Plant Pot Tutorial

On a cutting mat cut using the picture on the left as a guide to draw on the polystyrene. The length and width are the same. They measure five cm. Use a ruler and align the lines then use a cutter to slice through the polystyrene until it cuts through. For the lines inside the shape, you would need to slice very gently then bend it so it creates a crease that doesn't need to be taped. Once you have the net cut out, it should look like the photo in the middle. Now you have the net, tape the sides together so it looks like the shape on the far right. Make sure you tape all the holes to ensure liquid will not spill out. This is very important to make a successful mold.

Supplies

• A sheet of High Impact Polystyrene
• Cutting mat
• Pencil
• Ruler (preferably metal)
• Cutter
• Tape
• Plaster powder (look on step 3 for more details)
• Water (look on step 3 for more details)
• Drill

Step 1: Step 2: Create the Core

Measure 12 cm for the length and 5 cm for the width for 5 rectangles. Then above the last rectangle, draw a pentagon. It should look like the first photo. Cut the net out the same way you did for the base, it should look like the middle photo, and tape the sides together which should look like the last photo.

Step 2: Step 3: Pouring

After completing the first two steps, you should end up with two pieces: the mold and the core. Now it is time to create the plaster. Using a ratio of two water and three plaster powder, you can easily make plaster. I used yogurt cups to make the plaster so it would be, three cups of plaster powder to two cups of water. Mix with a spatula until smooth (no lumps). Eventually, the plaster will thicken but that is what you don't want. Mix it only until combined then quickly pour into the mold. If the consistency is too thick, there will a higher chance of unevenness and pieces falling apart.

Step 3: Step 4: Putting in the Core

This is the most challenging part of the steps as you have to work quickly! So once you have the plaster poured into the mold, you insert the core. Make sure to not insert it all the way or else your plant pot will have a hole. Once you are happy with where it is, use tape to stick it to the sides of the mold until it stays in the placing you want by itself. All there is left to do is to let it dry for at least an hour.

Step 4: Step 5: Pulling It Out of the Mold

After the plaster has set. All there's left to do is to carefully peel the hardened plaster from the mold. Which can be done by using a cutter to slice the tape and peel it off. As for the core, you can carefully pull the sides of the core corner by corner and twist it a bit to release it from the plaster. Once you have your plant pot, you need to drill a hole. So using the second smallest screw, drill a hole. After all that, you should end up with something similar to the photos above.