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Sand Sculpture

16 years ago

This is slightly off-topic, but I think if anyone can help me it'll be on this forum.

I saw an abstract sculpture in our local garden centre recently which appeared to be made out of sand. It was as though it had been made of wet sand which had been allowed to dry, but clearly it wasn't just that because it was solid and robust.

I thought the appearance was rather attractive, so I've been trying to replicate it by mixing sand with resin and leaving it to set, but the finish is much darker than the base sand and it's not so attractive. I don't think that it's a cement product because you can actually see the individual sand grains if you look closely. I'm also sure that it's not just something which has been covered in glue and then sprinkled with sand - it seems to have more depth than that.

So I'm stumped. Any thoughts would be most welcome.

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Comments (4)

Fleur
16 years ago
Maybe it was a cement/sand mix that was rinsed, dunked or lightly sprayed before the suggested 48 hours to set elapsed. Like maybe after only 24 hours. Wetted just enough to wash off the surface cement but leaving the sand grains exposed.
chriscarless
Original Author
16 years ago
Interesting idea, Fleur. With a coarse enough sand grain that might work.
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gansn
16 years ago
Your post got me to thinking, which is usually a dangerous thing.... But I had some "shavings" from the edges of my leaf castings and I poured some leftover concrete into a mold for a fairy door, then poured the shavings over the back of the mold I tapped with my fingers just a little, and left it to set. When I took it out of the mold a lot of the shavings fell off, put there are enough there that give it a grainy texture and look. Maybe that was how it was done?
marcia7439
16 years ago
We did this in grade school,
Materials:

paper cup
cementing solution (2 parts water to one part Epsom salt)
sand

Fill the paper cup half full of sand. Pack the sand with your hand.

Slowly add cementing solution until all of the sand is wet.

Put the cup in a warm place until the sand dries completely.

Carefully tear away the paper cup.
Carve........
Then we sprayed on something, and the little sculptures were rock hard. I don't remember what we sprayed........

Maybe this is what you saw
Marcia

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