| How To
Make A Plaster Cast |
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| If while you are out and about you
discover a really good set of tracks, you can photograph
or measure them, both of which are a good way of
recording the prints, but a cast gives you an example
you can keep for good and show people. |
|
| Plaster
casts work well on any kind of animal track not just Big
Cats, here we show you how to get the best results from
a track. |
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| The items
you will need are:- |
Plaster of
Paris |
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|
Some water |
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|
A container
to mix it in |
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A strip of
cardboard at least 2 cm wide |
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|
A paper
clips |
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| Firstly
select the best impression that you can find. Mud,
sand or wet ground usually yield the best results. |
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| Once
you have selected the mark you wish to cast, clear any
small stones, twigs and loose dirt from around it, if
there is water inside the track then it is best to
remove this, use a pipette or tissue being careful not
to actually touch the track. |
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| Now
that the track is prepared for the cast we need to place
a frame around it, this can be just a strip of
cardboard, 2 cm wide using paper clips join the strip
together to form a circle, this will act as a dam and
stop the plaster from running away when poured. |
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| Place
the frame gently into the earth around the track making
sure that the frame is larger than the track and that it
does not disturb the track when pushed into the ground. |
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| Now
we are ready to mix the plaster of Paris use a ratio of
2 parts plaster to 5 parts of water to get an ideal
consistency, this should be like thick cream. |
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| If
the mixture is too thin then the cast will be brittle,
if it is too thick then the cast may become crumbly with
time. |
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| Gently
pour the mixture into the frame being careful not to
disturb the track you are making the cast of. |
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| Leave the cast to set until it is firm to
the touch this can take around 30 � 40 minutes,
depending on the mixture and the weather conditions. |
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| Once
the cast is set, gently remove it from the ground and
brush away any large pieces of dirt. Do not try
and give it any form of cleaning beyond this at this
point as it will damage the cast. |
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| As
a point of reference use a pen and write on the
cardboard frame the time, location and surroundings
where the cast was taken, you can use this data to mark
the cast when it has completely set. |
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| When
you return home, place the cast somewhere where it will
not be disturbed, leave it there for up to a week, 7
days is plenty of time to let the cast fully set and
harden thoroughly. |
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| Now
you can give the cast a clean without damaging it, use
an old toothbrush and gently brush away any loose but
now dry dirt and grass that may be sticking to the cast. |
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| Once
clean you may wish to paint it to really make the
imprints stand out, be sure to mark the actual cast with
a permanent marker or sticky label to ensure you always
know where it came from. |
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| If
you do find a Big Cat track please do let us know, full
details on how to contact us are on the contact page,
you can even send us your cast if you wish! |
