The Flower Drying Game - Part 2 Sand or Glycerin
By admin | November 14, 2008
Part 1 in this 3-part series, Air, Sand, and Sources, detailed the basics of air drying and spoke briefly about drying more delicate flower specimens in clean, fine sand or a specialized material called silica gel. If you haven’t already, you might like to go back and browse Part 1 before you begin pouring sand into a box. Later, in Part 3, I’ll show you how you can make your own affordable flower-drying press. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and actually get the job done with sand and glycerin.
The Sand Process. By now you’ve probably run down a supply of suitable sand and a shoe box, so let’s dry just one flower to start with, and see how it turns out. A daisy, zinnia, carnation or small, compact chrysanthemum is safe for us beginners. Later on you’ll likely want to try other types, and perhaps dry several flowers in the same box.
Put an inch or so of sand in the bottom of a small box. Make a support for the flower head out of a piece of cardboard about the size of a recipe card folded in half the long way, with a half-inch “v” notch at the center of the fold. Place this folded card on the sand so it looks like a little army “pup” tent with its notch facing up.
Select a flower that is fresh, with short, tight petals and a stem that’ll fit in the box without bending. Lay the flower head on your notched card “tent” high enough so the bottom petals just clear the surface of the sand.
Now, with a paper cup, begin slowly and gently pouring sand all around the flower until it begins to be covered. No tamping. No shaking. And do it slowly so you don’t end up with a sand-squashed finished product. Continue pouring in sand gently, surrounding and covering the entire flower, stem and all.
You might need to use the wooden end of a small artist’s paintbrush to gently coax the petals into just the right natural position. So much for the tricky part.
Don’t put the cover on the box. Do carefully set it up on a closet shelf out of the way, especially if you have cats. (You cat owners know exactly what I mean.) Mark the box where the end of the stem is.
Drying time is usually between two and three weeks. It’s not wise to “peek” or otherwise disturb it during that time. Have you noticed that I continue to emphasize slowly and gently and carefully?
Pouring out the sand after drying is a very delicate operation, because your flower has now lost all of its flexibility, virtually all of its moisture, and has become quite fragile. Slowly tip the box away from the flower-end and pour the sand back into a clean pail. Gradually, the flower itself will be exposed and you may have to support it gently until it is completely free of the sand. Lightly tap away all the sand around the petals, and voil
Tags: air drying flowers, dried flowers, dry flowers, drying flowers, glycerin, glycerine, sand, silica gel