Eyewitness Kits Mold-It Craft Kit

I wanted to make my hand print for my girlfriend as a kind of hands-on sort of gift, and thought this mold would be perfect.Well after getting it pretty quickly, I opened it and started. I first got a container to put the mold/my hand in because I heard the box leaked and I didn't want to clean that up. Then I looked at the instructions, and while seemingly enough, it left we with a lot of questions. For one, it mentions the amount of water is needed for the mold, but not the temperature. I noticed some other molds you need warm water, but this just says water, nothing if it should be warm/hot/cold/etc. I just used slightly cool water, which maybe was a bad idea knowing other molds used warmer water, but I was thinking "If it needed warm water, it would have said it somewhere", I checked, not even on the tips or lengthy introduction page does it say anymore than water.So I mix, put it in my container, and stuff my hand in. It's maybe my fault because I had an idea for my position, but my container was a touch too small for the to work, so moving around didn't help. Still I waited the 5 minutes like the instructions say for the mold to harder, but it was still not solid at all, so I waited another 5. Still felt like it was not solid enough to remove my hand, so I waited a bit longer (not setting my alarm for another 5, thinking it wouldn't be that long). At this point I started to sorry my hand was in there for too long and would get stuck, so I took it out, when the whole glop of mold attracted to my hand came out of the container, I panic and stuff it back in, waiting, hoping I didn't ruin the mold. Personally, it would make sense if from using cooler water, it took way longer, but again, nowhere did it saw how hot the water should be.I waited until the consistency was jello-like and then removed my hand. The mold almost collapsed on itself, maybe because I removed my hand seemingly too early (but was longer than what the instructions said) and/or my hand position, being a semi-closed fist in the end. I would get why that would be harder than an open hand or closed fist, but there was also no information on what hand positions would be the best for this, so that would be nice to know.Next I mixed the plaster, put it in, and while it said wait 45 minutes, I let it sit for overnight just in case. Coming back, nowhere in the instructions does it mention the water on top of the plaster as it dries. I feel like I wasted time, not sure when it would be done, as it pretty much was done. So then I try to take my hand out and I basically have to rip open the whole mold, getting that material all over the place. Seriously the mess around this thing is outrageous. No way to avoid getting it on you, or on pretty much your whole surroundings. Ripping up the mold too felt like clawing at raw chicken, maybe that was just me breaking it up too much, as hopefully most people ripping it up in as few pieces as possible.Then I got... what the pictures show. Yes, it copied the bottom of the container better than it did my hand. Maybe pushing my hands to the bottom created a hole in the mold, which then shrank, leaving space for the bottom to be filled, I have no clue, just it ended up like that. Rereading the instructions afterwards, they do mention not touching the bottom of the box, so that fault is completely on me. Overall, from both my faults and faults in the lacking instructions, I ended up with this, just disappointing really. I wish I could do this again and avoid some of these problems, or at the very least I wish they had enough mold and plaster for 2 attempts, one trial and one good looking one. I'm pretty sure you have to ruin the box following the instructions, but another container does still work, just avoid doing what I did.𝐓𝐋;𝐃𝐑, if you honestly have to make this, here are some tips for a better result which the instructions don't mention1) Use a container other than the box, one that's more tall than wide and that fits your hand in nice without touching the bottom (that last part is in the instructions, but still important to mention)2) Think about your position before hand and decide it before mixing, along with not moving as much as you can in the mixture3) Use warm water (not hot, just warm), not only will you hands not be cold, but I'm pretty sure the mold will harden faster (this is just my theory, but doesn't hurt to try)4) When making the mold, don't follow the times on there, just wait till it's about jello-like consistency before removing5) With the plaster, once there is a good layer of water on top and it seems plaster hard (best left overnight, but definitely more than the 45 minutes in the instructions) then take it outStill follow the instructions, but knowing this will really help you not ruin your hand like I did

Bought as a gift but i dont think they ever used it

The product arrived on time and is as described. More details: A large water-proof container (not included) is essential to put this to use. You will need a narrow, tall container to make an impressively different type of cast than the flat-hand shape pictured on the box. I was able to make a hand-statue in the shape of an "okay" (pointer finger touching thumb, and the three other fingers straightened out) placed within a narrow container. The result, with proper understanding of how much water to mix into the powder, results in a hand-statue that can stand upright. If you put enough space between fingers, then the statue can become quite practical by becoming a pencil-holder. Mine was able to hold pencils between the three fingers. I almost did not have enough cast material (I am a 5' 7" tall man with a hand size about 6 inches long from my metacarpals at my wrist to the tip of my second phalange (middle finger). I am certain that a bigger man will not have enough supply to show a kid how this works (by using their entire hand), but you would have enough material for two hands of small kids possibly (and I had enough for exactly one hand of mine). If you want to do more, it may be better to buy a larger bulk of this mold/cast material separately, but for starters or as a gift for a child, this set is excellent.

Great product but really poor instructions. I ended watching a YouTube as a guide. End product was a really nice detailed replica of my son’s hand

I really like the idea of this kit. But, I tried to mold and cast my daughter's hand and my son's foot. Neither turned out very good. The plaster-like material that you end up with doesn't seem very strong and breaks and chips easily. Also, trying to use a small kid for this "craft" is difficult because they have to keep their hand or foot very still in the right place for a long time.

This has got to be the worst mold kit ever! I purchased two of the kits to do my boys' hands. We followed the directions exactly and the first mold caved in on itself. I figured it had too much water, even though I used the exact amount called for, and used less water. Well, same thing happened so it was a waste of $30. I finally researched it on the internet and found a great ship called Casting Keepsakes that sells easiest most kid friendly casting kit I have ever used. I work at a daycare so I have a lot of experience with this stuff and their kit is superb. The mold firms up in about a minute so it is easy to use on even small children. The mold powder changes color as it is mixed with water so it lets you know when to put your hand in. I will never go back to the Eyewitness kits again after using a quality product like this. The detail is wonderful. I wanted to share it with everyone who has problems with these kits that are in the craft stores now. It is so much better quality than what is used in the eyewitness sets.

The directions were very clear. The kid was easy to use and the materials were of fine quality.

Worked great! I was very skeptical at first, but if you can hold still (or your 4 year old can, in my case) it does a great job of creating a lasting mold.Everything is done inside the box it comes in, so the corners leaked a little. It was a very VERY easy clean up once everything set up and hardened a bit, but I recommend putting some paper towels down under the box.