Salt map mixture is used to make hills and valleys on a topographical map or 3D map. It’s an excellent mixture to use for school science projects. You can also use this salt map mixture for making box dioramas.
Below are two salt map mixture recipes. One recipe is for salt map mixture and the other is for a coarse salt map mixture. Both mixtures are suitable for 3D maps and box dioramas.
Salt map mixture should be used for maps that are drawn on heavy cardboard. If you use the mixture to create mountains and valleys on paper, the paper will warp. Cardboard, like that of a box used for shipping, is sturdy enough and will make a great topographical map that will last indefinitely.
Salt Map Mixture
You will need the following ingredients to make salt map mixture: 1 cup table salt, 1 cup wheat flour (not self rising), 2/3 cup water, food coloring or poster paints, heavy cardboard.
Mix the salt and the flour in a bowl until it is thoroughly blended. Add the water a bit at a time and stir. Continue to add water and stir until the mixture is the consistency of a thick icing. You may not need to use the entire 2/3 cup of water.
Add food coloring if you want and mix in well. If you want to skip the food coloring, you can paint your hills and valleys with poster paints after the salt map mixture dries.
Spread the mixture on your cardboard map and shape appropriate hills and valleys. If you are making tall hills or mountains, do them in layers and let each layer dry before building it taller.
When your map is done, let it air dry for 1 to 2 days. If you made a lot of hills and mountains it may take a bit longer to dry. Do not speed the drying time by putting it in the oven. Just let it air dry.
Coarse Salt Map Mixture
This particular salt map recipe makes a more coarse mixture. It’s great for building tall mountains on a map or large figures in a box diorama. This coarse salt map mixture dries very hard but it takes longer to dry than the salt map mixture above. Use the recipe above if you need your salt map to dry quicker.
You will need the following ingredients to make coarse salt map mixture: 1 cup of table salt, 1/2 cup of wheat flour (not self rising), 1/2 cup of water, food coloring or poster paints, heavy cardboard (like a box used for shipping or packing).
Mix the salt and the flour in a bowl until it is well mixed. Add the water a bit at a time to the salt and flour mixture and stir constantly. Continue to add the water and stir until the mixture is the consistency of a thick icing. You may not need to use the entire 1/2 cup of water.
Add food coloring if you want and mix in well. Or, you can paint your hills and valleys or box diorama figures with poster paints after the coarse salt map mixture dries.
Spread the mixture on your heavy cardboard map and shape the hills and valleys. If you are making tall hills or mountains or large box diorama figures, do them in layers and let each layer dry before building it taller.
When your map or box diorama is done, let it air dry for 3 to 5 days. If you made a lot of hills and mountains or large figures it may take a bit longer to dry. Do not speed the drying time by putting it in the oven. Just let it air dry.
For both of these salt map mixtures, you will need to use up all the mixture at once. The mixture will not store. If you need to build large objects in layers, mix just enough salt map mixture for the layers that you need. Then make a new batch of mixture for the other layers as you make them.
