Sand "Clay" - Preserve Your Sand Creations Forever!

Intro: Sand "Clay" - Preserve Your Sand Creations Forever!

Did you just make that perfect sand castle only to be disappointed when you had to leave the beach? Wouldn't you like some memory of the beach other than the seemingly endless piles of sand coming out of your shoes and socks? Well now that's a thing of the past...safely preserve your sand memories using 3 easy ingredients.

STEP 1: What You Need

You will need:

- 2 cups of sand

- 3/4 to 1 cup of white glue

- 1/2 to 1 cup of cornstarch

- A mixing bowl and a mixing tool that will be easy to clean glue and sand off of

- Any modelling tools you wish to use to shape your sand

- Gloves (if you want)

STEP 2: Mixing

First, add your sand and cornstarch to the bowl and mix them together. Slowly add glue and continue to mix until it all starts to combine. Your goal is to get this mixture to turn into a dough-like substance. If it starts to get to a breadcrumb-like texture try "kneading" it together with your hands. If it starts to get too dry, you can add a little water if your sand was pretty dry, otherwise just add more glue. If it feels too moist and won't hold its shape, add some more cornstarch (unless you've completely overdone it, in which case you may need to add more sand instead). By now the sand mixture should start to feel like a dough.

STEP 3: Playtime

Now that it's all mixed up, you can go ahead and do whatever you want with it! Our goal was to make footprints in the sand, so we shaped the sand into rectangles and then added small rocks to look like feet (it's easier to understand if you look at the picture of it above). Depending on how long it took for you to mix the sand up and how moist it is, you may want to hurry, or else it could start to dry and harden while you're still working.

STEP 4: Time to Dry Them

Once you've completed your amazing designs, there are two ways to dry the sand out. You can either just set them out to dry overnight, or if you're a bit impatient (like me), you can put them in the oven on a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper so that the sand wouldn't stick) at around 210 degrees for 2-3 hours, depending on how thick/moist your sand designs are. If you opted to put them in the oven, simply take them out, let them cool, and voilà, your awesome sand creations are permanently preserved!

Oh and by the way, don't forget to vote for me! I'll be your best friend! ;)

Comments

[Danger is my middle name]

These are so cool! I totally want to make one that looks like it has fossils in it!

[austinsimonson]

Great idea! Be sure to post pics if you do! You could even put like a small "treasure" inside a sphere you make out of this and then give it as a gift to a kid. Then he/she could break it open to get it (adding to the "coolness" factor of course).

[Danger is my middle name]

Forget kids, I would love it if someone made me a "rock" with a "fossil" hidden inside, haha

[austinsimonson]

Good point haha :D

[Battlespeed]

This is even more cool considering that you can buy sand of just about any color under the sun for your creations. You can also mix small inclusions such as tiny pebbles or aquarium rock into the sand, or you can use shallow wood boxes (available at craft stores) as frames and hang them on the wall. Lots of stuff this "permanent sand" would let you do.

[austinsimonson]

You're right! You could even make layered things if you let each different colored section dry a little first! Great idea!

[LynxSys]

Excellent! So if I build an entire sandcastle out of this stuff, will it survive high tide?

All kidding aside though, does anyone have any experience with these decorative items being exposed to the elements? Do they hold together? If not, I might be inclined to try doing this with waterproof wood glue (e.g. Titebond III) and spraying or painting my creation with some type of sealant. Does anyone have any other ideas?

[ANITAB84]

I use a clear sealer made for outdoors by Rust-Oleum. I have used it on all of my outside decorations and it works great. You can also choose the finish you like- satin, gloss, matte.

[Ditch Doc]

There is a concrete sealer you can get from the hardware store, I imagine you could use that to seal this with. We use it on the home made concrete stepping stones to seal. Its not too expensive, and a jug will cover a lot of projects depending on the size.

[Laura Reyes]

I want to make Dia de los Muertos skulls for my first graders this year, but don't want the sugar mess that will attract all sorts of critters in my clean room. I thought sand would do the trick, and am so pleased you provided a recipe here! THANK YOU! Has anyone tried making the kind of mold I'm describing? I bought a plastic mold from Walmart (below) and will need to make 24 skulls, so my plan is to line the mold with plastic so I can lift each one out and reuse the mold. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated. Thank you!

[octopusundergroundart]

Laura, have you tried making the skulls yet? I am planning on doing the exact same thing for my art class! My mold arrived last week and I was originally thinking of using clay, but wanted to look into a few other ideas. I live in a humid climate so I know sugar wouldn’t work for me.

[Laura Reyes]

Hi Octopus, No, I haven't made them yet. I was waiting for October to arrive. I may try the sand this week, but I'm thinking the sugar may actually be cheaper. I'll get back to you!

[octopusundergroundart]

Thanks for your reply and sharing your pics! I bought sand yesterday so I can try and experiment this weekend. We live in a super humid climate so sugar won’t work for me, so it’s good to know that yours worked decently! They look good. I may try one in the oven and one just sitting out. A few years ago I was teaching at a school in Micronesia and I spray painted coconuts white and used those for the skulls. The kids really enjoyed it. I hope your kids do as well!

[Laura Reyes]

Hi Octopus, So I tried experimenting with the recipe last night. I added 2-2 1/2 cups of sand with 1/2 c glue and 1/4 cornstarch, which made 3 skulls (almost full). The sand was fresh, from a 50 lb bag I bought at Home Depot for about $5.50, so it was a little moist. It had a nice consistency, and held it's shape, but after a while in the oven the skulls seemed to expand and flatten. I was trying to cut costs since I have to make them for my entire class, but considering the 2 hour baking time, I think the traditional sugar skulls might be a better choice here. There is nothing wrong with the sand recipe, and I would use it again for projects, but for this project I think the sugar will work. Here's a photo of what the same mold produced after baking.

[TrishM37]

Once this dries can it be used outside for stepping Stones?

[ArubaGuy]

Hi folks,

I am in need of some advice, I have a pile of sand in front of a sign we made out of a boat. Its pretty windy here so I am sure in not much time it will all be blown away. Is there a good way to cover the sand with some kind of spray glue to stop it being blown around?

[JoanneR27]

I have been looking online for weeks for something like this! Good job, and so nice!!!!!

[kvlntn16]

can you mix the glue and cornstarch and save it for a future time? I am making a small sand castle for a wedding and want to make SURE that it doesn't fall apart on them. Thanks Great Ida for the foot prints. I would love to capture my grandkids' and put them in my garden. EXCITED!!!

[kvlntn16]

I am building a miniature sand castle as a gift and wondered if I could just mix the glue and cornstarch as the the adhesive then covering the sand for a firm and permanent form.permanent form.

[LimJ5]

Hi may i know if the mixture is water proof?