions and guiding please refer to the video at the top of the page:

STEP ONE: Check and Prepare
First step is to ensure that the materials are prepared for useage.  Confirm that you have all the required materials, there will be a checklist inside the pack but it will contain the following:
e.g 1 Self Mould pack:
3 Large Plastic Cups
3 Seperate bags of Alginate
1 Mixing Stick
Return Label
Material Checklist
Instructions Guide

Addtional Preparation Notes:  If self moulding an animal paw, it is advised to use a vaseline-like product or other suitable lubricant on the paw before inserting it into the mould, as this will prevent hairs becoming stuck when trying to remove it afterwards.

Warm Soapy Water:  Although typically the moulds release without much trouble, you may wish to prepare some warm soapy water that can be poured into the mould should it be too tight to release.

We have given 3 cups and 3 bags of Alginate to cover 3 attempts, we encourage you to try them all as this will increase the chance of getting a more unique mould.

Fill one plastic cup up to the fill line with luke-warm tap water and you are ready to go.

STEP TWO: Mixing and Setting (Approx 2-3 min set ime)
Pour the alginate mixture gradually into the cup and begin to stir with the mixer.
After a few minutes the mixture will change colour gradually from purple to white, when it is just about white the mixture is ready to receive the cast.  This is when you insert the baby hand/animal paw into the container.
The main thing to aim for when inserting into the container is that you do not want the hand to touch the sides of the container, as this will create pockets where it will lack the original detail of the cast.
The mould will set within the next 20-30 seconds, when you touch the top you want to feel a jelly like texture, that slightly bounces.

STEP THREE: Release and send back
Once you are sure the mould has set, you can release the hand from the mould.  All you need to do is move the container around to release the suction.  If you feel that it is too tight you can pour warm soapy water into the mould to help release it.  You can repeat these steps 3 times to ensure the best possible results. Once this is complete just send them back to us with the packaging provided and we'll take care of the rest.

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