[Katherine Swift]

This question comes from Tom:

Hello, My wife and I have made plaster of paris casts of a number of animal tracks. I would like to find a type of resin that I can make a large square of, say 3’x3′, and 2″-3″ deep that I can press each of the tracks into. I would then like to hang the finished product on the wall. Would any of your products work for this?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Tom,

I want to be sure I understand this correctly — you want to create a resin casting that looks like the paw print was pressed into a large square?

[Tom wiensch]

Thanks for replying. I would like to create a big square of resin, with the imprints of a bunch of tracks. So, I’d like to be able to take each plaster cast that I have and, one by one, press them into and remove them from the big square of resin. I would like, if possible, to be able to press the tracks in and immediately pull them out, rather than having to chip them out later. Because the plaster casts were made from tracks, they look like the animals’ feet. They would leave what would look like actual tracks in the resin. I would like to be able to hang the finished product on a wall. I was hoping that, before the resin dried, I would be able to make holes in two of the corners of the square, and then hang it with rope, chain, or wire. I would welcome any suggestions on hanging. Ideally, I’d like to hang it on a cabin wall over a propane wall heater. This is a spot where the heat rises. So, it will be somewhat warm ( but not hot to the touch. I don’t know if that would be a factor. If so, I could hang it elsewhere. Also, if 3’x3′ is an issue, due to weight, or otherwise, I might be able to get buy with 2’x2′. Thanks!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Tom,

I’m afraid there isn’t going to be an easy way to do this. Resin will want to stick to your plaster of paris animal prints. You could try coating them in wax (resin won’t stick to wax) and placing them in the resin when it starts to cure, but it’s going to be hard to find the exact moment to put them in the resin so they won’t sink but will depress enough to get the full imprint. For what you want to do, I don’t think resin is a good choice for this project. 🙁

[Tom wiensch]

Thanks much for replying! Even though resin probably wouldn’t work, you saved me from making a mess trying it. Maybe someone who reads this will know of another product.

[Rhonda]

You could do this with clay, making “tiles” the size of the prints, baking them, then placing them in a bed of plaster of Paris colored to match the clay.

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