I was on Bald Head Island over the Thanksgiving weekend and while I was there I did a bit of sand casting with Plaster of Paris. Plaster of Paris is easy to obtain and work with. It’s available at most hardware stores. All you need is water and a mixing bucket and you’re good to go! The mix ratio is one part water to two parts plaster. Here’s a bit about the chemistry of Plaster, which comes from the cooking of Gypsum at 300 degrees F. This takes away some of the water and leaves a white powder. Adding water back to the powder re-hydrates it and it crystallizes into a solid again.
I used some sea shells I found at the beach and pressed them into some moist sand. After removing them from the sand they left an impression which I then poured the mixed plaster into. After about an hour the plaster hardened and could be lifted from the sand. Below are some pictures of some of the castings and a how to video.
This is a great project to do with kids at the beach! Have fun and…
keep on hackin!