Plaster Casting

Challenge: Plaster Cast of your Hand or Foot
Documentation: Your Blog
Due: Like everything else, Sunday night @11:59pm

^ Liz Demo ^ / v Michelle Demo v

LOCATION

Honestly, part of the idea with this project was to give you a good opportunity to go to the beach and get credit for it!

But it’s also a pretty cool project. Lots of art and commercial objects are made this way. They use finer sand than we get at the beach and they have hinged molds so the part can be removed more cleanly, but the process is quite similar.

Seal Beach Pier on Thursday?

You can go to any beach you like, in any city you like, and on any day you like. For those of you in the Long Beach area, I’ll go to the Seal Beach Pier this Thursday, June 4th, from 11am – 1p and help anyone who shows up. It’s totally optional. But it’d be nice to get to say Hi! if you have a chance to come by. And I’ll bring some iced tea in case you’re thristy!

• Seal Beach Pier – Just South of the Pier & Just South of Tower 2
• Parking is right there in a lot off 10th St. $3/2 hours or $6/all day. 2 hours should be enough time for your project. Arrive / Depart when you like. Or go to any beach on any day.

• Or Try the Bus
 

SUPPLIES

• Plaster – a 4# “milk carton” of plaster for yourself, or a big 25# bag of plaster to share between 4 or 5 people.
• Also: Bucket, Shovel, Stir Stick – any will do, but preferably not a plastic shovel..
• Also: Football, Frisbee, swimsuit, snacks, or whatever you like while you wait 1/2 hour for plaster to “set”.
• Optional: 1″ Paint Brush or something like it to brush sand off your finished project & make it pretty
 

PROCESS

1. Pick a spot near the water – too far ashore: dry sand, too close: waves!
2. Dig a hole you can insert your hand or foot into
3. Insert hand or foot
4. Use bucket to get wet sand and have teammates pour around body part and pack it in
5. Remove body part carefully, trying not to damage your mold
6. Make one mold (or more) for each team member
7. Have all molds ready before mixing plaster – it will set in your bucket!
8. TWO parts plaster & ONE part water in bucket – stir fast & hard
9. Pour plaster in your molds carefully, not quickly, or it’ll damage your mold
10. Wait about 25 minutes
11. Carefully dig out your casting – try not to break thin parts
12. Marvel at your creation!
13. You can brush sand off if you like, but DO NOT RINSE it, it will fall apart!
14. For your blog post: show your piece & talk about your experience (photos or video as you prefer)
15. Fill in all the holes on the beach – so nobody walks by later and falls in one!
16. Pick up trash / clean up mess / leave beach a nice place
17. Walk to Ruby’s, Cold Stone, etc, and eat food!

MAPS