natural casting

Yesterday I went with Steph to attend Brooklyn Skillshare's jewelry class led by Timothy Gasbarro. He shared his expertise on natural casting. It was the first time I've seen someone do this outside an institution. In his demonstration he melt silver, using a hand held propane tank, in a small crucible. It took a while for the silver to melt because the flame was so small. But when the silver is at its right melting temperature, he poured the silver into a steel can of beans. The silver simply molds into the crevices of the beans. When the silver hardens, you get a natural casting. Interesting textures and shapes can be made depending on what material is poured into. Not only beans can be used, but also sand, water, charcoal, or even rocks.