To care for your moving sand picture please carefully read the instructions below

A note from the artists…

Moving sand pictures are a visual and interactive art. They are created with different coloured sand, air and a water solution in between two glass panels. The combination and perfect balance of all these elements is what creates the beautiful sandscapes. When you turn your moving sand art upside down, the sand will naturally fall, the air bubbles will rise to create a barrier that stops the sand from falling all at once. However, gravity will allow the sand to find tiny gaps in between the air bubbles, to create a different sandscape with every turn.

When you get home

How exiting! You got your sand art and you just want to watch it work its magic, but first you may need to do a few things. 1) check the air in your sand art with the air template guide in your care kit, lining up the correct line that corresponds to your sand art size. 2) sometimes due to all the movement during transportation the sand will be compacted, and may get stuck, if this has happened, with the syringe provided in your care kit, remove all the air (just air) then turn your sand art a few times, maybe 4 or 5 times, until the sand flows freely, you may need to tap the glass gently to help it at first. Once the sand flows freely without help, add the air in again following the air template guide, allow it to rest for a few minutes then turn your sand art.

Your sand art is now good to go!

Notes to remember…

For a slow sand flow which creates the pyramid and lasts longer, there should be more air bubbles inside the sand picture, the opposite effect happens when there is less air, the sand will fall quicker, creating valleys and dunes. 

Enjoy experimenting with the amount of air and see the different outcomes but be aware that if there is too much air it will stop the sand from falling completely and if there isn’t enough air, the sand will fall in seconds forming flat dunes.

Air Regulation Instructions

Overtime air will naturally escape or enter the sand picture through the microscopic gaps in the silicone sealant, therefore it will be necessary to regulate the air in your sand art every so often, that’s part of the maintenance which increases the life span of the sand pictures. By taking care of your sand art it will last a very long time.

How to care for your moving sand picture.

Your moving sand art care kit comes with:

• a blunt needle (27G),
• syringe (3 ml),
• an air guide template to help regulate the sand art, and
• instructions

Located on both sides of the sand picture frame, there’s a small regulating hole to insert the syringe to either add or remove air, however it is very important to never ever take out any liquid, as it will upset the balance between the three elements. 

Follow these steps:

IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE THE NEEDLE IS ATTACHED TO THE SYRINGE BEFORE INSERTING INTO SAND PICTURE

1. Make sure all the sand has settled at the bottom
2. Turn your sand picture on an angle with the hole facing upwards, this will make all the air move to the one corner facing upwards, make sure that there is no sand floating as it will block and damage the needle
3. Place the air guide template in the corner & line up the boarder of the template with the boarder of the frame, make sure the template does not go inside the frame
4. Insert the needle through the hole in the frame; gently move the needle around to find the soft silicone and insert the needle through the silicone seal and into the picture 
5. Match the line on the air guide template that corresponds to the type of sand art you own, with the line formed by the air/liquid inside the sand art by either removing some air or adding air with the syringe.  It can be slightly above or below the line, it only means that the sand will either move slower or faster.
6. Please note that the air guide template is a guide only, and you can regulate the air either above or below the line to change the flow of the sand. 

Tips!

Bubble Collection

Round sand pictures work slightly different to the rectangle shaped ones.  In order for your round sand art to create a sandscape, you need to settle the sand before you flip it, this is due to the rounded shape. Just pick up the sand picture, slightly & gently tilt it from one side to the other, this tilting motion will compact the loose sand, wait a few minutes before flipping again. By doing this action before the sand picture is flipped the air bubbles won’t break through the soft sand and will fall gently to form the next sandscape.

When you flip the sand art make sure the bubbles reach right across by moving from left to right, to create a barrier holding the sand up.

Alluring, Celestial & Solar System Collection

The same principal of tilting from side to side applies to the wall mounted Celestial and Solar System Collections, because these are turned while attached on a wall (like a wheel) the soft sand needs to be settled before turning.

Water replacement

Over time, water will start to evaporate from the sand picture, this will happen after a year or so, depending on environmental factors.

You can identify when it is time to add water when you see a lot of air inside the sand picture and can visibly see that the amount of water has reduced, there maybe some sand stuck throughout the sand picture as well or when you regulate your sand art with the correct amount of air and the level of the sand has risen above 50% of the picture (above the middle)

You should only use spring water, do not use distilled or tap water as this will upset the balance of the elements inside. 

Make sure the sand picture is flat on a table for this process to avoid damage to the glass due to inside pressure.

1. Make sure all the sand has settled at the bottom
2. Turn your sand picture on an angle with the hole facing upwards, this will make all the air move to the one corner facing upwards, make sure that there is no sand floating as it will block and damage the needle
3. Insert the syringe with the needle attached through the hole in the frame, remove some of the excess air (note the amount removed e.g. 2 ml) and replace the same amount with spring water. Repeat this process until the air inside the sand picture matches the line on the air template guide.

It is extremely important to do this in small amounts in order not to cause excessive pressure inside, for example if you remove 1ml of air add 1ml of water. Repeat the procedure until you successfully adjusted the air to match the air template, if in doubt contact us at info@amazingsands.com.au, and we can guide you through this process or see our website for further instructions and videos.

Sealant Repair

As a result of regulating the sand art over time, the silicone sealant may become fragile and break, and you might have a leak, however this can be fixed by acquiring a silicone sealant repair kit through our website, it comes with a syringe with silicone inside and a thick needle that will fit inside the regulating air hole but will not go through the gap between the glass panels.

Sealant care tip — regulate the air and water by only using a 27G needle or smaller, a larger gauge will damage the silicone.

Warnings

• Keep out of reach of children – CHOKING HAZARD – contains small, sharp and fragile parts 
• Do not ingest contents 
• Do not touch broken glass with bare hands
• This is not a toy & should always be handle by an adult with care

Inside Pressure – If too much air is added to the sand picture at once, it will cause pressure to build up inside and the glass could break, this also applies if you take out too much air at once, pulling the glass inwards (inward pressure) which also will cause the glass to break. There shouldn’t be any pressure inside the moving sand picture, there needs to be a balance between the water and air, either too much or too little will fracture the glass. 

When regulating a large volume of air and/or water it should be done in gradual amounts, therefore please follow all instructions carefully to avoid pressure inside the sand art.

Amazing Sands is not responsible for any damages due to this reason or from mishandling your moving sand art.

It is recommended to turn your sand art at least once a month to keep the sand flowing and avoid it compacting and sticking.