Making a Pencil Holder/stationary Set Using Plaster

How to make a pencil holder/stationery set out of plaster. This pencil holder can have 5 separate areas for pencils and markers etc.. or you can take off half the wall of one of the sides to create a compartment for smaller stationery items such as erasers and have 3 compartments for other taller items.

You will first need to start by making the mold and core of the pencil holder using polypropylene. Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is thin and can be flexible. You will also need a standard 15 cm ruler, a triangular ruler, marker, drawing compass, paper, glue stick, scissors, and clear tape.

Start by drawing out the mold and cores on paper. Draw the molds net of a pentagon out. You will need to draw one pentagon, to make drawing the pentagon easier you can start by using the compass to draw a circle and marking out the five sides, and then drawing the lines. Then you will need to draw on 5 rectangles connected to the sides of the pentagon. You can make the length of each side of the pentagon 7cm long and the height of the sides 12 cm long. Next, make the net of the cores which is a triangle. Draw a triangle in the middle and 3 sides. Each side of the triangle can be 4cm long and the height of the triangle core sides can be 13 cm long. You can adjust the height and lengths if you wish although the ones stated above will create a medium-sized pencil holder which will be able to hold about 10-15 pencils or markers. The sides of the core should be longer than the outer molds.

Paste the paper nets onto the polypropylene material. Then carefully cut out the shape of the nets using the paper as a guide. Once cutting out the mold place it on the side for now. After cutting out the core grab another piece of polypropylene and trace the cut out triangular net. Once traced cut the net out. You will need to do this three more times as you need five triangular cores.

Start by using an Exacto knife to cut along the lines where the bottom pieces and sides connect. Do not cut all the way through so that you can fold up the polypropylene. If you don't cut all the way through you will be able to fold up the sides of the mold and cores. If you do accidentally cut through the polypropylene don't worry u can just use tape to attach it. Do this for the mold and all 5 cores. Then fold them up and tape the sides together. At the end what you should have is an outer mold and 5 cores.

Next, grab your mold and cores and place them onto a surface that you don't mind getting dirty or is easy to clean. Prepare your plaster. Grab a bucket and an old yogurt cup. Pour in two yogurt cups of water, then open the container with plaster and use a yogurt cup and add 3 cups of the plaster powder. The ratio is 2 cups water and 3 cups plaster powder. Once that is ready start to mix the mixture. You can then add some color to the plaster mixture if you like, make sure to add a good amount of coloring or it won't show in the end, the color of the plaster will be lighter when hardened. The plaster mixture shouldn't be watery but it should not be extremely thick ether, just mix well enough so the plaster powder and water are combined but be careful not to leave the plaster out too long as it will harden and be unusable.

Once you are ready place the cores to the side and make sure you have the tape ready. Grab the mold and pour in your plaster, don't wait too long to pour or the plaster will harden. If you do have a leak quickly use paper towels to wipe pouring plaster and tape up where the leak came from. After pouring the plaster into the mold then add the 5 cores, then make sure to not place the cores too close to the sides of the mold because if the cores are too close to the outside when they are taken out they will break the walls of the pencil holder. Use tape to stabilize the cores together. Once all the cores are inside the mold and are stable you can put the freshly poured pencil holder somewhere to dry. It is recommended to wait overnight for the plaster to dry although it may already be hardened after about 40 minutes.

Once hardened you can remove the mold as well as pull out the cores. You can use an Exacto knife or scissors to help cut the tape or assist with removing the outer mold. Be careful when pulling out the cores, you can use one hand to hold down the pencil holder and one hand to pull to the cores.

Your pencil holder is now done and ready to be used. You can sand the outside, top, and inside of it to make it more smooth. You can remove one wall to make a compartment for smaller items if you like. You can also paint it or add other things.