HELP: how can I turn a melted plastic fingerprint into a piece of jewellery?

[goodytooshoes]

A bit specific...
But my nan died 20 years ago (she brought me up like a mother) and I have a whisk that was hers. At one point, she left the whisk in the pan with the heat up high which melted the plastic handle slightly and now has her thumb or fingerprint forever cast into it.
I want to make one of those fingerprint jewellery pieces out of it, but I need something to firstly make the fingerprint 3D again to then be able to imprint that into whatever it is they use to make the jewellery.

But... a. I don't know what to use to make it 3D again,
And b. I don't know what to use to make the jewellery itself.

Also, my grandad has end stage dementia and I'd like to have his fingerprint in it too. I know that they can do this in the funeral home when he passes away so time isn't necessarily an issue, even though I think I'd prefer to do it whilst he's still alive.

I don't want to use the cheap "silver" clay as I want it to last and I'm scared that the cheaper stuff will be poor quality. I also don't have a kiln for the more expensive clay. I don't mind having a business do this for me if it's possible either.

Any ideas?

Please help.

Thank you.

There must be someone on Etsy or Not On The Highstreet who could hell.

I looked on Etsy and there are loads. I would choose one that you like the look of and message them prior to buying.

Thank you I'll have a look on Etsy now :)

Have you got any old pieces of silver or gold jewellery that you no longer use? Because I’m sure a goldsmith on Etsy could melt them down and create it for you in a metal that will stand the test of time.

A jewellery maker should be able to cast a mould from the whisk and make it from that.

Have a look for a local silversmith (they do work in gold too) and ask them whether they do cast pieces, including making their own moulds. If they are local you don't have to worry about losing the whisk in the post, etc. as you can take it in to them.

Thats a genius idea. Its doable! Good luck OP.

Get some siligum 2 part moulding putty from Hobbycraft. You may get an impression from that a fingerprint jeweller can use.

I used it all the time when I was silversmithing and making the fingerprint stuff

I totally agree with GuyFawkesDay. I've lifted prints from all sorts of things.
If it's your only copy of the fingerprint, you probably don't want to post it off to anyone.
I have nightmares of things like that going missing.
Buy some siligum from Hobbycraft, Amazon, or any good craft store. You should be able to get a small 100g kit.
It's totally skin-safe, so it will be fine for taking your Grandad's fingerprints too.

If possible, try to get some ink prints too. These wouldn't make a 3d impression, but if the prints from the moulding compound aren't clear, at least you'd definitely have something.

Siligum is very simple to use. Just mix approximately 2g of the white putty and 2g of the blue putty together really thoroughly until you have a uniform pale blue colour with no white or blue swirls.

2g is about the size of a blueberry.

Place the mixed putty onto a firm card and press his finger into it gently, trying to make a flat impression.
If the putty looks like it's lifted, you should have time to re-roll and try again.
If it's set too much, discard that bit and start over.

Take a number of impressions from different fingers, including both thumbs!! Older people often have worn prints with faded patches. Their thumbs often make better prints.

For the print on the whisk, mix up the same amount of putty and gently press over the entire print.

Set the putty to one side for a minimum of 15 minutes to set.

Any good jeweller will be able to re-size the impressions, so don't worry about them being too big.

I hope that helps!