Pyramids are 5” triangle bevels, bar is 2” x 6” rectangle bevels and 2” triangle bevels.

Bevels:

• For pyramids, use four triangle bevels. 5" bevels make a nice-sized pyramid, 4" bevels will make a more modest one that still has room for a few trinkets.
• For bars, use three rectangle bevels and two triangles. 2" x 6" rectangles with 2" triangles are a good size. 3" x 6" bevels and 3" triangles would give room for even more treasures.
• You could use six square bevels to make a cube, or use pentagons or hexagons to make a ball shape. Simpler is probably better, though.

Foil:

3/16” foil with the appropriate backing to match the finished color of your solder.

Ingredients:

• clean, dry sand, preferably white. Hobby Lobby carries it in small quantities, but you can also find it at home improvement stores and perhaps at nurseries. If you aren't sure the sand is dry, nuke it or bake it, and if the sand is some you've collected, you'll definitely want to nuke or bake it to be sure there aren't any critters in it.
• clean, dry shells
• beach glass (Hobby Lobby sells small, rather expensive bags of mixed colors, Glass Crafters carries larger, less expensive bags of various colors)
• small sand dollars and starfish (Hobby Lobby is one source).

Use your imagination. I've seen photos of these done with things collected from local woodlands, which probably make nice tourist items.

Instructions:

The official instructions tell you to foil the bevels, then lay them out flat (the three rectangles for instance) side-by-side and apply foil to the inside of the seams so solder can't drip through. Since that adhesive is going to let go sooner or later and ruin the appearance of the sandscope, I decided to live dangerously and not use any foil on the inside at all!

1. The beveled side faces outward.
2. Complete whatever preparation is necessary for the filler material.
3. Clean the bevels and make sure they are absolutely dry.
4. Apply 3/16" foil to the edge and beveled side only. There is no foil at all on the back side of the bevel (you can't solder all the inside seams so why solder any of them?). (See the end for a link to instructions for making waterproof containers if you are concerned about using my method.)
5. Using masking tape to hold the bevels together, fit three triangle bevels (for the pyramid) or three rectangle bevels so that the edges fit together perfectly. There should be almost NO SPACE between the edges of the bevels.
6. Apply flux sparingly. You do not want any flux leaking into the interior of the scope. I use one of those sponge daubers like you use on envelopes an stamps.
7. Tack solder each seam in a couple of places, preferably close to the ends, then remove the tape.
8. Using either 50/50 or 60/40 solder, "dab" beads of solder along each seam. If you start with four to six evenly-spaced dabs along the seam, then add dabs to the left (or right) of each of the original dabs, and repeat until the seam if covered with dabs, you minimize the chances of getting bleed through.
9. If you are making one of the bar scopes, solder one of the triangle bevels on one end of the tube.
10. After the seam is covered with dabs of solder, move your soldering iron from one end of the seam to the other to smooth out the dabs. Double-check the outside edges of the foil because you may need to do a touch-up here and there.
11. Neutralize and clean the flux off. I used a spray bottle and ammonia, but use whatever your preferred neutralizer is. Clean thoroughly but do not immerse in water. (If you do, you'll have to wait awhile to finish construction, and perhaps heat the scope in a low oven for awhile.)
12. Check the inside of the bevels and clean any fingerprints. (The official instructions suggest that you wax the inside, but I skipped that step on mine.) This is your last chance to remove fingerprints!
13. Use wedgies or your preferred setup to position the pyramid on its tip or the bar on the end bevel.
14. Add sand. I used more than 1/8 cup but less than ¼ cup in the 5" pyramid and the 2" x 6" bar. You want enough sand to cover the bottom, but not so much that the treasures are hidden.
15. Add treasures.
16. Put a couple of pieces of masking tape on the remaining bevel, then position the bevel carefully over the opening. Once it is in position with a minimum gap between it and the other bevels, tape it in place, and tack it in a couple of places on each seam.
17. Finish these seams as before. You will not be able to get the seams perfectly horizontal while you are dabbing because the sand will leak out. Cover the seams with dabs, then you can position each seam horizontally to smooth it.
18. If you want something other than plain seams, use decorative soldering (pearls, bamboo pattern, stippling, whatever you like) or add ball chain or twisted wire or whatever embellishment you like.
19. Clean carefully with ammonia or neutralizer, then water, and polish with a soft cloth. Wax if you'd like.

WARNING: Do not immerse in water. Do not hold under running water. These things are not water tight! If water does get inside them, it will eventually evaporate. If something inside the scope isn't dry when you close the scope, you will see condensation on the inside of the scope. Don't panic—the water will eventually evaporate.

I cannot vouch for the sturdiness of scopes made this way. However, since the official directions don't include any more soldering, just foil across the inside seams, I don't know that they're really any sturdier. I do suspect that the foil inside will eventually come unglued and make a big, ugly mess.

Waterproof sandscapes: if you want waterproof sandscapes, use Sue Spire’s construction method, documented beautifully at http://thestainedglasslady.tripod.com/waterprisms.