SANDCASTING by Joyce Clarin
Supplies Deeply veined leaf Hosta, rhubarb, burdock, elephant ear, castor bean, cabbage, squash, hollyhock, etc Quikcrete Vinyl Patch Sturdy box (or plastic tray) at least 2 larger than the leaf on all sides, 2 3 inches deep. Plastic garbage bag large Container to mix concrete Gloves heavy and light weight Bucket for water, spray bottle, squirt bottle
Supplies Quikrete Vinyl Patch 40 lb bag for 3 medium sized leaves. Water. Cup for adding water small amounts at a time. Squirt bottle, spray bottle, water bucket. Heavy and light weight gloves for mixing cement and adding cement to mold. Duct tape/scissors to repair small holes in leaf.
Additional Supplies Utility knife (open bag of cement) Copper fittings (used as feet or stands on back of leaf) Variety of dental type tools (to remove leaf from finished/dried) casting.
Sturdy Cardboard Box Box needs to be 2 3 inches (all 4 sides) larger than leaf. Box should be 2 3 inches tall. Box can be reused/cut down to size.
Box inside Garbage Bag Place box inside a large garbage bag. Outside edges of garbage bag can be folded over cement leaf while it dries. For best results, cement should dry slowly. The plastic will help retain moisture. When finished, the plastic garbage bag can be turned inside out to store the sand.
Moisten Sand Sand needs to be moist enough to hold a shape. Sray to moisten or mix a little water into it until it holds a shape. There should be no standing water. Play sand (as used in children s sandboxes) works well.
Form Sand Shape moist sand into basic form when bowl shape is desired (as for bird bath) shape sand higher in center and taper to sides
Sand in Plastic tray This is an example of a sturdy plastic tray. This one has a lid that clamps on. It is especially useful for storing sand just pop the lid off and it s ready for the next leaf.
Position Leaf on Sand Position leaf UPSIDE DOWN in center of sand. Use edges of hand and fingers to form the sand under the leaf to the natural form of the leaf. Gently press down between the veins and around the edges to create the most natural form. If tears or holes are made in the leaf, it must be picked up and repaired with duct tape on the side against the sand. When not repaired, the cement will creep thru and detail will be lost on the finished casting.
Finished Form Note how the sand is piled up underneath the ruffled edges of the leaf. It is difficult to get the form the way you want it without getting sand on it. The sand must be removed or the finished casting will show the sand, as well as the detail of the leaf.
Finished Form Note how the sand is pushed up underneath the tip of the leaf. This will result in a bit of a downward tip in the finished casting. This is useful if the leaf is intended to be used in a water feature or when leaf will be placed in a spot where standing water is not desired.
Cleaning sand off leaf Gently wash sand off leaf. Work from stem to tip of leaf, center to outside. All sand or objects left on leaf will be seen in finished casting.
Washing Sand Off Leaf All sand and water drops will be seen in finished casting if not removed. Dry water with absorbent paper towel or microfiber cloth. Place gently on leaf and gently press to absorb water droplets.
Next Step: Mix Concrete
Use only a vinyl patch concrete This type of cement is ideal for casting. It contains no aggregate and is very smooth. It can be worked with for at least an hour without hardening. When working with it for that long of a period, hand mix every 15 min.
Cement Mixing Trough and heavy weight gloves Place trough or sturdy cardboard box inside large garbage bag. At the end of the project, the garbage bag can be turned inside out and tossed leaving no clean up.
Concrete Use mask when pouring dry concrete into mixing container. When using the whole bag, an alternate method to pouring: lay bag in container on edge, cut a large X in back of bag, gently tip over on top of the X and gently lift bag to allow cement to come slowly out of bag. Bag also holds some of the dust under it.
Dry Concrete in container inside garbage bag Add water in small amounts. More water can always be added. If too much water is added, more dry cement may be added to correct. Easier to add water in small amounts.
Mix water with Quikcrete Use heavy weight gloves to mix. Mix similar to mixing bread or pie doughuntil concrete reaches the consistency of creamy peanut butter. Use plastic to pull sides in and up to ensure there is no dry cement at the bottom of container. There must be no unmixed or lumps of concrete.
Placing Concrete on Leaf Place concrete on leaf. Begin with a handful. Begin on center vein. Press gently down and outward to remove air bubbles.
Add more concrete Add concrete by handfuls, working outward, pressing all gently to retain form of sand. Pressing too hard will result in a flat casting the natural leaf form and ruffled edges will be lost.
Adding more concrete Add more handfuls until almost to the edges of leaf. Adding concrete beyond the edges of the leaf will result in a sand edging on the finished casting. Use little finger or popsicle stick or straw to gently create the uneven edges of the leaf in necessary.
Finishing Concrete Ensure center vein has enough concrete to prevent cracking. How much? Depends on the size of the leaf. Usually between 1 to 2 inches thick at the center vein. Taper out to the edges to create a lacy edge. It s helpful to clean gloves, dip hand in water bucket, shake off excess water and smooth leaf from outside edges in at this point.
Finishing touches Use a toothpick to initial your leaf. Set a copper fitting to be used as a stand. Position fitting straight up if leaf is to sit flat. Position fitting at an angle if leaf is to be tilted. A stand for the leaf with fitting can be either a piece of copper pipe or rebar pounded into the ground. The leaf then is set on top of the pipe using the fitting on the back of the leaf.
Finished! Pull sides of garbage bag up over leaf and allow concrete to cure 24 hrs minimum. A larger leaf (20 40 lbs) may take longer. Patience!!!!!
Cured Casting After 24 hrs, turn leaf over. For a large leaf, try to get your hand under the middle of the leaf to turn it over. Try not to pick up by the edges. Clean leaf off concrete by any method. Let it sit in the sun to dry (flake) off, use hose with nozzle, use stick or dental type tools, wire brush, etc. If leaf is small, pulling by the main stem will remove the leaf in a single piece.
Finished Casting Burdock Leaf This casting is somewhat flat around the edges with only a small bowl in the center of the leaf.
Using leftover concrete One way to use leftover concrete is to make some smaller leaves, using same process.
Using leftover concrete Another way to use left over concrete is to make stepping stones. Shoe boxes or similar sized boxes make good sized stepping stones. Line box with plastic, place leaf in bottom of box, vein side up, fill to desired depth with concrete.
Stepping stones
Rhubarb Leaf Rhubarb leaves make wonderful castings. The veins are deep, the leaf shape interesting and the edges very ruffled. The more time spent to get the shape and edges formed in the sand the more interesting the casting!
Adding concrete Rhubarb leaves have deep veins. Make sure there is adequate concrete on the center vein. The center vein is the most susceptible to cracking/breaking. Hint: If leaf breaks, concrete adhesive as used in setting cement block walls is a good fix.
Rhubarb leaf ready to cover for curing Remember to cover with edges of garbage bag to retain moisture for slower curing of concrete.
Finished Rhubarb Leaf Casting
Castor Bean Plant Castor beans are poisonous all parts of the plant! Especially the seeds. Grow with care only where children and animals do not have access to them. Some people are allergic to the plant similar to poison ivy or sumac.
Finished Castor Bean Casting Poisonous plant, and time consuming to cast but exciting results!
Painted Castor Bean Casting Leaves can be painted with acrylic paints or any craft paints. This leaf is placed on an upside down urn painted with the same process as the leaf.
Castor Bean Casting Castor bean leaf was cast in a flat form.
Variety of Castor Bean Castings
Castor Bean Casting
Castor Bean Casting Painted with a combination latex and craft rub on paints.
Hosta Leaf Casting Sum and Substance
Rhubarb Leaf Casting
Rhubarb Leaf Casting Each casting is unique. The difference is the leaf itself, of course. The other difference is the shaping of the sand pile.
Rhubarb Leaf Ready to remove Leaf from casting
Cabbage Leaf Casting
Squash Leaf Casting Use toothpick or edge of popsicle stick to create edges Note: Pronto Pup sticks from the State Fair work the best!
Elephant Ear Casting Painted with craft rub on paints
Copper Fittings used as feet Copper fittings placed in the bottom of leaf can be used as feet for a leaf to sit flat on a surface such as a table.
Copper Fitting A single copper fitting can be used to set casting on a copper pipe or piece of rebar pounded into the ground.
Another display method Using a paper cup, cut the bottom out, position upside down on the leaf when finished adding concrete. Fill with concrete. This creates a stem that can be used to set leaf in a pedestal bird bath or upside down urn.
Display stands Rebar can be bent to the shape of leaf (using pipe bender machine).
Elephant Ear grouping in garden
Elephant Ear grouping in garden
Elephant Ear in water feature
Outdoor Classroom
Big Rhubarb Leaves