$17.95 can. $27.95
MAKING CONCRETE GARDE ORNAMENTS M ake these beautiful exciting
new light-it's
m ore! From a picture ied designs popular
projects
and see concrete
not just for sidew alks fram e to a birdbath.
w ill introduce
(and incredibly
in an
any-
the var-
you to this increasingly versatile)
m aterial.
A nyone can learn the basics of w orking crete. the form ing and constructing
w ith con-
techn iques,
and surface treatme nts. T he first projects
are perfect for beginners.
T hey're
fun, easy, and w ill help you develop som e basic skills. T he garden trough is sim ple: all you do is create a basic form , m ix together
som e ingredients,
and refine the shape w ith a few tools. T roughs are such lovely show cases that prized,
for blossom s,
m oss-covered
it's no w onder
versions com m and
top
dollar in antique
stores. A garden
border is also
easy to fashion,
yet looks so pretty
w hen you're
fin-
ished. M ake the bricks, and then add som e found objects.
such as driftw ood
unexpected
and rocks, to provide
contrast.
T ake the skills you've learned an~ apply them in mor e sop hi stica ted ways.Jn som e cases you'll com bine a few techniques
for a project:
other tim es
you'll refine the sim ple skills you've
already
learned.
that light the
R em iniscent
w ay in Japanese
of the lanterns
gardens,
a concrete
adaptation
can be styled using item s that m ay already be in Continued on bad: flap
MAK NG C NC T GAR EN ORN
ENTS
NG
E
Sherri Warner Hunter
o
lARK B(D)KS A Division ofStcding Publishing New York
0., Inc.
A(knowled~ents Wr iting this book has given me a new-found appreciation of how ma ny people and how mu ch energy it takes' to produce a book; I'm gratefLlI to so ma ny that ha ve pr ov ide d sup po rt,
gu idance,
and inf orma tion
Edi tor : Joe Rhat ig an Artdir ec tor : Cel ia Nar an jo Cov er de si gn: Rob Pul ley n Pho togr ap hy : Eva n Br ac ke n Il lus trat io ns: Orr in Lundgr en Pr odu ct io n as si st an t: Han ne s Cha re n Ass is ta nt ed itor : Ver oni ka Ali ce Gunt er
along the wa y; howe ver, there are a few specific Li br ar y of Con gr es s Cat al ogi ng- in -p ubl ic at io n Dat a Hunt er , Sher ri Warne r. erea .ling wi th con cret e: ya rd ar t, scul pt ur e, an d ga rde n
name s Iwan t to ackn ow ledge . I'd like to tha nk my con tribu ting
de sign ers El de r Jone s,
lyn n Ol son , and Ge or ge Ad amy for the ir tec hn ica l ad vi ce an d as sistan ce , as we ll as for the ir pa ss ion t o r creating. Th ank you also to An dr ew Go ss, for his ge neros ity in allow ing me to use hi s Co ncrete and Me tal we bs ite as a sou rce of ins pi ration
and inf or ma tion .
projects I She rr i Warne r Hunt er . p. em. ISB N1- 579 90- 179 -4 (ha rdc over ) ISBN 1- 579 90- 318 -5 (pa per bac k) I. Ga rd en or na men ts an d [u rn ttur e+ De sl gn an d co ns tru ct ion . 2, Con cr et e. L Ti tle . SB473· 5 .H86 5 2001 717-dC21
00-05347
1
A very special thank you to my editor, Joe Rh atigan, wh ose patience,
prodding,
good wo rk, and sense of
109 87 65 43 2
I
hum or helped m e to do the w ork that needed to be done. Co ol beans! Th ank you to art director Ce lia Na ranjo. wh o not only designs beautiful books, but knows how to leave her ma rk on concrete as we ll. I have great appreciation
pu bl ish ed by lar k Bo ok s, a di vi si on of St er ling Pu bl ish ing Co. , In c. 38 7 Pa rk Ave nu e So ut h, Ne w Yor k, N. Y.10 01 6
e 200 1,Sherr i Warne r HUnt er
for the eye and comm ents 01
photographer Evan B racken, and for the attention de tai l by As sistan t Ed itor Ve ron ika Gu nt er . T here we re several locations used to photograph
to
the
proj sets, and I'd Iike to than k those fin e faI ks for letting up invade their beautiful yards and gardens: Ra y and Sus an Al len, Mu rfreesbo ro,
TN ; Ra nd y and
Li sa McC ur dy . Wa rtrace , TN ; Ki m Br oo ks an d Ru sty Wol le at Fi ne r Th ing s Ga ller y, Na shv ille, TN ;and
Di Ca nadada Grbyoustp,er One ling AtPulan bl ish clost riCabunated di anin Man tic ing Ave, ., Su ite 10 5 To ro nt o, On tar io, Ca na da M6K3E 7 Di st ri bu ted in the U. K.by: Gui ld of Mas ter cr af tsm an Pu bl ica tion s Lt d. Cas tle pl ac e, 16 6Hig h St re et , Lewe s Eas t Sus se x, Eng la nd BN7I XU Tel: (+ 44 ) 12 734 77 37 4, Fa x: (+ 44) 127 347 860 6, Ema il: pu bs wt he gmc gr ou p. co m, Web : www.gmcpublications.com Di st ri but ed in Aus tr al ia by Cap ri co rn Link (Aus tr al ia ) Pl y Ltd ., P. O.Box 70 4, Win ds or , NSW27 56 Aus tra lia .
Jimmy and Da le wh ite, We ave rvi lle, NC . Ial so wa nt to tha nk Th e No rth Ca rol ina Ar bo retum , As he vi lle, NCfo r pr ov idi ng
wo nd er ful
on pages 2, 100,
liS,
loc ation s for the ph ot og raph s 11 7,an d 14 0.
Va luable assistance and support wa s provided
by
Ti ffan y Ca tal do De lk and Kr ist ina Be ll In the de ve lop me nt of projects and continued
studio efforts wi th
the help of janel C ataldo and Pam B rown as Isa t facing the comp uter screen. For inspiration
along the
wa y, thank you to my dad, D r. R obert S. Wa rner, Ma ry Ma rk Mu nd ay, Wi llem vo lke rsz, and the late Da le El dred, all, in their own wa y over the years have helped to gU ide me down my concrete path. An d for hi s as sistan ce, pa tien ce,
lov e, and frien ds hi p,
I'm for -
ever thankful to my partner and husband, Ma rtin.
Th e wr itten ins tru ct ion s, ph ot og ra ph s, de si gn s, pa tter ns , an d pr oj ec ts in thi s vo lume are intended for the personal use 01t he reader and ma y be reproduced for tha t pu rpo se on ly. An y ot he r us e, espe cially com me rcial us e, is for bi dd en un de r law wi tho ut wr itten pe rm lss ion of the co py ri gh t ho lde r. Ev ery effor t has been ma de to ens ur e that all the infor ma tion in thi s boo k is accura te. How ev er , du e to di ff er ing co nd ition s, too ls, an d ind ivi du al sk ills, the pu blishe r ca nn ot be respo ns ibl e for an y inj ur ies , los ses, an d ot he r da ma ge s tha t ma y res ul t from the us e ofth e inf or ma tion in thi s bo ok . Ifyou ha ve qu es tion s or com me nt s abo ut thi s bo ok , pl eas e co nt act : lar k Boo ks 67 Br oa dwa y Ashe vil le . NC2860 I (82 8) 236 -97 30 Pr int ed in Ch ina Allright s re se rve d
Table
of C ont e nt s Concrete Isn't Just for Sidewalks Anymore
INTRODUCTION/GALLERY: CHAPTER
I:
CHAPTER
2:
CHAPTER3:
Concrete Basics
15
Forming and Construction Techniques
31
Surface Treatments
61
Concrete Folk Environments: AS ource of Inspiration Community-Built CHAPTER4:
6
Projects: Building Communities through Art
78 81
Projects
83
Tu fa Tr ou gh Sa nd -Ca st Fr ame
84
86
Gar den Cri tter s
89
Bookends
90
Con cr et e Fos si ls
92
Mas on ry Pl an ter
94
Jaz zy Bor der
96
Or na men tal Birdbath
Sp he re
98 100
Tu fa pl an ter
102
Pa ci fic Ri m La nt er n
1 04
Fr og Fou nt ai n
1 07
D e e Oh Ge e
III
Ga zi ng Ba ll St and
113
Anc ien t Car vi ng
liS
Bl ue Bi rd/ Pi nk
Ho use
Rou ss ea u Rel ief pl an ter
117 121
Li ttle La dy Fo un tai n
125
To te m fo r Al ice
1 28
Ve ne tian
130
Fi gurative
Be nc h Ta bl e Ba se
134
Bi rd Wat chi ng
137
Gar de n Th ron e
1 40
Mo di fied
1 42
Mo bius
Resources and Contributing Artists
143
Bibliography and Index
1 44
C oncr et e Isn' t Jus t for
J
S"dew
a lk s Any m o r e
ust look around you: c.o lorful p olish ed concrete in pu bl ic pl aza s, co nc rete
scu lptural
forms rising fro m hills,
gold- leafed
concrete
jewe lry,
ferro-ceme n t
boats in the o cean,
ph otograp hic
ima ges o n expo sed
aggrega.te
concrete
wa lls. Co n -
crete, once used prima rily g reat buildin g
ma terial,
look ed at as an 'elegant, ma terial anyone
as a is now versatile
can ma nipu late
to exp res s the ms elve s
ar tistica lly.
Co ncrete is ju st begin ning receive the attent ion
to
it deserves,
and I am proud to be able to show you some o f the ama zing th ings you can d o w ith it to create functional
and de corative
pieces for your yard or garden. Whe the r yo u' re an exp erienc ed sculptor or some one
lo oking for a
wa y to express your creativity, concrete wi IIp ro vide you wi th a li fe ti me of cr ea ti ve pos si bi li ti es . F o rg et wh at you think you know abou.t con crete; yo u're in for a
Ma rvi n and lilli An n Ki llen Ro senb erg, Walkway with.Planter, 2000, St ep he n' s P· la ce Af fo rd ab le Ho using Project. Me dford. OR . Colored concrete fish; slate, mo saics. inlaid shells, stones, and bones.
surprise.
ph ot p by Mar vi n Ros €nb el q
the Ro ma n Emp ire, this technique
Edison further
wa s lost until 1756,
leading
to significant
concrete
production
wh en a Br itish
engineer,
John Sm eaton,
hydraulic
cem ent
stone containing
and its poo., srE sc-
a considerable
realized
the versatility
cem ent
and even used it to m a :e
A spdin,
another
pro-
Joseph
Englishm an
and ma son,
the ma nufacturing cem ent
--
ity as a construction
of clay. In 1824,
w ho w as
patented
of a hydraulic
that involved
ful proportion
a
the ki "'.
increases
m ade from lim e-
portion
a bricklayer
invented
developed
m ixing a care-
cast furniture.
m aterial.
of pcrtla-rc
craL..,-
A consumm ate
m an, his first piece w as an earl phonograph elaborate
cabinet
detailed
wi
scroll wo rk.
of lim e-
stone and clay, pulverizing (firing
and burning
in a kiI n) the
m ixture,
w hich w as then
ground
to a fine pow der.
He called hi s produ ct
An dr ew Go ss, Thr ee Pin s, 1999, 2.X 3 x 'I, in ch es (5 .1 x 7. 6 x 1 .3 ern). Fi ne mi x of stone du st , ce me nt , I atex, and fi bers, cast in mo de~ing day; 21,-karat gold leaf. photo by Kris Ras",
po rtlan d
ceme nt
because,
wh en hard-
ened,
its color resemb led
the high-quality
lime -
stone that wa s quarried on the Isle of Portland
Lookin~ Back
off the Br itish coa st.
E ver since ma n started stone structures, w ith m ixtures agent.
building
to create
pyram ids.
howe ver,
to
lim e w hich had been broken
dow n
w ith w ater, and vol-
canic ash. Simu ltaneously, construction
a
slaked lime,
that comb ined
and com bined
in 1871. The firing of the
it w as
the R om ans w ho finally developed ceme nt
in Co pl ay , Pe nn sy lva ni a,
the
T he G reeks continued
ma ke imp roveme nts;
advances
and C entral A m erica.
simi lar
we re occur-
ring in early civilizations
in
ited to D avid O. Saylor,
using
to construct
m anufactured
the U nited States is ered-
used clay.
m ade a m ortar
lim e and gypsum
cem ent
a binding
Early civilizations
The Egyptians
Th e fi rst po rtlan d
he's experime nt ed
in Me xico
A fter the fall of
m aterials
took place in a
crude burning
chamb er.
Ag ain an En gl ishm an advanced
the industry's
technology
wh en
som e engineered pa tented
F.
Ran-
and
a specialized
kiln to process rials. In 1902,
the m ateThomas
Roy Kan wit , Tw o Pr eg na nt Wo me n, 1998,7 x 5 x 2 le e (z = .6 m) , F erro ceme nt mo deled over steel frame ; surjaca -~il-=-includ es dy es, po Iish ing, aeryl ic sea Iant. ?holo by ",tIs1
ja ck Has ti ng s,
Sc u Ip tu re Gar de n, cha tta noog a We lcome
Ce nter, Interstate
75, Ch at tanoog a, TN . we t-c arved
concrete.
photo by artis\
Lookin~ Forward As
the m odern
trained
age advances,
pr ofessionals
in the building
industry
and in art and architecture
continue
to explore
appl ications
the possible
of concrete.
artists included
Th e gallery
in this book repre-
sent som e of the m any w ays that concrete
is being used. Te chniques
are invented
and then imp roved
over tim e. Elder Jones (see his projects on pages 84 , 1 02 , 1 21 , an d 134) has spent his career refining carving
of concrete,
learned
from his m entor,
ings, w ho w as inspired of Co nstantino pioneer
the w et
a technique
Jack H astby the w ork
Ni vola (1911-1988),
in this technique.
he
Typical
a
El de r G. jo ne s, So ut hw es ter n Po t, 2000, 10 x concrete wi th iron oxide tint. Pho!" by artist
13'/. X 11'/, inches
(25.4 x 3 4.3 x
29.2
er n) . Ca rv ed
construction
uses of con-
crete have inspired
artists
such as Lorado Taft (18601936), wh o, having
how m odern
studied
buildings
cast in concrete,
w ere
used con-
crete to create large-scale figurative
sculptures
that
wo ul d be pr oh ibi tive ly expensive
to create in any
other me dium. m odem
In fact,
architecture
is a
maj or SOU Tc eo f ins pi ra tio n for m any artists w orking concrete.
in
I can't help but
look in aw e at a construction site-I
th ink of it as a
great big sculpture.
W hen I
see good designs comb ined wi th ca ring cra ft sma ns hi p at all levels, from the w ay the try w ire holds the rebar together,
to the construc-
tion of the curved
form s for
the w alls, I'm inspired
as I
return to m y ow n w ork. T oday, Iwo rk wi th concrete extensively,
Dan Cor bi n, In teg rity Se ries . DNA Tr an sfe r, 2000, 54 x 15 x 10 inches (137.2 x 38.1 x 25.4 em) . Ce me n t o x id es, p aint, sheet me tals; castin g, cu t, an d stacke d; emb eddi ng , sandi ng , pa inting . Photo by arl;,!
and nothing
gives m e as m uch joy. W hether it's a largescale public sculpture or a sm all fountain, I feel that concrete has given m e the versatil ity I've alw ays sought
in a m aterial.
forw ard
the results of m y years of
to sharing
experime ntation
and discovery
A nd I look
w ith you.
Ge or ge E.Ada my , Black 6 - Gol d Ba lls , 1990, diame ters of 4'1, and 6';' inc he s (11.4 and 16.5 em) . Po rtlan d ceme nt, san d, glass scrim, P o lyad arn II; castin g s in mo ld s ma de from rub b er ba lls; col or ed wi th iride sce nt ac ryl ics , Photo by ertlst
Da n Co rb in, Opposition Series: Ye llow Br own , 1999, 53)( 18 x 10 in ches (134.6 x 45.7 x 25.4 em) . Ce me n t, ox id es, p ain t, sh eet me tals; castin g , cut, and stacke d; emb edd ing, sand ing, paint ing . photo by artist
An dr ew Go ss, CloudlFish, 2000, 10)( 32 )( 6 inc he s (25 .4) ( 81.3)( 15.2 em). C o ncrete, cop per ro d. stainless steel wi re, brass; b uilt u p o ver me sh, filled wi th wh ite po rtlan d ceme n t and san ded. Photo by artlst
Ly nn Ol so n, Si tting Pu pp y, 1998, 24 x 18 x 12 inches (6t x 45.7 x 30.5 ern) . Ce me nt , stainl ess steel, carbon fibe rs; direct mo deling ; pigme nt s for col or, pol ished, sealed wit h met hy l met ha cr yl at e. Photo hy artist
Bu dd y Rh od es, Sph er e Pl an te r, 2000, 4 feet tall (1.2 m) . Ce me nt, sand , an d b ind ers; pressed con crete into mo lds; colo red co ncrete backfilled wi th co ntrasting con crete; g rou nd , sand ed , and sealed . Photo by Buddy Rh od es St ud io
El de r G. Jo ne s, Co iled Po t, 1999, 19 x 15'/' inc he s (48.3 x 39·4 ern) . Car ve d co nc re te . Photo by artist
Le ft: [oh an Ha ga man , Bound by Words, 1999, 30)( 14x 9 in ches (76.2 x 35.6 x 22.9 em) . Co n crete, steel wi re, b ro nze wi re, p olyester resin, ro pe ligh t; d irect mo deling ov er an arma ture o f foam core an d wi re; emb ed ded wo rd s wr itten in to co ncrete [ormed with b ro nze wi re, an d g lass; cu red ceme nt stain ed wi th acid -b ased stain . Ph ot o by ar tist Bo ttom lef t: Sh erri Wa rne r Hu nt er, FClshion tady {fou nt ain) ,19 97; 3 feet (90 em ) tall; con crete ove r an arma tur e shaped wi th wi re me sh; sand -cast bo wl ; sur face treatme nts inc lude emb edd ing and di rect mo de ling . Phot o by. rl ls t Be low : Ni na So lom on and Sue Ch eno we th, Fr om the Ro und Ea rth's Ima gi ned Co rner s, 2000, in stallation in P ho enix, AZ . 37'/' x 19'/' x 21in ch es (95.3 x 49·5 x 53.3 em) . We lded steel arma tu re, p olystyren e foam, fib erglass me sh , ceme nt an d p o lyme r ad mi x ; foam g lu ed to arma ture w ith con stru ctio n ceme n t, co vered wi th m ed iu m me sh , ceme nt, th en large me sh sewe d in place wi th telep ho n e wi re on seat. seatb ack, an d legs, co vered wi th fin al co at ceme nt; h an d ma d e sto newa re tiles o f anima ls u sed for mo siac co v erin g, tiles app lied wi th thin-set mo rtar, charcoal gr ou t. Photo by la me .. Cowl in
Ma rvi n and Li lliAnn Ki llen Ro senb erg, Fr og Wat er Fo un ta in, 19 96 , St . Ch rist op he r's Ch ildr en' s C o ncre te wi th mo sa ic an d cerami c pie ces o ver reba r an d wi re me sh. Photo by Ken WlttenbeTg
Ho spi tal, Ph ilade lph ia.
PA .
Pe dr o Si lva , Th e Mo the r an d Ba by Se a Se rpe nt , 1981, Fa nn y Ma e De e P ark , Na sh ville , T N (also kno wn a s Dr a gon P ark). Co n crete h and forme d o ver a stee l an d me sh a rma ture an d then c overed in mo saic de sign s crea ted by hu nd reds of com mu ni ty vo lun tee rs. photo by Sherrl Warner Hunter
To m AJ ie no nc h, Turtle Em~rg in g fr om Wall, 1997. Brevard Zoo, FL 66 x 60 x 78 inches (q x 1. 5 x 2 rn). C oncrete hand forme d over a steel and me sh arma ture; color applied by mixing pi gm ent s into the con crete. photo by a,H,1
To m Ar le Do nc h, 5hark.!993. 54 x 42 x 16 2 inches (1.4 x 1 x 4 m), C oncrete hand form ed over a steel and me sh arma ture; color applied by mi .xi 'ng pi gm en ts int o the co nc ret e. Photo by arUst
Sh erri Wa rne r Hu nt er , Fl igh ts of Fa nc y, 1996, Na sh vi lle Int er na tion al glass mo saic over reinforced concrete forms . Photo by Go.ry tayde.
Ai rpo rt, Na sh vi lle,
TN ..3. x 2] x 26 feet C.9 x 7 x 8 m), Ce ram ic an d
Ri gh t: Ja ck Ha st in gs . (1.5 x .9 m ). Sp rayed Be low lef t: loh an 39 x 13 x 17 inches
wa ter pump .
Ready Kilowatt,
ceme nt
Ha.gaman, (99.1 x 33
Pho to .b y
1992. 60 X 36 in ch es
ov er an arma tu re.
ph ot o by ar ttst
Bird Fountain, 1999, X 43.2 em) . Co nc ret e, iron hinges ,
"..tl st
Bel ow ri ght : Roy Kanwit, Gaia (Mother Earth), 1994, 19'/' x 10 x 22 feet (5.7 x 3 x 6.6 m ) Ferro-cem en t direct m odeled o ver steel frame. Photo by artist
Chapter
I
I
Conc r e te Bas ic s im ply put, concrete of cem ent,
is a m ixture
Typically,
w ater, and aggre-
though
gate, wh ich is the bulk ma terial needed
The
shade variations
to ma ke concrete.
In~edients
portland
ceme nt
is gray,
you m ight notice slight from different
m an-
ufacturers. There is also a wh ite portland cem ent that is produced through
of Concr et e
additional
structurally
refining.
It's as
sound as the gray and
The cem ent and wa ter m ix together
m ight be desirable
and start a chem ical process know n
tions, especially
wh en w orking
coloring
Y ou'll achieve a
as hydration,
w hich causes the con-
crete to harden.
C oncrete does not
dry; it cures through pr oc ess.
purer color m ixing pigm ents
the hydration
Fr eshl y appl ied
con cr ete
Gr a y a nd wh ite p o rtla nd
hom e im provem ent
portland
ceme n t
building
come s packaged
from the concrete,
paper bag we ighing
piece
w ill be w eak and m ight crack.
basic principles
as you m aster
the
uni que
to achieve
creative
the
and
at al l sou rce s.
yards. M ost often, it in a wa ter-resistant 94 pounds
(43
AGGREGATES Ag gregates
are the bulk ma terial
added
cem ent;
crete. A n a.9gregate
can be any
num ber
including
never buy one that's
absorbing
m oisture
bag is opened.
open or
to the cem ent to m ake conof m aterials
sand,
as soon as the
Ifa bag feels hard as
a rock, try another.
pressed
For the projects
in this book, you'll
be using the m ost com m on portland
cem ent,
type of type I.
cem ent
in the bag during
and storaqe, return
m ay becom e
shipping
a little agitation
it to its powd ery
com should
consistency.
Lum py or hard cem ent
is useless. so
There are five types of portland
try to buy your cem ent
from a source
cem ent,
that receives new stock regularly , so
each represented
R om an num erals is typically
It hrough
by the V . Type I
used for general
con-
pu rpo ses .
you're
buying
fresh ma terials.
Cem ent lisc heap.
but the w ork you
put into your project
is w hat gives it
value ..Al wa ys wo rk wi th the best Portland
costs about tw ice as m uch
kg). C heck the bag w hen you buy
A lthough
struc tion
Wh ite
con stru ct io ns .
CEMENT
cem ent,
and
has a hole in it. Ce me nt star ts
of m ixing and form -
ing and learn how to m anipulate concrete
supply
centers,
slow ly and com pletely. If w ater is allowe d to evaporate too quickly
The fun begins
into
as the gray and m ay not be ava.ilable
proceeds
the finished
w ith
w hite rather than gray cem ent.
should be kept dam p and cool to ensure that this process
agents.
in som e applica-
cem ent
readily available
is easy to find and
quality
at hardwa re
the fine st res ul ts.
stores,
m aterials
you can to ensure
Ma terial s cl oc kw ise from top ce nt er: aq ua rium gr av el, cr us he d gr av el, gr av el,. vermi cu lite, ma son ry san d, pe a gr av el, p o o l mi x. Ce nter: p o tting so il ma d e o f p erlite a nd p ea t mo ss
II
16
C h a p te r
I ~ONCRm,BASI.CS
gravel. crushed lightwe ight
miculite
stone, and even
an d perlite.
Ve rmi cu lite
perlite are naturally that are processed
creating
an d
mi ned ma terials
T hey're com m only
builders
as insulation,
deners as additives
used by
and by gar-
to potting
easier for the m olecule
affected
you wo uldn't
include
w ith. D on't use mu ddy,
liquids to mi x your concrete. concrete,
referred
ma sonry
sand for a smo other
Ifyo u're pouring
large
w ill bear w eight or support ture, a w ell-graded provide
added
graded
mi x of aggregate
strength.
various sizes of crushed
A long those
over tim e due to the salt content.
that has a high ratio is often
residue that naturally
A w ell-
cem ent costs m ore by volum e than
crete due to lim e and salts), and shouldn't
rock or
concrete
should be T hese for-
to the aggre-
ADMIXTURES A n admixture
an inferior
of con crete.
larger ones, wh ile the sand particles In the bu ildi ng
ind us try,
paste coats each piece of aggregate
are rated by size using a num ber sys-
the m ixture
tem . T he low er the num ber,
mas s (figu re
I). Hy dr at ion
mo lecules aggregates
to cem ent,
form on the surfaces
and
and sharpness
of the
to provide the strength
of
the salt in the
is an y ad di tion al
m aterial
added
ceme nt,
aggregates,
to the m ix other than and w ater.
agg reg ates
and hardens
coarser the ma terial.
because
the ceme nt
gr ade
w hen w ater is added
as an
sand wi ll cause the same problems .
ma terials.
prevent
gravel shift to fill in spaces betwe en
be gi ns
or plastered.
Beach sand should be avoided
or other organic
paste from binding
into a solid
or wh ere
aggregate
gate, and m ay produce
areas. T he ceme nt
is imp ortant is to be painted
clean and free of dirt, clay, plants,
gravel and sand. T he sm aller sizes of
fill in the sma llest
be used wh ere surface
appearance
eign particles
includes
(the wh ite
occurs in con-
th e agg re gat e. of the type of aggregate
T he
salt also causes an increase of surface mo istur e an d efflorescence
to as "rich," since the
you choose, the m aterials
m ix of gravel w ill
you ma y w ant to recon-
side r. Th e fini she d struc tur e wiI Ist ar t out strong; howe ver, it'll we aken
so the "bulk" factor ma y
Re gardless
a struc-
If you
usually cost less than
texture.
a slab or base that
oily, or toxic
plan to use sea w ater to m ix w ith
of cem ent to aggregate
use
is, if you can
drink it, it's good enough to m ix
than pia y sand (see
lines, concrete
you use. Ify ou plan to m odel w ith
U se clean wa ter to mi x your concrete. A good rule of thum b
C rushed rock is
me an mo ney savings.
wi ll be
WATER
sand is sharper
Ag gregates
and w orking prop-
rocks in your m ix-you'd
to form on
soiIst o
by the kind of aggregate
concrete,
it's
chart on page 17).
and drainage.
erties of your concrete
aid in
sharper than river rock, and ma sonry
concrete, The cost, quality,
Sharp aggregates
a strong bond because
the flat surfaces.
by heat to
expand.
help wi th aeration
the m aterial.
such as ver-
ma terials,
the
Th e size, color,
of your aggregate
is
going to change the appearance, wo rkability,
and cost of your mi x.
Di ffer ent ma nu fact urers
an d reg ion al
suppliers
ma y provide variations
comm on
ma terials.
of
Ma ybe pink ma r-
ble chips are available
in your area,
but crushed shells are imp ossible
to
find . Ev en un l ike ly leftov er s from ma nufacturing,
such as me tal shav-
ings, carborundum
dust, or sawd ust
can be utilized as aggregates ate a specialty
mi x.
to cre-
Ma terials cloc kwi se from up per left: alkal i res istan t fibe rgl as s me sh (gl as s scr im) be ne at h co nt ai ne r of ac ryl ic po lym er fo rtifi er (mi lk) , po lyp rop ol en e fibe rs an d po lyester fibe rs at op ligh t/me dium alkat !« res istan t fibe rgl as s me sh (gl as s scr im) , co nt ai ne r of ai r-en trai nm en t ag en t
Chapte"ill
COARSETO MEDIUM: Stone
EXTREMELY FINE
MISCELLANEOUS
B AS I C S
TY PEO F AG GR EGA TE
Wi HE RETOFI ND
QUALITIES
C rushed gravel/rock
B uilding supply, hom e im pr ov eme nt ce nt er
Gra y, ang ul ar
M arble chips
B uilding supply, garden center, mar bl e manu fa ct ur er
Most ojten wh ite to gr ay , lumi no us
Pea gr ave l
B uilding supply, hom e impr ov eme nt ce nt er
N atllral, rounded
RiVerrock
Bu ildi ng su pp ly, ho me imp rov em en t ce nt er , rive r be ds
Na tur al br own ton es , rou nd ed
M asonry sand
B uilding supply
Sh ar p, ligh t in co lor us ua lly or de red in bu lk
Pl ay sa nd
H om e im provem ent center
A vailable in bags
Mar bl e sa nd
Bui ld in g su ppl y
Fi ne wh ite san d, al so ca lled swi mm ing pool mi x
Silicaf um e
M anufacturer
A wa ste product from me tal sme iting -ver y fine da rk po wd er ; Inc reases de ns ity bu t tricky to wo rk wi th
Metakaolin
M a n uf acturer
W hite pow der
V erm iculite
G ardenc enter
Expanded m ica
Perlite A quarium gravel
G arden center Petc enter
Pulverized, expanded plastic N atural orc olored, dyed gravel
Cr ush ed sh el ls
Man uf ac tu re r,
FINE: Silica/Sand
(ONC Rm
na tu re
Text ura l, col orf ul
A dm ixes are used in concrete
for a
and bridges.
variety of reasons,
mo di-
m ust be com bined
its
w ith the w ater and then m ixed
(18.2,
m echanically
cally, all you do is add w ater and
including
fying its set tim e, im proving wo rkability,
or adding
of the mo st com mo n used in concrete
color. Som e
aggregate
adm ixtures
today
are air-
num ber
that produce
of m icroscopic
voids in the cem ent
provide
to wo rk effectively. agitation
Mi x-
provide
or
additives
durability.
Specifics on various
These sma ll voids also
adm ixtures
w ill be explored
ture in concrete tract during
to expand
and 29.
and con-
and
B asi-
and there is the advantage The two ma in disadvan-
tages are that you're
paying
m ium for your m aterials, not able to custom ize
in the
C ustom R ecipes section on pages
wh ich ma kes air-entraining tion projects
wo rkability,
space for the m ois-
freeze/thaw
highly beneficial
resistance,
36.3 kg) bags.
of not having to store separate
also provide
mo isture
01'
stir. These mi xes are great for certain
ingredients. Latex polyme r
m ore
needed
27.2,
m ixes
in 40, 60, O r so-pound
are available
projects,
to be effective.
m aking
the freshly m ixed concrete wo rkable.
w ith the cem ent and
a large
bubbles
paste,
enough
D ifferent types of dry concrete
in a careful ratio
ing it in by hand doesn't
en tr ai ni ng age nt s, wh ich are soaplike substances
This special additive
m aterials 28
a pre-
and you're
the m ix. The
list for each project
indicate
w hen a prem ix
stituted
for a custom ized
w ill
can be subm ix.
cycles, agents
for ma jor construc-
like roads, runwa ys,
PR EM IXE D
CO NC RE T E
There are comp anies in prepackaged
Wh en you visit the concrete
that specialize
dry concrete
m ixes.
your hom e im provem ent you'll probably
aisle of
center,
be surprised
by the
11
18
C h a p te r
wi de variety available.
.~ONCRETE
I
BAS~CS
of packaged
ma terial
A w ord of caution:
the wo rd "concrete" throughout
I use
generically
this book. Y ou don't
w ant to buy the prem ixed for the projects.
concrete
Look specifically
the Sand or T opping
for
M ix or the M or-
tar Mi x as spe ci fied.
RE A DY MI X R eady m ix is concrete pared
that is pre-
at a plant and loaded
truck for delivery.
gets to the job site, it begins or pum p
onto a
O nce the truck
large quantities
to pour
of con-
cr ete. Fo r the pr oj ects contained
in this book, Iwo n't be
recomm ending
quantities
that wi ll
ma ke thi s ne ce ssar y. Co nc ret e too ls top ro w: rub be r floa t, rub bl oc k. ce nt er row : pu tty kn ife, se rr at ed pl as tic pu tty kn ife, ga rde n trowe l, po int ing trowe l, smal l ho e. Bo ttom row: co ar se file, wi re br us h, ri fflers , pa int br us h. wo od ch isel , stee l tro we l, 41,- inch
(11.4
em) gr ind er wi th ma son ry cu tting bl ad e
Tools a n d Equipment
crete, you m ay w ant to invest in
of plywo od,
tools specifically
row , or a m ortar
Wo rking concrete
projects.
able tradition,
has a long, honor-
suited for your
used by trade professionals
w ill
Y ou m ay already
have m any tools in your garage
Or
types of additives,
m ixer m ight be the w ay to go. For
type of m ixer you use w ill depend
m ost projects,
the quantity
of concrete
on
you'll need
for the project.
wi th concrete.
be m ixed by hand on a sim ple sheet
O ver time , you'll find
m any things
C oncrete
barrow
Ilike to use a w heel-
so Ica n easily transport
can easily
or ad apt ing
to use as tools as you
develop
your ow n finishing
niques.
Specialized
tech-
tools used in sev-
eral of the techniques sepa rately
or certain a gas or electric
Mixers and Mixing Containers: T he
w ork space you can use for w orking you rsel f fabr icat ing
wh eelbar-
box. W hen w orking
wi th larger quantities
and the basic tools
com e in handy.
a high-sided
in Ch ap ter s
w ill be listed 2
and 3.
CO NC RE T E T OO L S D on't be intimi dated can get started
by this list. Y ou
w ith a pair of rubber
gloves and a plastic dish tub. A s you continue
your exploration
of con-
p la stic d ish tu bs a nd co nta in ers
M o rt"a rb o x. m o rta r ho e, a nd sh o u els
the
£ttaptii1 concrete
to m y w ork area, but
if
I'm
just m ixing up a sm all quantity,
I'll
use a plastic dish tub. A plastic
m ix-
ing container
wi th rounded
edges
Screed: straight
ma kes it easier to mi x ingredients
poured
thoroughly,
called
cl ea n af te rwa rd s.
board
19
saw to a table
saw , radial arm saw , band saw or
buy. It's the official nam e of a initial
and it'll be easier to
ing from a circular
T his isn't a fancy tool you
B A S IC S
CONCRETE
even a jigsaw , can be a big tim e
that is used for the
saver and useful for cutting
striki ng of f or I.eveling of or cast form s. T he process
is
for forms or mo lds.
A
boards
band saw is
aI so great for cu tt ing pol ystyren e
screeding.
w ooden
Float: A float is a short, rec-
foam.
tangular
tool used in the first stage
Pow er D rill: If you're just startmq
to
A nother m ixer recently appeared on the m arket Basically it's the size of a
of [in ishing the surface on concrete. It can also be used as the only finish-
comp ile tools for your shop or studio, a good pow er dr iI Ii s the mo st versa-
S-gallon
ing tool if a rougher
tile and useful tool to have on hand.
flanges
(1 9 L) bucket
w ith tw o
on the interior and a lid that
screw s on w ith a seal. Y ou add your ingredients,
screw on the lid, and
roll it on the ground. cise. and if there's around
It's great exer-
w ho w ants to help, it's a
good w ay to have them w ork off some energy.
I've had great results
is
Di fferent accessor ies
desired.
screw-
driver heads, w ire w heels, and mi xer
a trowe l, it's actually
attachm ents
rectangular
and is used in finishing polished
concrete
surface.
for
Iso me -
m ake this tool mu ch m ore
useful than for just dri Iling holes. Fasteners:
It's alwa ys helpful to have
tim es use. this tool for other than its
an assortm ent
intended
teners
purpose,
and instead.
it as a haw k to hold a quantity
use of
Ma son's
of w ood and m etal fas-
all hand.
A few of the types
we 'll be usinq regularly for the projects include drywa ll screws , galva-
concrete.
wi th this mi xer.
inc lud ing
Steel T rowe l: Wh ile this tool is called
a smo oth,
a young child
surface
or B rick T row el and Point-
nized roofing nails, and comm on
nails.
ing T row el: T hese are the tools w e mo st often associate T hey're typically
wi th bricklayers.
diamo nd
shaped,
but can also be rectangular. useful in placing
T hey're
or delivering
con-
R ub B rick: T his is an abrasive
or to sm ooth
edges. Ex pe ri en ce d
pr of es sion als
use shovels to me asure
ma terials,
but
building
or dig a form .
MO T tar H oe: Even a garden wo rk to mi x concrete. of this specialized
hoe w ill
T he advantage
hoe, how ever.
is
that it has tw o large holes in the blade that allow the ingredients flow through
to
the blade as you push
and pull the hoe through
TO O LS
For m any of the projects,
m ore often, you'll use a shovel to place concrete
WO O DWO R K IN G
the m ixture.
either a form
pour the concrete
sledgehamm er
let, a construction-grade m er, a tape m easure,
or ma l-
claw hamand a steel try
brick
used to knock off con-
crete buns and bum ps, sho ve ls.
short-handled
OT
ME TAL WO RKI NG B esides investing
TOO LS
in a good me tal
hacksaw
or pow er cutoff saw and a
4'j,-inch grinding
(11.4 ern) grinder wi th me tal w heels, w hich can also be
you'll be
used as a m etal-cutting
mo ld. to
be good to have the follow ing
into. or an arma -
handy
tool, it w ould tools
as w ell:
ture or fram e to apply the concrete onto. obviously.
a
square.
crete to a specific area. w ith a handle
O ther tools to have on hand include
for every pow er tool,
Linema n's Pliers: T he se are pa rticu-
there is a hand version of that tool. I
larly strong
love tools. so every chance
help you get a good grip for tighten-
Ig et, I
jawe d pliers that w ill
add a new one to m y collection,
ing w ires. Each pair hasa
Powe r Saws : Anytype of saw, rang-
wi re cutter as we ll.
built-in
Angle
Cu tters:
I. Do
An gle cutters have
one job and they do it w ell-to
als for mi xing, and w ater for
cut
cleanup?
wi re clean and close. Aviator
2.
Sh ears: Av iator shears look
like a cross betw een
you have easy access to ma teri-
Is the wo rk area (or the project) pro-
tected from extreme we ather condi-
a heavy pair of
scissors and a pair of pliers. Un like
tions during construction
tin sn ips, aviator shears have a b uilt-
3. C an you w ork on your project in a
and curing?
in spring action to help w ith cutting
position
sheet me tal and me ta! me shes, such as hardwa re cloth and chicken wi re.
strain?
that wi ll not cause physical
L et m e share w ith you how I've addressed
Set1in~ Up Yo u r
wo rk ar ea.
Ma ybe you've driven past a con-
If requently
site and seen a pi Ie of sand
w ith a shovel sticking
out of it, a pal-
let of cem ent w rapped hose, and a w ell-used
and
m aybe that'll help you define your Po we r cut of f saw
W o r k Ar e a struction
those concerns,
in plastic,
a
m ixer all
gro up ed together-everyth
ing conv e-
T he wo rk area wi ll be different Vi rtually everyone
for
wh o reads this
w ork w ith concrete,
keep an inventory
bags of cem ent on hand. In order to
bo ok. It m ay be a shady spot under a
keep it fresh, they're
tree or in your drivew ay,
wo oden
yo ur garage
a co rn er o f
so I
of about eight stack ed
on a
pallet close to my studio
or patio, or a w orkshop door (reme mb er, these bags w eigh 94 pounds (43 kg] each). T he pallet
niently close at hand. Y ou w ant to do
or studio.
the sam e thing as you set up your
w ork area is or how big it is, the
keeps them off the dam p floor. A ddi-
wo rk area .
ma in considerations
tionally,
R egardless
of w here your are simp le:
If irst lay dow n a large sheet
of plastic, stack the bags, and cover them w ith the plastic w hen not in use. If your wo rk space is limi ted, you mi ght consider storing
one bag
at a time , in its original packaging, in a plastic trash bag or trash can. H ow you receive and store your sand also depends
on your situation.
I like
to have my sand delivered in bulk, so periodically a large dump truck backs up to m y studio and delivers a couple of tons of sharp, wh ite m asonry covered
sand. I keep the sand pile w ith a tarp to discourage
cat and keep out debris.
I
my
st il l ha ve
to be careful not to scoop up the To ol s cl oc kwi se from top lef t: leat he r wo rk gl ov es, 4Y ,-inc h 0/.4 em) g rinde r wi th me tal grind ing wh ee l, slip- jaw pl iers, linem an 's pl iers, bo lt cut ters, ha cksaw , sma ll ha cksaw , me tal file, an gle wi re cu tter s, nee dl e-no se pl iers, av iat or she ar s
occasional they've
frog or lizard wh o thin ks
found the ideal vacation
CftapteiI~
(ONC Rm
B AS I CS
Zl
wi th plastic to ma in-
sculptural
tain the qual ity of
ma ke them interesting
m y studio floor. In
tage po int s. Th ere are several me thods
situations w orking
wh ere I'm on a piece
in nature, and you w ant to from all van-
you can use to help you physically wo rk your pieces in the round.
on site or in its final location,
I take care
to keep the area as
.. 1 2 <
_
_ ~_ ._. "_ .<
.__
Everything you need should be conveniently
cl ea n as po ssibl e
w alk and w ork around
them . A
dur ing
m edium -sized
the construc-
spot. O f course, storing sand isn't practical Fo rtuna tely, wh erever
this mu ch
remo v-
of your wo rktable
alw ays able to w ork on tw o-thirds
both a
safe an d effici en t
wo rk spa ce .
you purchase
your cem ent.
so that you're
rather than
the actual piece. R otating
possible,
I position
ect on a w ork board.
a proj-
T he type of
of
the piece at a tim e. It's alw ays better to rotate the w ork board board
wh enever
on a w ork board at the corner
ing any debris after
for everyone.
sand is us ually ava ilable
tioned
piece can be posl-
each wo rk session . T hat provides
located.
directly
so you can
tion proc ess,
- _ .- - ) .-
Larger pieces can be placed on the floor or ground
a w ork
is m ade easier by positioning
a sm aller board board.
under the w ork
B etter yet, you can rotate
Mo re often. you'll find "play" sand. It'll w ork, but try to find a source for
w ork board you'll w ant to use depends on the project. For som e
your piece and its w ork board on a heavy-duty m etal turntable or a
m asonry
casting
sturdy
sand if you can.
board I have a hose connection
on the out-
projects,
I select a wo oden
of 3/dnch
(1.9 er n) pl ywoo d.
and cover it w ith 4 m il plastic.
side of m y studio as m y w ater
these instances,
source. Since Ido n't
functions
have running
w ater inside the studio,
Ij ust keep a
In
the sheet plastic also
as a sm ooth surface to cast
on. If you're carving
a cast form ,
lazy Susan.
Som etim es
w e get so involved
w ith a
piece or a project that w e forget to step back and view the piece in its entirety.
Periodically,
reme mb er
to
w orking
on a piece of hard plastic
stop and look, really look, at w hat
use as ne eded.
sheeting
provides
yo u' re
M ost of the tools and suppl ies I use
that's
for wo rking
to the rigors of the process.
supply
of large containers
wi th concrete
filled to
are organ-
a nonstick
surface
do ing .
easy to clean and can hold up
ized in one area of m y studio, so that m y set-up tim e is m inim ized and I
WO R K IN G IN T H E R O U N D
(Ieanin~ p C leaning up Uafter
can
When wor ki .ng on thr ee -d im en si on al
crete isn't like deaning
pieces, it's very im portant
m eatloaf
concentrate
Iw ork on a sturdy
on the w ork. table and cover as
to be able
to w ork all the w ay around the piece,
dinner-leaving
often referred to as "wo rking in the
(1 9 L )b uckets
wi th sheets of plastic.
round."
time s for rinsing
an easy cleanup w ork session.
at the end of each
If I'm w orking
on a
T he prima ry goal of the
things to
tilled w ith w ater at all my gloves, hands,
sculptor is to create pieces of wo rk
and tools. I'd do this even if Ih ad a
that are interesting
sink nearby,
and successful
because
large piece on the floor, Ic over the
from all viewi ng angles. Ma ny of the
to rinse concrete
area under and around
projects presented
a hydraulic
the piece
w ith con-
up after a
soak wo n't help. I keep s-gallon
m uch of the w ork area as possible This ma kes for
w orking
in this book are
you don't w ant
dow n your drain. A s
ma terial,
it'll continue
to
U
Chapter
I
L~~~{8fJE ASICS
se t un de rwa te r wr eaking
B y handling buckets, residue
or in yo ur dr ainp ipe s,
havoc on your plumb ing. your cleanup
in the
you can let the concrete pour o ft th e
settle overnight,
w ater, and discard
the sludge
into
the trash. U se a hose to clean out your w heelbarrow
or m ixer. Just
don't let the concrete pipes!
go dow n your
w ash and dry m etal tools, and treat them w ith a light spray lubricant
to
in hi bi t ru st in g.
Safety Safe w ork habits also m ean good health habits.
O ne of the key com po-
nents of concrete
is silica. Wh en
sa fety ma teria ls cloc kwi se fro m to p I~f t: la tex sur gica l-style glov es, ba ck bra ce, d us t ma sk, go gg les
glo ves, heav y- d ut y
la tex
inhaled over long periods of tim e, sil ica particles wi ll affect your
quality and cost of gloves can vary.
We ar w ork clothes you can get good
sinuses and lungs. B uy the best par-
I've found that the flocked-lined,
and dirty. A lso, take a hint from your
ticle dust m ask you can, and w ear it
low latex gloves that are available
ev er y time you're m ixing dry com -
superma rket
ponents,
sanding,
I also
anything
else that creates
drilling,
or doing dust from
the concrete
or its com ponents.
you intend
to save the m ask in
betw een
If
uses, store it in a sealed
cleaning
keep a quantity
yelin
aisles wo rk we ll.
em ployee,
of the light-
support,
we i ght, su rgi ca I-styl e latex g.lov es on
process
of m ixing,
your w ork, practice
mo deling
or emb edd ing.
ing procedures:
dust than it protects
draw s mo isture
from w herever
else.
including
it can,
your skin. A fter a day's
to w ear for
ma ny different
from wo rking
stages,
w ork, w hen you w ash your hands,
w ith pow er tools to bui Iding your
they ma y feel a Iitt1e slippery,
form s and m olds, to som e of the
even
slim y. D on't be fooled. Wi thout a
techniques
good dose of hand cream , you'll feel
grinding
crete to protect your hands from the
the drying
w ork practices,
caustic chemi cals in the ceme nt and
cream and use it.
T he
lift wi th your legs,
G oggles are necessary
latex gloves wh en wo rking wi th con-
from the aggregate.
and safe lift-
is that it
A lw ays w ear a good pair of rubber or
abrasions
creating,
the
not your back. of concrete
anyone
if you know
your back is w eak. Throughout m oving
such as
A nother quality
you from . Plus,
and w ear a good back particularly
hand to w ear w hen I'm w orking on
on an open shelf m ay collect m ore share your dust m ask w ith
center
details or surface treatme nts,
plastic bag. A dust m ask left sitting
don't
local home imp roveme nt
effects. Find a good hand
comm on
that involve carving concrete. sense.
or
Al wa ys use safe
but m ostly,
use good
(J;apter-J~ box or a bucket.
Mixin~ Concrete Y ou have tw o choices w hen it com es to m ixing concrete:
m ix it by hand
or m ix it by m achine.
Wh en you're
w orking on sma ll projects,
mi xing by
hand is the easiest approach. can keep your quantities
Y ou
sm all, and
cleanup is relatively easy. If you' re planning to use an air-entraining agent,
you have to use a m achine,
because
hand m ixing
isn't going to
provide
the agitation
needed
to cre-
ate the air bubbles. Wh atever
mi xing me thod
the w ater to your m ix. O nly use as m uch w ater as needed
techniques
to m ake the
con sisten cy
you're
For sma ll quantities,
plastic food contain-
to r th e
using.
23
It's a good idea to keep a record in either a journal or sketchbook develop
cheese containers.
you have w orked out just the right
continue
Wh atever
you use,
to use that for the entire
batch you're mi xing. pack the ma terials ure-scoo p
Al so, don't
am ount
your w orking
as you
ers, such as butter tubs or cottage
of concrete
me thods.
needed
O nce
to fill a
favorite m old, w rite dow n w hat you
into your me as-
loosely.
used to me asure
your ingredients
and how m any parts. A s you continue to explore forms in concrete,
Idea.lly, you w ant to mi x just the
you m ight w ant to w rite dow n other
right amo unt
useful informa tion,
of concrete
for your
project so that you have enough,
such as how long
it took for a certain m ixture to set, or
wi thout too mu ch leftover. Simp le
how long a m ixture rem ained
w ork-
enough
able for a specific technique.
Y our
goal. Ia sked a num ber
artists how they calculate
you
choose, alw ays take care as you add
mi x a wo rka bl e
I use recycled
C O N C R m BA SIC S
of
the quan-
tities they m ix, and I received ma ny different ma thema tical calculated
answe rs. approach.
as
T here's the
personal
experience
informa tion
wi ll ma ke the
provided
here even mo re
useful.
C oncrete is
in cubic amo unts:
cubic
De termi ne
the quantity
feet, cubic yards, cubi c centime ters,
you'll be wo rking
and so on. For sm aller m olds and
on the appropriate
forms , you can mu ltiply
Mi x a quantity
the surface
of concrete
w ith, and decide mi xing container.
you can easily use
area by the height of the m old for
and finish w ithin two hours or less.
cubic inches and then divide by
B oth the temp erature
1,728 to arrive at a cubic foot calcu-
w ill affect the amo unt
1ation to use as you m easure
you have. Ifyo u're
quantities
(mu ltiply
to convert
to cubic me ters).
your
the result by .03
and humi dity of wo rk time
pouring
a form ,
err on the side of m ixing too m uch concrete.
Y ou don't
w ant to be close
to filling a form only to find that you A nother me thod,
one that isn't quite
so m ath dependent,
DET ERMI NI NG
QU ANTI TI ES
Al l recipes for concrete
parts
wi ll specify
for the va riou s ing redi en ts
you'll use in a m ix. T he parts are indication s
of vo lume .
It doesn't
m atter w hat you use to m easure volume
of your ingredients,
imp ortant professional m easure,
but it's A trade
mi ght use a shovel to
another
person
m ight use a
batch of concrete
mo ld or form wi th the aggregate
not unusual,
you'll be using.
ple batches
If you're
using sand
to top it off. It's
howe ver, to mi x mu ltiof concrete
for larger
for a mi x to cast a stepping-ston e,
projects.
fill your stepping-stone
over, you m ight try to have som e
mo ld wi th
sand. M easure the sand and then the
to use the same me asure
for all of your ingredients.
is to fill your
need to stop to m ix up an extra
cal cul at e
you r cem ent
pr op or tion s
based on that m easurem ent. volume
of concrete
T he
adds very little
bulk since the sma ll concrete
parti-
cles m ixed in w ater go in betw een the ag gr eg ate
pa rticles .
additional
If you have concrete
left-
mo lds handy to utilize the
excess concrete. slow ly adding
O ne artist I know is onto a patio w ith his
le ft ove r mat er ia l.
J
Chapter
Z4
MI X I N G
BAS I CS ,
lCONCRm
I
C ON C R E T E
BY HAND
bottom
and edges of your container.
the desired
consistency
for the
Mi xing by hand w ill w ork for m ost
Sl owl y add the fina l on e-qu arter
process you're trying to achieve.
projects.
m easure
S ome mi xes require mo re w ater than
R eme m ber
to w ear your
you achieve
gloves and dust m ask as you're m easuring
of w ater as you m ix, until the de -sired con sistenc y.
others. T oo m uch w ater in the m ix m ay m ake a finished
and m ixing the dry ingreMe asuring
into your mi xing container,
tricky. For one thing, you can never
out w ell or flow into the edges of a
me asure
ca st ing
first w ith the aggregate,
starting
then the
the am ount
of w ater is
piece w eak; if
dients. Me asure the dr y ingredients
the exact amo unt
that you'll
ceme nt. T he pow dery cem ent sticks to the sides of the m ixing container if
use-the am ount of w ater needed vary w ith the am ount of m oisture
put in first. Then, thoroughly
the sand, the hum idity,
dry m aterials
mi x the
w ith your hands or a
tool, until the m ixture color and consistency.
is uniform
in
Ma ke a
depression
in the center of the dr y
ma terials,
and pour in three quarters
of the suggested
proportion
tem perature
w ill in
and even the
of your tools and ma te-
MI X I N G
m ended
concrete
of w ater for each
mi x recipe, but use caution
as you add the final am ount
of w ater.
m ixing w ith a pow er
m ixer, start w ith half of the recomaggregate,
am ount
B Y MA C H I N E
Wh en you're
m ended
w ater, add all of your and then add the cem ent
as the mi xer is rotating. the balance
and m ix. Ma ke sure that you incorporate
of w ater needed
to m ake the m ixture
S low ly add
of the wa ter. observing
the consistency
of w ater, at the
pr op er ly.
rials. I'll provide you wi th a recom-
Ideally, you'll use the least amo unt
all the dried m aterial
the m ix is too dry. it m ay not finish
carefully.
m ay not require
Yo ur mi x
the full m easure
wa ter. Stop w hen the desired tency is reached,
of
consis-
and note the
adjusted proportions, particularly if you'll be w orking on one project w ith m ultiple
batches.
Y ou w ant them to
be the same consistency. F or
ready-to-use
mi xes, follow the
instructions
on the bag.
WOR K I N G
ST A G ES
As
you w ork w ith concrete,
sistency
of the concrete
the con-
mi x wi ll be
the key to success. T he sam e recipe ma y be mi xed at different consistencies to ach ieve different results. A sand m ix m ay be m ixed w ith slightly mo re wa ter to achieve a batter-like consistency
so that it flow s m ore eas-
ily into the corners of a m old, w hile the sam e ingredients
w ith less w ater
can be m ixed to a clay-like TO pl eft: Me a sur e yo ur dr y Ingred ients sta rting wi th the san d (a ggr egat e). To p right : Mi x the ing red ien ts to g eth er tho ro u gh ly . B o tto m left a nd righ t: Ad d ju st eno ug h wa ter u ntil the mi x is th e p ro p er co n sistency fo r th e techn iqu e y o u 're us ing .
tency to effectively armature.
consis-
apply onto an
Chapter
I.,
CON(RETE
BASla
25
Wi thin two to four
reached a level of firmn ess before pro-
hours, a cast piece
ceeding .
Pr ofession al finishers learn to
wi ll be firm. The
understand
and w ork w ith the cons is-
wa fer that has col-
tenciesand
set points of concrete to
lected on the sur-
achieve a range of desired effects.
face (bleeding)
K eep notes on the consistencies
wi ll
of
ha ve ev ap or at ed ,
your m ixes, and tim e set points for
and w hile the piece
your w ork conditions
wi ll fe el firm , it will
gU ide for fut ur e pr oj ec ts.
to serve you as a
not be hard. T his firm set stage is
El ec tri c co nc re te mi xe r
usually the time to
Curin~ Concrete
remo ve forms and
A t the end of a w ork session or the
be gi n ca rvi ng .
comp letion
Be cause the pi ece
w ant your concrete
is n' t co mpl et el y Af ter the concrete
ingredients
mi xed, there are different
hard, it's im portant
are
set points
not to shock the
piece wi th hard imp acts.
The first
of a technique,
allowe d
to comp lete
process
w ith the necessary
m oisture
process
three days wi ll be ideal for carving.
Figure
2
has started
has
K eep the surface dam p to prevent
cu ring
pr oc es s.
begun
and the concrete
to transform.
w ill have another able consistency. stages,
different
T hese set stages
can be carried out on the ever-hard-
As
A t the different
eni ng casting.
m ost of the strength
set
types of ma nipulato
20
30
initial set has occurred, notice the concrete it continues
mi nutes,
firm er. A s
to [irm , you m ay find it
difficu.lt to proceed nique you're
rule is never to ra-tem per
or add
w ater to your m ix. . Imu st adm it there are time s w hen I'm close to finishing or have just a little
m ore detail Iwa nt to comp lete out m ixing a new batch. sm allest am ount
Di fferent for mi ng
tech-
you can see, the first w eek is w hen
niques wi ll requi re that the bleedi ng
is achieved;
evaporates,
continues
or that the piece has
DAYS-
10r-
~7
essentially
throughout
the
9
w ith-
8
7
6
5
i1
4
Ia dd the
of w afer-a
then m anage
out serious consequences. not a recomm ended
in the m aterial
howe ver, the process
~14~_=======~2~1========~28
spray
1 I! :
from a w ater bottle to m ist the surface-and
the rate of the
wi th the tech-
wo rking on. The general
a layer of concrete
of
piece.
the
and you'll
getting
am ount
dust. Su rface finishes and textur es
effect on the w ork-
tion or finish in9 can occur. Af ter about the first
diagram s
be
the hydration
to create a strong
or stages wh en the hydration
you'll
to cure-to
to m ix w ith-
0
B ut this is
f)
practice. Fi gur e. 2: Con cr et e cur ec har t
w > [ [ « o t>(f-)
~
w > rr -c
u
~ J:
o
:J
f2
26
Chapter
I
BASICS
[(O~(RETE
life of the concrete
form. H ave you
stiff nylon brush, such as a nail-
ever tried to drill into an old con-
Cleanin~
crete block and thought
T here m ay be instances
that they
Concrete
brush; an old toothbrush; w hen you
m ust have m ade them harder back
need to clean a concrete
then? N ot so; the block has just con-
clean ma terials
tinued
junction
to harden
through
the hydra-
wi th concrete
residue
tion pr oc es s.
you're
on them.
als used in certain
I.
instructions
surface treatme nts
to rem ove surface
H ow ever, that ma y not
C over the piece comp letely plastic (large plastic garbage or
2
mi l dr op clothes
3. If possible,
ing the glazed
wi thout scratch-
surface);
and, as a
effective.
also depends ma terials
and rinse
doesn't
onto the surface.
so
dry back
Y ou'll be ama zed
how clean the surfaces
can get.
G lass
clean up easily,
unglazed
ma terials,
Ease
on the type
you're emb edding.
cleaning,
wh en you're finished
that the residue
ceram ic or
such as rocks and
shells, can be mo re di fficult.
T he next approach cals-mu riatic
is to use chemi -
acid or sulfami c
N ote that both have "acid" name s.
in bags
2.
chunks of ma terial
thoroughly
organic
mu m of three to five days.
know w hy); a craft
w ater as you're
w hile porous
K eep the piece m oist for a m ini-
cream stick (to pry off any w ayw ard
ma teri-
don't
dam p sponge
O r glazed
in mi nd:
that have
I
can, wi ping areas wi th a slightly
of ma terials
the followi ng
bug"
(sorry,
final resort, a stainless-steel brush about the size of a toothbrush. U se
of cleanup
keep
pad that in the tile-setting
trade is called a "doodle
using in con-
E mb edded
alwa ys be comp letely
project,
scrubbing
are a good exam ple. Y our first line of defense is to w ork as cleanly as you
debris.
T o cure your concrete
surface or
a w hite
T hese m aterials
acid.
in their
have to be
used w ith the utm ost care. In addition to the suggested use includ ed
wo rk we ll),
here, thoroughly
read any instruc-
tions that come wi th the ma terials,
keep out of direct sun-
and w hen w orking
light and strong w ind.
w ith them,
alw ays
en on the side of safety. A nother m ethod new spapers
is to soak sections
or burlap
of
bags in w ater
Wh en w orking
and then w rap the piece. T his process ma y cause slight discoloration
to the surface.
cerned
about surface texture
If you're
sleeves, con-
rubber
or
close-toed
gloves, goggles,
First, try to clean the surface emb edded ma terials wi thin
m ist it w ith w ater three or four time s
hours of your initial w ork period by
tilation,
a day for the required
scrubbing
hose nearby.
tim e. Y ou
of your or 24
12
w ith plain w ater and a lit-
preferably
tle elbow grease.
Y ou w ant to w ait
tion, don't
until the concrete
surface
rare situations,
cure. D uration
of curing time s and
set and w on't be m arred
any variations
to the above-me n-
cleaning,
the pr oj ec ts'
w ill be noted
ins truc tion s.
in
by your
but not so long that the
piece has already
hardened.
tools to use for cleaning
T he best
are a sm all,
outdoors,
A s an added
a
is firml y
and a safety
a large piece, I
m ay even w ear a face shield and a cap. W ork in an area w ith good ven-
sm all piece in a bucket of w ater to
m ight even choose to subm erge
techniques
I
shoes and socks,
m ask. If I'm cleaning
discoloration of a piece, you can leave it unwr apped, ta.king care to
tioned
w ith these chem icals
alw ays w ear long pants and shirt
w ith a
precau-
w ork near your car. In fume s from the mu ri-
atic acid can actually
dam age
the
paint job. A lso, ma ke sure that all pe ts and childr en stay away while you 're
us ing these ma terials.
CONCRETE
~Chijitiii'l
BASICS
MU RI AT IC AC ID
to go lightly over the entire surface
wi ll provide
Mu riatic acid is found
of the piece to even out the surface
off a light haze. This chemi cal doesn't
in the con-
crete area or in the sw im m ing section of hom e im provem ent ters. It's comm only
pool
color and rem ove streaking
cen-
have occurred liberally,
used to balance
that m ay
w ith the acid. R inse
including
the bottom
and
a solution
that wi ll clean
have the sam e hazardous
fum es as
m uriatic
acid, but still needs to be
handled
wi th extreme
caution.
interior space .
.the pH of pool wa ter.
Wh en I'm finished,
, pour the rema in-
SU LF AMI C AC ID
ing acid solution
Sulfami c acid come s in a dry crystal form and is usually found in the tile
L) bucket
before disposing
section of your home imp roveme nt
the hose to rinse the area w here Iw as
w ant to have too m uch unused
center. Two to three ounces (60 to 90
clean ing. I also rinse the tools,
ma terial
to dispose of w hen you're
m t) in
gloves, and goggles
finished.
Mi x one or tw o cups (.24 or
U se a plastic
container
for mi xing,
and w ear gloves and goggles. w on't take m uch solution average-sized
It
to clean an
piece, and you don't
I
gallon (3.8 L) of w arm w ater
into a 5~gallon (1 9
of w ater to dilute it further of safely. It hen use
thoroughly.
.48 L) at a tim e. A lw ays put your
me asure
of wa ter in the container
first, and then add the acid. D on't lean directly
over the bottle as you
open the m uriatic
acid. O nce you
open it, you'll notice steaml ike fume s com ing out of the bottle that you don't
w ant to inhale. M ix a
5 sol uti on:
I part
I to
acid to 5 parts
w ater. If you brush the solution the concrete,
onto
you'll see some fizzing.
T hat show s that the solution
is w ork-
ing. Spray the piece you're
w orking
w ith w ater. Focus on cleaning em bedded
m aterials
on any
by brushing
on
the solu tion and then scrubbing
it
using the sam e tools listed above. Ri nse periodically solution
to neutralize
the
and to rinse the debris so
that it doesn't
dry back onto the
su rface. Ag ain, you'll see that glass su rfaces clean easi Iy, wh i Ie organic ones require
m ore w ork or addi-
tional applications you've
finished
treatm ent,
of the acid. Wh en
cleaning
the surface
use a large scrub brush
Vi rgi nia Bu llma n and La Ne lle Da vi s. otha, the Chicken LCldy, 19 99. Fu nk y Ch icke n Ar t Pr oj ec t. Da hl on eg a, GA_ app rox . 5 fee t tal l (1.5 m). C eme nt forme d over chicken wi re arma ture; adorned wi th br oke n di she s. photo by Han k Mar ge son
28
C h a p te r
I
~CRm
BASICS
Cus tom Re ci pe s Mo st of the projects can be constructed
w ith premi xes.
explore concrete m edium .
4 Fine Sand Mix
2
but as you
as a creative
you m ay w ant to try w ork-
Decorative Aggregate T his is a variation
on the B asic
Wh en carving.
you don't w ant
Co ncrete Mi x. howe ver, the deco-
your tool to catch on a sm all rock
rative gravel w ill mo re often be in
that could scratch the surface or
ing w ith custom m ixes. H ere are some
the 'I.-inch (6 mm ) or sma ller size
leave a hole. T he key to this m ix is
recomm endations
range. An assortme nt
sifting your dry ingredients.
from a variety of
of aggre-
Mo st
sources that have had good results.
gates can be used to create a dec-
of the tim e, you'll w ant to add
T hrough trial and error. you mi ght
orative surface that is exposed
enough
come up w ith your own personal favorite. T he ceme nt used in these recipes can be gray or wh ite portland, type
I. T he sand (silica) can be
ma sonry.
play. or ma rble. E ach recipe
is referred to by num ber ect instructions
in the proj-
in Ch apter 4.
once the surface concrete
is
cons istenc y
wa shed off. Th e resulting
surface
batter.
is a favor ite in resident ial
pr oj ects,
such as drivew ays
and patios, but
has been adapted
in C hapter 4 for
I pa rt
2
Basic Concrete Mix T his is the basic mi x that's used for mo st utilitarian purposes. Th e gr avel pr ovi de s
an ine xpe ns ive
bulk and added
strength.
for footings
or perma nent
in the mi x,
'I. inch
to
I
colored aquarium Ap pr ox ima tely
A dd just enough
'1 2
pa rt wa ter w ater so that all
Basic Sand Mix
of the air-entraining
Th is versatile mi x wo rks we ll for ma ny of the projects.
It's good for
T he consistency
or for of the
necessary I
2
agents,
pa rt ceme nt to 3 parts sand
Poly fibers (polyester po Iyp rop y len e)
how you'll be using the mi xture.
I teaspoon
(5 ml .) air
entraining
agent
care-
Approximately
fully. I pa rt
ceme nt
3 parts sand
cem ent paste and the m ix is not
Ap proxirnately
it's
to use a pow er mi xer.
mi x wi ll alter slightly based on
the particles are we ll coated wi th crumbly.
T his m ix could be used instead of tion here is that, wi th the addition
Ad just your wa ter amo unt
3 parts gravel Approximately
5 Super Sand Mix
gravel
3
mo deling.
ceme nt
ingre-
the Ba sic Sa nd Mi x. Th e con side rs-
of ten for the pr ojects. pa rts sand
'12 pa rt wa ter
a dry premi x for
gravel. such
'/, pa rt wa ter
casting stepping-stones
Ipa rt
Ap pr ox ima tely
dl ents befor e mi xi ng .
to 2.5 ern), you w on't use it too
2
part ceme nt
3 parts sifted sand"
as river rock, m arble chi ps, or
installa-
inch (6 m m
mu ffin
this recipe, sift the bagged
ce me nt
pa rts sand
it's ideal
tions. D ue to the size of the gravel
I
that resemb les
'"Ifs ubstituting
us e wi th sma ller pr oj ec ts.
3 parts decorative I
w ater to end up w ith a
or polyme r
or
'I. part wa ter
admi x
T his is best used as a first applicav, part wa ter
tion. T he poly fibers m ake the surface look fuzzy. but they can be burned
off.
CONCRETE
Chaptifi~
8
6
Vermiculite
Mortar Mix
II
Fiber Cement
Carvin.g Mix
A sand m ix can be used as m ortar,
A dd the w ater slow ly as you com -
T he ma terials
but the true mo rtar mi x includes
bine it w ith the dry ingredients
like con sistenc y
hydrated
lime , w hich ma kes the
mi x cream ier
in texture and easy
to wo rk wi th in various ma sonry
tha t the ligh twe igh t w on't separate
drip, but sticky enough I part
to stick.
'/4 to 1'14
parts hydrated
I part
2
ceme nt
Approximately
'I, to
I
part wa ter
techn ique s.
I part
ceme nt
St ainless-steel
wo ol
Latex polyme r
(an emu lsion
is 70-percent wa ter
that
wa ter)
Si li ca fu me
replace the ceme nt and
ve rmi cul ite
3 to 6 parts sand
Wh ite portland
pa rt s ve rmi cu lite
Va riation:
lime
for mi ng
wi th the se ingr edi ent s
to bu ild ov er arma tur es.
of m ay-
you're ready to cast your
Approximately
ceme nt
Ex perime nt
and about the consistency
added.
not to
to scul ptur al
ve rmi cul ite
tha t are respo ns ive
to create your ow n ideal m ix to use
forms for carvi ng.
enough
are mi xed to a clay-
top. Wh en the mi xture. is creamy onnaise,
A im for the mu ffin batter
so
and float to the
projects. T his mi x. is also used as a stucco coat, wi th or w ithout color
conslstency+sttj]
BASICS
Sup er pl as tici ze r
wi th wh ite por tland
an d pe rl ite.
1 .2
Finish-Coat Fiber Cement 7 Hypertufa Po lypropylene added
9
cracks and to add ten-
sile st ren gth .
If you use a
(3.8 L)c ontainer measurement,
I
gallon
as your "part" 'I,cu p (.1 L) of
fibers, Iightly packed,
straight
of the ba.g, is recomm ended.
out Sep-
arate the fibers before adding them to the m ix or they w ill rem ain
have mi xed your ingredients, fold in colored pigme nts to create lines
me thods of the
Po lyada m Co nc rete Sy stem be gin
of colors that wi ll be accentuated
wi th thi s Ne at Mi x. Th e wa ter ini ti-
in the final polishing.
ates the chemi cal reaction that adds
experime ntation
strength
developing
to this mi x, but don't add
an y mor e ini tial ly O f later. 3 parts ceme nt I part
tatex polym er no m ore
I'll pa rt s
pe rlite'
that
wa ter)
Whi te met ak ao lin
10
polyadam Concrete System Basic Mi.x
fibers
Water soil, wi thout fertil-
ize rs, ca n be sub stitut ed peat mo ss/perlite
(an em ulsion
Sup er pl as tici ze rs
peat moss"
* plain potting
ceme nt
is To -percent
ceme nt
1'/, parts
Po lyp ropy lene
is the key to
Ca rbo n fibe rs
PII
'/4 part w ater,
O nce again,
a successful mi x.
Wh ite portland
·S ee pag e 1 4 3 fo r or de ri ng in fo rma ti on
in cl ump s. I part
Th e fabrication
over the
above Fiber Ce me nt. Af ter you
System Neat Mix
fibers have been
to this m ix to help reduce
shrinkage
T his mi xture is applied
Polyada.m Con.crete
Mix
to r th e
com bi na tion .
13
Polymer Ad.mix
Yo u start wi th the N eat Mi x and then
A ny m ix can be m ade stronger
ad d yo ur silica.(s an d) ag gr eg at e.
wi th the addition
3 parts ceme nt 3 parts sand (can vary am ount send I
part
polyme rs. of
up to 4 parts)
PII
1/. part w ater, no m ore
~Seepage
1 4 3 fo r or de ri ng in fo rma ti .o n
of latex or acrylic
Co mb ine the two ingre-
dients, and substitute
the liquid
for the plain w ater in your mi xes. 1
pa rt pol yme r
4 parts w ater
30
Chapter
I
~QN~RrrE BASICS
SLURRY
plastic container
W hen you add layers of concrete
unit and m ix the slurry in a i-pound
form , there are tw o things do to help provide bond possible.
to a
you can
C . 45 kg) plastic food container. w ill usually be plenty
the strongest
First, ma ke sure that
adding, ce me nt
from the ma terial
Bas ic.Sl ur ry Mix or
slur ry.
Slurry is ceme nt
m ixed w ith a liquid sim i lar to ranch
Wh en
m edium -sized birdbath,
pa rts ceme nt
I part
to a consistency dressing.
2
1
m ix a batch for a
project,
such as a
I'll use an s-ounce (28 g)
16 P-II S~14 -r y 1
y'~e."thLsslurry
f.o.am
n'1GQI1G:l'et(r~
ystem_
I part cenient J
part
PII
-iJ',:!Dart water,
*Seepage
wa ter
01 ) 'my pol yst yre ne
Jo rms wl iel '1 I' appl.Y'-the
polyada
14
you're
and tw o, apply a binder
T his
for a good
wor k se ss ion .
the form is dam p so it w ill not pull mo isture
as my me asuring
11f3for
no rno re
oycil~ring'iilf6rmati0.n
15
Fo rtified Sl ur ry Mi x 2
pa rts ceme nt
I part
polyme r
admi x or straight
lat ex po lyme r
virginia Bullma n and laNe lle Da vis, Ha n d s Op en , 1999, lightning Brow n me mo rial bench public installation on the city's greenwa y in Chapel Hili, NC . A pproxima tely 5 x 4 feet (I. 5 x 1.2 rn) high. 36 inches (91.4 ern) deep. H ypertuja concrete mi x of portland ceme nt, peat mo ss, and vermi culite applied over a steel rebar arma ture shaped wi th wi re me sh. photo by seth Tice-low"
(hap t er z
Formin~ t C onst r uct ion Techni
ques
he type of piece you design
cast from a m ore sophisticated
w i II di ct ate
m old ..T he goal is to choose a tech-
the tec hn iqu es
you'll w ant to consider for its construction. Extended arm s on a
nique that best enhances
figure or a swe eping,
The followi ng
arched
abstract,
form w ill require
rather
In addition in C hapter
of an arm ature
crete. If your design
for a carving
based
cast a cylindri-
on a cylinder,
is
to the projects
these techniques develop
mo reindividu.alized
carving.
concrete.
be directly
m odeled,
m ethods. included of expl o-
to w ork w ith
Simple
(astin~
Sim ple casting techniques can be used to create junctional or artistic items such as planters, sculptures,
bowl s, ma sks,
decorative
plaques,
stepping
stones.
standing
of the process,
experim ent
AZI4
sonal approach
x 4 feet (4.2 x 1. 2 m). Carved cement PnotobY'TIi,1
you can
w ith the com plexity
scale of your m olds. nique:
or
Wi th a basic underand
I have a per-
to any new tech-
start sm all and Sim ple. T his
allow s you to understand
orit could be
lack Hastings, Fountain-E! Presidio Plaza, 197 0, Tucs on,
a
w ill allow you to
rations as you continue
could
provide
4, an understanding
cal form first, then m odify it wi th An anima l sculpture
your idea.
w ide range of easy form ing
carved out of solid con-
tional support than being
the addi-
processes
piece
the princi-
pies and ma terials time , energy,
wi thout wa sting
or supplies.
O f course,
there are those tim es w hen w e feel the need to jum p in to m ake a larger-than-life
stateme nt
and m an-
age to do so successfully.
If that's
how you approach
things-go
for it!
Casting is basically pressing a m aterial
pouring or com that's in a som e-
wh at liquid state into a confined shape or m old and allow ing m aterial
to set or becom e
that
hard, so
that w hen the m old is rem oved, m aterial
has assum ed
the
Va riou s mo lds , cl oc kw ise from bot tom left: co mme rcial pl as tic stepp ing ston e mo ld, lar ge cof fee can , hom ema de wo od en mo ld, pl as tic wa ste ca n, Ve netian Be nch top mol d, po lys tyr ene co re, me tal for m, pl as tic pl an ter line r. Ce nt er: Ve ne tian Be nc h ba se mo ld (see pa ge 130)
that shape.
A nother w ay to think of it is that w hen a m aterial pressed
is poured
into a negative
or com -
or ho llow
tant question
form (the m old) and allow ed to set, once the m old is rem oved,
to consider:
finish your casting,
w hen you
how are you
going to get the hardened
the posi-
concrete
reassem bled quent
and used for subse-
castings.
constructed
A we ll-designed
tive of that form now exists. Y ou need to have a negative to create the
out of the m old? It's not as silly or simp listic a consideration as you
beauty
fin ished po si tiv e.
mi ght think. Some mo ld ma terials
Pl as tic Mold s
are [lexible and can be peeled
S E L E C T IN G A MO L D Th e term mold is usually used in ref-
the hardened
erence to a structure
such as plaster or polystyrene
constructed
that wi ll pro-
casting.
off
Ri gid m olds
from a softer ma terial, foam,
and
m old can be a thing of
in its own right.
plastiC shapes ma ke great mo lds. Som e garden
centers or craft stores
have comm ercially av ai lab le
produced
mo lds
to cr ea te st ep pi ng -st on es
or garden
pathwa ys.
H ow ever, don't
duce the sam e likeness each tim e. A
are used only once and then chipped
form
or broken aw ay to reveal the perm a-
ov erloo k the cul ina ry de pa rtme nt s
nent piece. These m olds are com -
wh en search ing for interesting
mo nl y cal led wa ste
to cast. C ake pans, take-out
is used to cast a m ass of an
approxima te
shape and size. A vari-
ety of m aterials
can be used to create
mo lds and forms , including rubber,
plastic,
wo od, m etal, plaster,
sand. T he technology refined, enabling
mo ld s.
ers, and other food m olds can easily
and
If there's
can be quite
an undercut
you w ant to cast-a
you to cast detailed
in the form
be adapted
for creative castings.
bulge or depres-
sion that w ould get caught
in a sin-
Wo od Mo ld s
likenesses and comp lex forms . It can
gle m old piece, such as an ear on a
Ifyo u w ant square
also be as sim ple as item s found
cast hum an head-it
variation
around the hom e or shop. For the
sary to create a m ultipiece
purposes
from rigid ma terials,
of this book, I'm going to
concentrate
on the latter.
R egardless
of the m aterial
or fiberglass. piece
ma ke your mo ld, there's
selected one irnpor-
shapes contain-
to
mold,
each casting
m ay be necesm old
such as plaster
T his type of m old, a can be taken apart after to produce
the perm a-
nent piece. The sections are then
enables
of angular
m olds or any geom etry,
you to construct
wo od
limi tless
va riations to suit your needs. K eep in m ind that the larger the m old you're building,
the mo re likely that the
w ooden
sides w ill need to be rein-
forced or supported.
consider
this:
~P.ttr.. the larger your form , the m ore con-
effective
are diesel fuel, m otor oil.
crete it w ill take to fill; the m ore con-
pe trol eu m
jelly, spr ay lub rica nt s,
crete you pour into that form . the
and non-flavored
m ore pressure
cooking
O N S T R U rn O N T E C H N IQ U E S
aggregate
um e of concrete.
33
needs to be able to pass the m esh you use.
sprays. Y ou should plan and prepare
W hen preparing
w ill
tC
through
there w ill be on the
sides of your form by the sheer volThat pressure
FORMING
a m old, you w ant to
reinforcing
m aterial
your
so it's ready to
apply an even coat of I ubrlca nt so
use before you m ix the concrete ..I n
push out and curve any unsupported
that the w hole surface appears
som e cases, you'll simp ly insert the
sections
wi thout
of wo od. Instead
of being
crisp and square, the shape w ill m ore closely resemb le an overstuffed pil93 and 97 fo r exam-
low . See pages
drips, puddles,
shiny,
or large
reinforcing
ma terial
mi dwa y
through
deposits. I prefer to brush on diesel fuel or m otor oil, or rub petroleum
the casting process. In other instances, those eleme nts wi ll be
jelly onto a w ooden
preform ed
m old because
and suspended
in the
ples o f w ood m olds and the supports
w ood tends to be m ore absorbent
mo ld. If you're
used to prevent
than other mo ld ma terials.
cloth or som e other type of m etal
expansion
of the
concrete.
or m etal, a light coating lubricant
Met al Mol ds Aluminum
pay particular flashing
roof
into strips and fashioned shapes;
w orks great.
can be cut into curved
how ever,
the alum inum
not rigid enough
to hold those
For plastic of a spray
Y ou'll need to
attention
details wh en applying
to corners or any releasing
agent to a m old.
m esh to lay in a m old. be sure the m esh is sm aller than the m old. If the reinforcing
RE INF OR CI NG
TH E CA ST ING
you'll need to support
the strips w ith
reinforcem ent
a w ood or polystyrene
foam fram e-
reinforcing strength
to your piece. The ma terial
to the piece,
piece develops
crack, the reinforcing hold sections
ma terial
together
a wi ll
until repairs
CA ST ING A .SI Mp L E MOLD O R FORM into account
you'll select for
w ill depend
on the size of
the project you're w orking stepping-stone 'l,-inc h
on. A
m ight use a piece of
(1.3 ern) galvanized
hardwa re
PR EP AR ING T H E MO L D
cloth. w hile a section of garden
w all
C oncrete
w ould require
(1.3
m old m aterials
m ore than others. T o
avoid this, you should alw ays use a releasing duced
agent.
Co mm ercially
mo ld releases
but a num ber
pro-
are available,
of other item s also
wo rk we ll. Som e that I've found
a grid of '/'-inch
concrete
a reinforcing
is that the largest aggregate your concrete
into the m old? Is the m old
reinforcem ent.
the spaces
YOll
can m ove or
If you're w orking
wi ll the we ather
Wi ll you be w orking
cooperate?
in a shaded
area? Each of the casting C hapter
projects
you've
in
4 wi ll detail how to construct
or find the m old needed. selected
O nce
your mo ld, follow
th es e in st ru ct io ns.
ma terial
CO NC RE TEMI X: Pr emi xe d
used in
ping) M ix, M asonry M ix, or M ix 3
m ix should be able to
easily pass through
pour the
Mat er ials an d To ols
er n) reba r. An ot he r con side ration wh en selecting
the logistics of casting.
on a surface that outside,
Th e typ e o f ma terial
your w ork area, take
Wi ll it be easy to physically
turn if needed?
can be m ade.
reinforcing
the piece to break.
A s you prepare
wi ll add
and integrity
and if a concrete
w ill stick to som e types of
touch or pro-
trude onto the sides of the m old, it
even causing
Un less you're casting sma ll objects, you'll w ant to add som e type of
I
m aterials
rem ove the cast piece from the m old,
shapes once they're filled w ith concrete. W hen you build a m etal m old,
Figure
hardwa re
m ay m ake it difficult w hen you try to
is
wo rk (see figure I).
cutting
in the
In other w ords. the
-
San d (To p-
Plastic, w ood, or m etal m old, either purchased, structed
found,
or con-
- 4 m il plastic to cover w ork area
D
and wo rk boards -
2
w ork boards:
one to cast on, and
one to turn over the casting
w hen
finished - Mo ld release agent - Re inforcing
ma terial:
(1.3 ern) hardwa re
'/,-inch
cloth
- Av iator shears - C ontainer to m ix concrete - Screed - Paper or synthetic
tow els
(optional) - Putty knife - Sponge - Wa ter container - Fi le (op tion al)
Instructions 1
Co ver the wo rk area and board w ith plastic. 2
I
Co nstruct
or select your mo ld.
~ Ap ply the selected lubricant (photo
mo ld release
to the inside of the m old I).
4
Position the hardwa re
cloth in the
m old so that it doesn't
touch the
sides of the mo ld (photo
2).
8
C ontinue
to till the m old until the
concrete
brims (photo
3).
Wi th the aviator shears, cut the hard-
.2 .
wa re cloth '/,-inch
T o achieve a strong casting,
(1.3 ern) sma ller
you
than the inside of the m old and set
wa nt to elimi nate
aside.
and you do this through agitation. Sm all m olds placed on a w ork board
~ Mi x enough
concrete
to till the m old.
can be agitated
large air bubbles,
by picking
up a cor-
6
ner of the board and tapping
A s you begin to cast, take your tim e,
and dow n against
and m ake sure that all of the corners
Som e m olds m ay require
tapping
and edges are filled. F illt he mo ld
the side w ith a ham m er.
A sm all
halfway.
electric sander
to cause air bubbles
to the sur face.
on
held onto the side of
a m old can also create enough vibration
it up
the table surface.
of a to rise
ldjap!i1il 10
or a sponge.
Screed or level off the top of the
chipping
m old (photo
4). To do this effec-
tive l y, po sition board
you're
wi ll not have reached
full strength,
and m ay, in fact, be
quite fragile.
Edges m ay be vulnera-
_Ii
M ove it in a side-to-side
C over the casting
as you m ove the board
tow ard
you. D on't clean off your
w ork board
after screeding.
excess ma terial actually
around
casting
your mo ld
w orks as a dam to stop
additional
concrete
from seeping
out
need a little of that concrete
for 2 4 hOUTS.The
A w aste m old is one that's
wi ll be significantly
harder
structed
w hen the piece is
16
remo ved.
Th ere are several variations
File the edges of the casting if needed.
of the polystyrene
17
m any can be m ade w ith the
foam w aste m old:
A M O LD
center.
from a w ood
Polystyrene
that it's an
evaporate. Y ou can also lay sheets of paper or synthetic tow els on top of
There are no (excuse the pun) hard and fast rules. A m ore com plex m old
Materials and Tools
the casting
m ay need to set up for a day or tw o.
CO NC RE TEMI X: Prem ixe d
to absorb
excess wa ter (photo
to
som e of the
if
5). R epeat
If you continue
mo re wa ter col lect s.
m edium ,
12
for it, but five to six hours is gener-
Al low the casting
to rem ain undis-
a certain
the am ount
sm all m old, say the size of a step-
the concrete
m ix, hum idity,
ping stone)
tem perature.
for five to six hours (if it's a or until the concrete
feel
ally safe. Factors that can vary the tim e include
turbed
feels firm and no w ater show s w hen
chem ical
you rub your finger back and forth
tribute
ov er the sur face.
occurs.
of w ater in and
T he curing process
is a
one, but those factors conto the speed at w h ich it
_11
C lean your w ork board concrete.
A m old that is flexible can be w orked
of excess
If you've ma de a reverse-
cast m osaic (like the exam ple here), reserve this ma terial
to finish
your piece, and follow steps
13
and
Mo saics on pages
gently
until they're
surface. hardw are,
- Tool to cut polystyrene - 3-inch (7.6 em ) nails - D ouble-sided
2
or 3
foam
carpet tape
(optional) -
Perm anent
-
D ryw all com pound
- Al umi num
m arker
- Spray lubricant -
D uct tape
-
4 mil pl as tic
(optional)
roof flashing
(optional)
(optional)
- N ylon scrub brush
Instructions
rem ove any
screw s, clam ps,
or bind-
D esign the shape you w ant to m ake your cast form.
Then carefully
2
that m ight be on the edges of the
from the ca st in g.
knife
San d (To p-
foam insulation
74 and 75· C lean off any concrete m old by using a plastic putty
w ith.
free from the cast
T hen they can be I ifted of f.
For other m aterials,
- Polystyrene
ings that hold the m old together.
16
for Re verse-C ast
used
to experim ent
ping) Mi x, Mo rtar Mi x, or M ix
to w ork in the
you'll develop
foam
foam is so easy to
find and inexpensive ideal m aterial
on the surface,
2-
can find at your hom e imp rovem ent
such as a stepping-
stone, can be rem oved
or
that you
or p!lastic m old after about six hours.
has accum ulated
1-
inch (2.5 or 5. 1 em) insulation (also know n as headboard)
A sm all casting, or w ater that
for a single use. T he m old is
destroyed
R E M O V IN G
II
con-
after thi s pe riod .
to finish
off your piece. A llow any bleeding,
PO LY ST YR EN E F OA M WA S T E MO L D
Cu re the casting .
of the m old. Later, you m ay even
ble, so take care at this stage.
and
wi th plastic,
leave undisturbed
The
6). See the
ins tru ct ion s.
across the back edge of the m old. m otion
35
The concrete
fo llowi ng
saw ing
C O N S T R U r n O N T E C H N iq U E S
This w ill help elim inate
R em ove the m old (photo
usinq as you screed
E:
w hen the m old is rem oved.
14
the straigh tedg e
FORMING
pull sections
awa y
C ut out a paper
pattern.
36
Cha pt er z
I'
C ut a section insulation at least
of polystyrene
laT ge enough I inch
the pattern
foam
so that it's
(2.5 ern) larger tha n
all the w ay around.
C ut
as m any pieces of the insulation takes to form the desired
Addi tiona l Mate rial s and To ol s
ered surface to cast.
CO NC RE TEMI X: Pr emi xe d
z
ping) Mi x, Mo rtar Mi x, or Mi x 3 ~ PV C pipe
Re fer to Ch ap ter
as it
thickness
of
yo ur de sign . Pi n the sections
Ca st a Si mp le
Mo ld or F orm, pa.ges 33 through and follow steps 4 through
35,
carpet
used to keep the sections
together.
Position the pattern the polystyrene
on the center of
foam , and trace it
Fo llow st ep s
12
nails, break aw ay, and discard po lys tyrene
the
foa m.
onto the surface w ith the ma rker.
13
6
T ake the casting
outside
and spray
all thick-
w ith w ater. Scrub the surface w ith
nesses of the polystyrene,
entering
the nylon brush to rem ove any
intact.
If the cutout of your poly-
styrene foam is rougher
debris.
to the surface to sm ooth
it. L et
it dry and sand lightly, if needed, before casting. agent is needed
for this m old.
YOLI.
can also cut strips of alum inum flashing
roof
and tape them to fit the con-
tour of the opening
(see Figure
page 33). T he flashing
I
on
AD AP TtN G . A 'PObYS;'F¥RENE FOAM WA$lE, Mol. :.o- . ~O ,R . If C(1N ST . RUCT
H ere's a simp le variation w asle-mo ld
technique
fa N · , -
positioned
the poly-
w hen the pipe's
in the direction
you w ant
it to sit on the totem . of polystyrene
the inside halves are facing
so that up
7).
of the that w ill let
you stack pieces on a pole to create wo nderful
totems
Re fer to the instructions
for Ad apting
a polystyrene
Foam C ore for a T otem
Co nstruction,
pages
49 through
50.
..
for the garden.
Pr oc eed,
ma king
mo dification:
thi s signi ficant
instead
of inserting
the
pipe into the core, you'll be inserting it into the w aste
m old. T he m old w ill
hold it in position for casting so that it can be incorporated into the final
can be tacked
to the sides of the shape w ith short pieces of the double-stick
beyond
foam cutout,
It
TOTEM
No mo ld release
(5.1 ern)
styrene
(photo
week.
w ant, you can apply dryw all com pound
C ut a piece of p v c pipe that extends
U npin sections and cure for one
6 as explained
2
3
lit
C over w ith plastic
than you
I through
on pages 3S and 36.
2 inches
C ut out the shape through
and exiting through the sam e cut so that the perime ter of the section stays
Instructions I
for 24 hours.
T o rem ove the m old, take out the
~
~ Sma .11wi re brush or Ti ffler rasp
flat.
C over w ith plastic and allow to sit undisturbed
(To p-
- Scissors or tin snips (optional)
9·
II
tape can also be
sand
- H andsaw ~ File
T rowe l the top surface
of pol ys tyr ene
w ith 3-inch (7.6 em) nails.
D ouble-stick
2.:
10
It
together
L ay the mo ld on a flat, plastic-cov-
8
3
shape (photo
carpet tape.
8).
Wh en the mo ld is filled wi th concrete, the m etal w ill hold tight against
If you have lined your m old w ith the
the
roof flashing,
sides, Spray the m etal w ith a light coa ting
priate
of spr ay lubr icant.
mo ld w ith duct tape before casting.
locations
w ith the tin snips so
the pipe can be positioned.
I Secure the layers and edges of the
cut holes at the appro-
Bi rd eleme nt cast in a polystyrene foam wa ste mo ld wi th a de corative ag gregat e (aqu ar iu m gr av el ) surface
5
Prepare
your hardw are
ting two shapes
doth
by cut-
'I, inch (I. 3 em )
i(ltip~l.l
D
-5ANp·
is one of the easiest and
m ost econom ical w ith casting
w ays to get started
a variety
of shapes
or
form s. Y ou can create decorative hangings,
plaques,
or picture
sim ply by casting
..
indented
concrete
shapes
into
B owl technique
below can produce birdbaths
w all
fram es
in sand. V ariations
on the Sand-C ast
II
C O N S T R U C T I O N T E C H N iq U E S
E
CASTIf>,!O
Sand casting
'
FORMING
everything
and fountain
from
II
bow ls to
ma sks and planters.
Materials and Tools CO NC RE TEMI X: Premi xed
Sand (To p-
ping) M ix, M ortar M ix or M ix 3; Slur ry Mi x 1 4 concrete sm aller than the inside of your m old.
-
4 m il plastic
6
-
2
gallons
Mi x the co nc ret e.
- W ater
I
-
D ry-cleaning
Position the w aste m old on a plastic-
-
Perm anent
covered
- A viator shears
wo rk board.
Fillt he mo ld wi th I inch (2.5 concrete.
ern) of
Cut one of the hardw are
cloth pieces in half and position the cast concrete,
onto
under the pipe.
- Container -
plastic
M ix enough w ater into the sand so that it packs easily (photo 9).
bag
R em em ber
m arker (optional)
- Re inforcing
8
1
(7.6 L) sand
consistency
ma terial
" orm
to m ix concrete
Putty knife
- Large plastic
to fill the m old over the
pipe, wi thin I inch (2.5 em ) of the top of the m old. Lay the other hardw are cloth piece on top of the concrete. 10
Follow steps 9 through Polystyrene page
1 4 from the
Wa ste Mo ld ins tructions ,
36.
II
U se the saw to trim the pipe even w ith the casting.
Saw the pipe as
close as you can w ithout
dam aging
the piece. File the pipe flush.
you're
a shape
That's the
looking
for.
on the table that w ill
be the inside shape you w ant for
trash bag
- M ilk crate
your bowl (photo
- Coarse rasp or file
ing in reverse, upside
dow n. The height of your
Instructions
m ound
w ill be the depth
9
Continue
the last tim e you m ade a
sand castle at the beach?
I
Cover a sturdy
w orktable
w ith 4 m L
the contour
2
adding
L) of the sand tow ard
IV . gallon s
the m iddle
(5.7 of
of your
of sand. shape
of your m ound
by
the am ount
B e sure to pack your sand
firm ly so it w on't
your w ork area so that your finished
w hen you apply
~
em ) from any edge of the table.
the bow l
and subtracting
form w ill be at least 4 inches
(10.2
Yo u' re wo rk-
bowl . R em em ber, your bow l doesn't need to be round; experim ent w ith
plastic. Pl ace appr oxi mat el y
10),
casting
collapse
the concrete.
C lean off excess sand and dry the surrounding
plastic.
At this point,
you m ight w ant to use the perm a-
3
nent m arker to draw a line on the
instance, the actual look of the bowl dif-
plastic to define the shape you w ant
fers from the or igi na l sand -cast for m.
fo r the outside
II
rim or lip of the bow l;
it can be a comp letely
different
U se the putty knife to trim the con-
shape than your sand m ound or
crete to refine the finished
guide. This line can also serve as a
12
pattern
for cutting
your reinforcing
place the reinforcing
material.
the concrete
6
to emb ed
shape.
ma terial
over
and press in lightly
(photo
14). Y ou m ay need
C over the sand form w ith a single
to add a sm all am ount
layer of dry-cleaning
Al low
over the surface to secure the m ate-
plastic
rial to the bowl form (photo
plastic.
the edge of the dry-cleaning
II). Ify ou w ant to end
(photo
up w ith a sandy texture
15).
D on't wo rry if som e of the hardw are
to extend several inches past your mo und
of concrete
on your
clot h sho ws thr ou gh .
!J.
bowl , don't use the dry-cleaning
Pull the edges of the dry-cleaning
plastic; cast directly
plastic towa rd
on the sand.
C asting on the plastic results in a
ing (ph ot o
the center of the cast-
16). Th is wi ll help you
sl ick , smoo th su rfac e.
coax the concrete
7
have a w ay of grow ing
C ut the reinforcing m aterial wi th the aviator shears to the shape and size
and com press the m aterial at the edge, m aking it stronger. Leave the
of the finished bowl . Yo ur reinforcfng
plastic
ma terials
~
w ill be larger than the sand
form, but not larger than the finished
back (these things
in the drawn -up
as you w ork),
position.
C over the piece w ith an unopened
bowl.
trash bag, and leave undisturbed
8
overnight.
M ix the concrete. concrete
T ake a handful
and form it into a
thick (1.9 ern) "hamb urger Lay the patty for m (ph ot o
3/\-
of
inch-
patty."
in the m iddle of your
2 that it overlaps
patty,
rem ove the trash
bag and pull back the dry-cleaning
plastic. 16
12).
M ake another
15
The next m orning,
and place it so
the first by at least '/ 2
O pen up the trash bag, and use it to line the inside of the m ilk crate.
inch (1.3 em) . Pat lightly until the
!I C arefully pick up the rim of your
seam line disappears
bow l, and lift it off of the sand. It's
(photo
13).
easier to pick up the rim if you put
10
C ontinue applying ma nner
in this
until the form is covered
to an .ev en '/ 2
the concrete
thi ck ne ss
Of
approximately
inc h (1. 3 ern), No tice that in this
one hand under the plastic that's covering
the table. Lift the bowl from
underneath,
and grab the rim w ith
the other hand (photo
17).
?t PW ~JJl 1 FORMING
E
C O N S T R U a lO N
T E C H N IO U E S
3
18
BO WL CO NN E .CT OR
Place the bow l right side up in the
For some of your constructions,
mi lk crate. File any thin areas, and
as the B irdbath on page 100, you'll
define the shape as needed.
w ant to adda
!..2
the bow l so that you can connect
Spray the how l w ith w ater, and
stem to the bottom
a base. A plastic drinking
secure the plastic bag around
it.
R emo ve the sand from your w ork-
such of it to
cup pro-
vides a sim ple and effective m eans of creating
a connecting
system.
table. 20
Th e instructions
for the cast bowl ,
w ith or w ithout the connector the followi ng creating
instructions),
(see are for
a base form. To finish the
Additional Materials and Tools - is-ounce (480 mt ) plastic cup - Ut ility knife - N eedle-nose
pii ers
bow l, you'll w ant to add m ore concrete to the surface to add strength
Instructions
and refine it. Re fer to C hapter 3: Surface T reatme nts
to explore your
C ast your bow l follow ing C asting instructions,
options. La rge r ve rsion s of thi s tec hn iqu e
through
the Sand
pages 37
39, up through
step
12.
2
have even been utilized to create
De termi ne w here the center of bal-
architectural
ance of the bow l is located,
structures ..I nstead of
sand, large dirt m ounds a reinforcing structed,
structure
are form ed,
and
ma ke a m ark in the w et concrete.
is con-
and the concrete
is applied,
Wh en
hardened,
the
dirt is dug out to reveal an interior space.
Kem Ale xal 1de T, Rich ar d a n d the Mr s., 2000,. 11.5 x :I inches (29.2)( 5.1 em) . Ma sonry wi th cerami c plate an d m etal; hand -jorm ad usinq a bo w l mo ld wi th a w ire infrastructure. Photo by artlst
~ Fill the cup wi th concrete,
it as you go, to avoid air bubbles. the cup com pletely,
Formin~ Armatures
agitating Fill
and then add a
Iittle m ore so that it resem bles
a
A n arm ature
is the skeleton inner support.
w hen building
a sculpture,
glass of soda w hen the foam crests
heavy m aterials
sli ghtly above the rim of the glass.
soft m aterials arm ature
4
of a
sculpture-the
w e w ant
to m ove upw ard
is the fram ew ork
the arm ature
to be contained
w ithin the piece; it
m ust be sm aller in volum e
O ften,
to m ove outw ard.
A s a "skeleton,"
and
vision of the com pleted bulky arma ture
as you apply the m aterials
w e build
By its nature,
concrete
tw ist. Eye it from several angles so
Wh en you're
your comp leted
you're
form . you need to think about the
help you m inim ize
point. G ive the cup a gentle sure it's straight,
and then
leave the cup in place (photo low step s 1 3 through
17
.2 Wi th the utility knife, carefully the plastic
through comp lete
19). Co ntinue 20
on page s
score
the cup
wi th steps 18 38
a sculptural
and 39 to
to it.
utilizing
is heavy. but m aterial
can
the w eight of
form. An arma ture
a cardboard
tube creates
air
piece from the inside out. W hile you
space;
don't
that fil is the center of your form w iI I
w ant to know exactly w hat the
piece wi ll look like wh en comp leted
cup. Us e the needle-nose
pliers to grab and rem ove (photo
18). Fol-
on page 3 8 .
creating
piece. A
The
your choice of arm ature
m arked
than your
w ill only get bulkier
on to m ake that possible.
T urn the cup over, and place it at the
needs
(after all, the joy of creating process
is the
of discovery I), you need to
a piece of polystyrene
foam
help lighten the construction. your finished
piece doesn't
be solid concrete
have to
to be substantial;
ma ke some plans for the direction
how ever,
the piece wiI Ita ke.
select for your arm ature consistent
Wh ile
the type of m aterial should
you be
w ith the scale of the w ork.
your form.
Ma. terial s for ar mat ur e for mi ng , cl oc kw ise from top {ef t: po lys tyr en e foa m, gC l/va ni zed cl ot he sline wi re, stai nl ess stee l wi re, ga lvan ized wi re, ex pa nd ed ga lva ni zed me tal me sh, ch ick en wi re, '1 4 inch (6 mm) har dw ar e cl ot h, '1 2 inch (t.3 em) ha rdwa re clot h, tire wi re, reba r, steel rod , slot ted me tal shelf brac kets. Ce nter: sma ll rol l of ga lva ni zed wi re, lar ge r rot l of pl as tic- co at ed co pp er wi re (teleph on e wi re)
~(liaP1ml S I MP L E COL U MN ~
Mo dified
A ' RMA T U RE
',.
versions
tion technique
-
2
I
of this construc-
can produce
stands
for birdbaths,
gazing
balls. Pushed further,
pedestal
fountains,
or figura-
D eterm ine
the size of the piece of
hardw are
cloth you'll need to w rap
the tube. First m easure
the tube. This is the height m easure-
tive forms can easily be developed.
m ent of your hardw are
The actual arma ture
length
tion is the layered
in this construehardw are
the length of
is
il,times
cloth. The
the ci rcu mf er en ce
of your tube. Y ou w ant to be able to
cloth.
The purpose of the tube is to act as a barrier for the concrete to be com -
w rap the m esh around the tube tw ice w ith an overlapping edge (photo 20).
pressed
against
through
the m esh. Ifno t for the tube,
~ Roll the hardwa re
the concrete m aking
as it's w orked
around
w ould fill the colum n,
it a m uch heavier piece than
cloth tightly
the tube, and secure it w ith
several pieces of wi re (photo
21).
.i
necessary.
Continue
to add w ires every 3 inches
Materials and Tools
(7.6 ern) or so to ensure that the
CON CRE TEMI X: Pr em ixe d Sa nd (T op -
overlapping
ping) Mi x, Mo rtar Mi x, or Mi x 3; Slurry
~ The foot or base of the colum n
M ix 1 4 - C ardboard
or plastic tube
edge lies flat. is the
flared shape
at the bottom
- Tape m easure
vides w eight
and area to enable
- A viator shears
colum n
-
Reinforcing
m aterial:
ern) hardwa re
'f,-inch
(1.3
cloth
- 6- inch
gauge
(15.2
ern) pieces of
w ith a roll of chicken piece of chicken
w ork gloves
-
the
w ire. U se a
w ire 1 5 x 30 inches
(38,1 x 76.2 ern) for a 4-inch
- C hicken w ire
ern) tube.
H am m er
- C ontainer
be to counterbalance
height. The foot or base is form ed 22-
w ire
- leather
the
The taller the col-
um n, the larger or heavier the base should
- A ngle w ire cutters
to stand.
that pro-
that the tw isted
to m ix concrete
- Plastic trash bags - Putty knife w ith tooth-shaped
blade
elem ents
pendicular to your body, ov er itself (ph ot o 22).
- File or rasp
6
Com press
(10.2
lay the chicken w ire so
the chicken
are perand roll it
w ire tube into
Instructions
a donut shape w ith a hole the sam e
I
size as the diam eter
Select the size tube you w ant to use
(photo
as a core to form your arm ature.
7
m ost of the project om m end diameter.
exam ples,
tubes 4 inches
(10.2
For I rec-
ern) in
of the tube
23).
place it around
the bottom
of the tube,
and use a few pieces of w ire to attach it to the hardw are
cloth (photo
24).
F ORMI NG E CONS TRU CTI ON TE CHN I OUE S
41
8
mo re concrete
U se the ham m er
to tap the chicken
w ire so it doesn't coax
strengthen
stick up too high;
to
and refine your form . T his
form can be used to continue
it int o sha pe .
another
surface treatme nt.
w ith
See C hap-
ter 3 for your options.
9
L ayout
or reinforcing
an unopened
trash bag on
the floor and place the colum n
COLUMN
arma ture
In the exam ple
in the mi ddle.
CONNECTION' show n in photo
10
included
Mi x the concrete ..Ap ply the concrete
tic cup at the top of the colum n
in sma ll handfuls,
been incorporated
wo rking
it through
a grater (photo
bow l (see instructions doing th is unti It he hard-
w are cloth is covered
through
this is not a problem
on pages
(photo
26).
co nn ec tion
for other sculp-
Addi tIona l Mate ri al s an d To o ls - rs-ounce (480 mL ) plastic
12
applications
use the tooth-shaped
knife to texture the column (photo
39
for a first appli-
Tofa Ci litate additional concrete,
base
tur al. const ruct ions .
and the chicken w ire base is
filled wi th concrete
has
stem on the
40). Th is simpl e
can also be utilized
(som e of the
m esh m ay be visible on the surface; cation)
T he plas-
to m old a hollow
to fit the corresponding
25).
II
C ontinue
eleme nt.
sleeve at the top of a birdbath
the m esh as if you w ere grating cheese through
another
25, I
of
-
N eedle-nose
cup
pliers
putty
surface
27). T his is like a scratch
coat
I nstructi
ns
0
I
in the stucco process; the ridges pro-
Select the tube for your arma ture.
vide a rough surface for the next
Set, don't
force, the 16-ounce (480
layer to grip onto.
m t) cup into one end of the tube. If
~
it drops through
Wh en finished,
clean off any con-
crete that m ay have dropped,
pull
ing w ill already
the hole, the openbe large enough
to
hol d the stem con ne ction .
the edges of the trash bag over the
2
base, and slide another trash ba.g over the column to comp letely cover.
If the cup only goes partially into the hole, you need to include the length
L eave until the next day.
it extends
w hen you're
determi ne
the height me asureme nt
14-
Wh en you return,
uncover
the col-
um n. File any thin areas and refine the base shape as needed
(photo 28).
~ Wi th the above steps, you have created a base form . you'll w ant to add
of your hardwa re
m easuring
to
cloth.
~ Fo llow st ep s
2
through
vi ous in st ru ct io ns .
10 in the pre-
Instructions
~ Wh en you apply the concrete,
take
extra. care to fill the space betwe en
Shape a cone out of the polystyrene
the m esh and the cup so that the
foam . See the instructions
m aterial
ing a Polystyrene
Foam A rm ature
pages
49.
is com pressed,
isn't distorted Fol lo w st eps
but the cup
and rema ins II
through
straight.
15 .
47 through
for Carvon
2
~
C over the foam shape w ith the 4 m il
In addition to follow ing step 1 4 , us e the needle-nose pliers to rem ove the
plastic,
w ith duct tape. Secure the plastic to
pl astic
the foam w ith roofing
cup.
and tape all the edges closed nails as
needed.
'FOAM A 'S
POLYSTYRENE AC OL Ut lAN
An other variation to construct functions acting
Ma ke a paper
of this technique
a shape or form tha I
the sam e w ay as the tube-
as an initial support
m esh and a barrier T his is how If orm ed Stand, page struction
3
A' R" MA TUR E-
113.
for the
for the concrete. the G azing B all
A cardboard
con-
could also be used for this
process.
is
tem plate expanded conform
pattern
m esh. The pattern to the surface,
edges should
Cut one piece of expanded
10
Wi re the edges of the m esh together
Layer the second
Mi x the concrete.
-
- Roofing nails - Paper for pattern - Scissors galvaniz.ed w ire
- C ontainer
to m ix concrete
plastic trash bags
- C ontainer
to m ix slurry
- Pai nt br ush - Ma llet (optional)
m ethod,
rub-
m esh
so that the edges butt
together. II
Ap ply the concrete described.
w ith a plastic
as previously
Co ver and leave overnight.
1 .2
bag and leave overnight.
U ncover and remo ve the polystyrene
8
A dd about 2 inches (5.1 ern) to one
foam core. It m ay be necessary to use a m allet to help force the cone
side of the paper
out, but w ith care you'll be able to
out a second
w ork gloves
- Expanded - 22-gauge -
Ap ply the concrete
the m esh.
(over the arm ature
D uct tape
- leather
Trim if needed
7
Wi re brushes
piece of m esh onto
the form and w ire the seam together.
29).
using the cheese grater bing it though
- 4 m il plastic -
m esh
~
CO NC RE TEMI X: Premi xed
foam
A po lys tyr en e foa m con e co vered in pl as tic ma kes a goo d core to su pp ort wi re me sh to com pr ess the co nc ret e ag ai ns t wh en you wa nt to bui ld a hollow struc tur e.
us ing the pa tter n.
at the seam (photo
ping) M ix, M ortar M ix, or Mi x 3;
should
and the
4
6
Sl ur ry Mi x 1 4 - Polystyrene
of
butt together.
Materials and Tools Sa nd (To p-
10 use as a
to cut out the sections
pattern,
an d cut
piece of m esh.
use the form again.
2
_I l
M ix the slurry and concrete. dow n the concrete the slur ry .
We t
form and apply
U se this base form to proceed selected
su rface treatme nt
Ch apter
3).
(see
w ith a
stretched
MET AL AR MAT UR ES Scale wi ll be a significant w hen deciding
to m ake your arm ature.
cons tructed
[actor
w hat m aterial
arm s or legs w ill need to be
to use
Sm all fig-
structural
ca refull y to ens ur e support
Larger figures
SIMRLE·
~jiIM~( A~MATUR.E
Th e full instructions
for the extensions.
can be constructed
out
lar anim al,
for this particu-
including
the cut list for
the rebar, are found on page
III.
ures, up to 2 feet (6 1 ern) high, can
of pipes, firml y w ired rebar, bolted
M odify the length of the legs and
be constructed
slotted
body or the position
from different
gauges
m etal, or even w elded
m etal.
of w ire, or m alleable pipe or tubing.
A fig"
ure w ith out"
of the head to
form differen tan irn a I s. B efore you start to construct arm ature,
think about
w ant to create.
ground?
the form you
H ow big w ill it be?
H ow w ill the w eight distributed?
your
of the piece be
Wh ere w ill it touch the
Wh at w ill stick out? A scale
Materia.ls and Tools CONCRETE MIX:Premi xed Sand (To ppi ng) Mi x, Mo rtar Mi x, Mi x 3; Slurry Mi x 1 4 - Leather gloves - M etal~cutting
saw
sketch can help you plan the am ount
- R ebar cut to required
of m aterials
- G rinder orfile
you'll need to have on
- Wi re cutters
hand.
- Tie w ire
Think in volum e arm ature. paper
lengths
- Linema n's
as you plan the
A hum an
figure isn't a f.lat
doll. The torso mo re closely
resem bles
a rectangle,
to construct
so you w ant
a. rectangular
the figure is to be standing, w ant to be able to support
you
22"gauge
clothesline
- Container 2
that begins
m etal m esh
to m ix concrete
mil pl as tic
- Rasps or rubbing
using a
w ire
w ire
- A viator shears - Expanded galvanized -
the
w eight on the legs. C onsider longer piece of ma terial
[f
form.
- G alvanized -
to have at least four pieces of m etal
pliers
- R usty m etal prim er
- Container
block
to m ix slurry
- Pa int br us h
to form the legs and continues through
the figure's
ture is like a skeleton, need to provide
torso. The arrna-
Instructions
but you don't
all the sam e joints,
D esign your arm ature.
C ut the rebar
The goal is to try to create a rigid
to the designated
construction that sti 1.1u ggests the gesture or indicates the activity or
of tie w ire to a com fortable w ork length. about 1 8 inches (45.7 ern).
m ovem ent. structing principles
Wh ether you're
can"
a.f igure or an anim al, are the same .
lengths.
C ut pieces
2
the
Start w ith the side and leg pieces (se e figu re
2).
O verlap the pieces of
rebar so that each piece extends
'II
inch (1.9 ern), Wi th the leather gloves on, w rap the w ire tightly, Virginia Bullman and LaNelle Davis. [,wghing Lady, 1999, approximately 7 feet (2.1 m). Cement formed over ch icke n wi re armature, adorned with broken dishes. Photo by Seth Tice-lewi,
to secure.
U se the linem an's
m ake the tightest can (ph ot o
and tw ist
connection
pliers to you
30) .. Wi re both sides.
8
3
C onnect
the two sides together
Spray your rebar structure
w ith the front and back pieces. BODY·· SIDE
pes.
this point,
At
you have a rectangle
B end the clotheslinein
...l
Figure
2
the tw o pieces
32).
10
of rebar for the top of the head to
Wrap the coil wi th 22~gau.ge wi re,
the body w ith w ire. A dd the low er head support by securing
[irst
it
in one direction and then crisscross back in the opposite direction,
to the top side of the low er front
as show n
piece.
II
W hen you're
to your arm ature,
adding
pieces
consider
w hat's
in photo
A ttach the tail
the best w ay a piece can be sup"
coil to the rebar
ported.
tai l su pp or t
In this case, by attaching
the head support
to the top side
of the low er front, rather than underneath, ter supported
the head w ill be bet~ (refer to photo
31).
~ Join the three head pieces together
wi th w ire.
6
Wi re on the back leg supports the outside
on
of you r arma ture.
7
Secure the tail support
pieces.
Note: If your arm ature
seem s a
bit w obbly,
try to tighten
connections
by holding
one o] the w rapped
the onto
w ires w ith
your linem an's pliers and tw isting it a half turn. A n extra
II
half, and shape
it into a coil for the tail (photo
!!
C !l W
primer.
2
on legs. U se w ire to attach
w ith
section
or tw o of rebar can be
added
if you feel it's needed.
form w ill also becom e
The
m ore $1a~
ble as you secure m esh over the surface. Vi rgi ni a
Bu llma n and
LaN el ie Dav is , Laughing
Lady, 1999, approxi.mately
5 feet (L 5 m), Ce me nt for me d over chicken wi re arma ture, adorned wi th br ok en dtshes, Photo by Sd h Tl ce -L ewi s
pieces.
32.
Roy Kan wit , Egg,
1994, 3 x 6 x 5 feet
(I
x
2)(
I,
5 m), Wh ite por tland
[errc-cerne nt
direct mo de led
12
sam e lines, im agine
We aring your leather gloves, cover the arma ture wi th sheets of expanded
ing a figure that has its hands on its hips. A length of the forearm w ill get
galvanized toured
m esh to create a con-
surface.
im m ersed
Secure the m esh to
the rebar and to itself w ith the 22-
pensate
gauge
by m aking
U nless you com -
for the addition
of m aterial
the forearm
arm ature;
!1
extra long, it w ill appear
O nce the back of the anim al is cov-
fini sh ed
ered w ith m esh, fold up a sm all scrap
!!!:
of m esh to create a little block about x 2 inches
(2.5 x 5.1 em) . Ch eck wh ere
I
and secure them to
_1_2
Mi x the con crete.
elevated
apply concrete m asonry
for a piece that
w ill have tw o form s touching
each
other. Wi thout the spacer on the back
mu ltiple
time s. Reposition the concrete
application
the tool,
so that the next
wi ll slightly
overlap
ut ilize bot h tool s.
.! I In mo re difficUl t areas, like the belly
To succ essful ly to an expanded
m esh
it's best to use basic tools. I use a steel trow el as
or the chin, pile a sm all am ount directly
pointed
trow el, and apply using the
trow el. Load a
sam e m ethod
sm all pile of concrete
onto the rec-
18
tool. H old it next to the
onto the back of the
described
in step 1 5 .
U se your hands to apply and com press ma terial into sma ll areas, such as the
me sh surface.
trow el in the other hand so the back
legs or ears. Squeeze concrete
of the tool is facing
w ire w rapping
of resting
on it. Al ong the
H old the pointed the m esh. C ut
of
concrete
to be grow ing instead
in
for as long as you can
of the dog, the tail coil w ould appear out of the back
the
to w ork over the surface
a haw k and a pointed tangular
falls through go over the area
holding
C ontinue
surface,
stroke the tool in D on't push so
hard that the ma terial the m esh, and don't
this m anner
for the tall is necessary
and w ith a light
pushing m ovem ent, an upw ard m otion.
Fold and bend pieces of m esh to cre-
that the coi I is secure and 5 1 ightly
an arm ature
into the cem ent,
ate ea r shapes,
Note: A spacer like the one described
by artlst
16
this block to the back and the tail so
creating
phol0
firs t st ro ke.
the head area.
w hen you're
short in the
pi ec e.
the tail coil hits the back, and secure
above the back surface.
m ak-
as you build up the hip
area w ith concrete.
wi re.
that you're
ov er steeljrame .
around the tall.
into the
.~ctiaptii) curvilinear
19
if
Do n't be too concerned application
looks rough,
thi s first
dropped
cess form ing comp ressed
or if there
are sm all areas w here ma terial
forms . I have mo re suc-
has
that's
beads,
expanded.
styrene foam,
20
directory 10
to
24
piece, spray lightly wi th wa ter, and
polystyrene
archery targets.
21
Wr ap another
crisscrossing
layer of
supplier
layering
app.ly additional
concrete
forms
Materials and Tools
T he
con-
L ike any other
that you add m aterial
to,
a solid base and to begin to develop
the polystyrene
foam mu st be sma ller
your form.
so the finished piece isn't bulky ..
tools: handsaw s,
hot knife,
hot w ire, band saw
system
of th is process).
10 the shape.
arm ature
to ensure
poly-
60 for a.co m-
of the two ma terials
R efer
w ho sells
concrete or fiberglass
plete description
brush the slurry over the form, and
the tools are different.
to C arving B asics on page 50.
- C utting
(see pages 57 through Lightly
still apply, even
tures on w hich to apply a polym er-
photo 32.
w ood, con-
foam, the
styrene foam shapes are Ideal arma fortified
22
carving
polystyrene
- Polystyrene foam - Perm anent m arker
w ire over the tail form . R efer to
Mi x the slurry and concrete.
OT
though
foam for boat docks or Co ntoured
Wh ether you're basics of carving
Or , try
41
C A R V IN G A POLYSTYRENE F OA M A R MA T U R E crete,
T o find poly-
under "Packaging."
remo ve any unw anted
chunks.
rather than foam
look in the phone
to find a building
hours, uncover the
m ade up of
I also look for a
dense comp ression.
off. C over w ith plastic and
allow to set up. After
foam that's
TECHNIOUES
£ [ONSTRUmON
fORMING
- L arge com m on
nails
- As sorted w ire brushes
Instructi on 5 I
If you've
designed
your piece to
scale either by m aking
a sketch or a
23
Ca refully add concrete to the tail form. Co ver wi th plastic and allow to set. Zit
After
10
to
24
,
hours, uncover the
•
piece, spray lightly wi th wa ter, and remove
any unwa nted
•
chunks.
25
C onsider how you wa nt the surface of your sculpture decide
to look. Y ou ma y
to follow the instructions
direct m odeling
ished form be natural
concrete.
surface can be enhanced a decorative decide
for
and have the [in-
texture,
T his
w ith
or you ma y
to add emb edded
elem ents.
Re fer to Ch apter 3: Surface T reatm ents, for a full range
of options ..
PO L YS TY RE NE FOA M ARMATURES Polystyrene shaped
foam can be carved and
into a variety of geom etric
or
To olsf or sba pi ng po lys tyr ene. To p row, left to right : hot kni fe, wi re br us h, sma ll wi re bru sh, d rywa ll saw o r key ho le saw, pru n in g saw, a ssorted wi re bru sh es. Bo tto m row : wi re wh eel attac hm ent for drill, caul k gun wi th con struc tion ad he sive
m odel, draw the scale grid onto your
w hole, and you can see the draw ing
polystyrene
on the other end (photo
foam (see figure 3).
U se a pattern, outline
35).
~
2
or freehand
of the design
the profile
view , front view , and, if you're one, overhead block (photo
T urn the piece to follow the lines of the [rent view as you cut the piece
for the side using
view , onto the scaled
aga in (ph ot o 6
If
33).
3
U se your selected
tool to cut out the
side view (photo
34). Try to cut it so
that the scraps rem ain
as intact as
36).
you're
using a third view , pin the
scraps together again to reform the original block; m ake your third set of cuts. Wh en the scraps fall awa y, you'll have a blocky likeness of
possible.
form (photo
~
7
Pin the cut scraps back onto the
A dditional
piece w ith the large nai Is so that the
piece as needed
block once again appears
YOlH
37). cuts can be m ade on the (photo
38).
to be
TOP OR OVERHEAD
VIEW
\\ ~\
Figure 3. A sma ll sketch can begr idd ed in to squ a res wh ich are th en a ssign ed a val ue so yo u can enl arge yo ur idea; i.e., I inch (2-5 em ) = 6 05 .2 em) inc he s. Or g an izin g th e w a y y o u d ra w the d ifferent views of y o u r scul p tur e wl ll h elp yo u trans fer the loc ation of de tai ls.
~pw21 steps
an d
I
2.
Us e your available
ting tools to rem ove edges, and larger chunks.
to remo ve
sculpture
rather than just to refine
the surface.
pieces of foam,
be hollow ed
beads
We ar goggles
brushes
have
foam
can be if they get in your eyes
instance
w here you
w ant to stop periodically the progress
to assess
of your w ork. A s you're
w orking,
re-establish
draw ing
w ith the m arker on your
If
yo u' re
your lines by
m easurem ents.
If you're
m aking
an
unit, sit in it
as your w ork develops
(see the G ar-
den T hrone on page
140).
I like to carve the foam to the size finished
1h ave planned
for the
piece. Wh en I'm satisfied
w ith the shape, I consider how the piece w ill be finished. If I plan to first apply concrete
larger pieces. cutting
w orks even for
If you don't
tool available
have a
to m ake the
in itial profile cuts, your approach w ill be slightly probably
different
w on't affect how the end form looks. on
your block of foam as described
ern) to the finished
ture, I'll continue
take a little longer, but it
Start w ith the scaled draw ing
I know that I'll
app rox ima tely
that
is an exciting
w ay to create a larger, m ore com plex piece of sculpture. creating
Es sentially,
you're
a series of sma ller pieces
that get stacked
together
to m ake a
instructions
to carve a
series of polystyrene
foam shapes.
(See the informa tion
on "T he
En swo rth Project,"
page 81.)
Additional Materials and Tools - PV Cp ipe - St raigh ted ge - C onstruction caulk adhesive - L arge construction nails
R eturnto remo ve
inch (2.5 ern) over the wh ole
I
surface so the piece w on't be too
Instructions
(2.5
foam arm a-
carving
bu lky wh en fini shed. in
I inch
surface.
ing to the polystyrene
and w ill
construction
and then cover the
surface w ith m osaic, be addi ng
ad di tion s.
- Sm all w ire brush or riffler rasp
the form w ith the w ire brushes
T his basic technique
can
or rijflers to secure the
preceding
check your
for a seating
and contour
channel
out, using sm all w ire
larger stateme nt. O nce you have your basic idea, or ideas, use the
a symmetri-
ca rvi ng
cal piece, continually arm ature
the foam can be cut in
AD AP T I NG A P OLY S T YR E NE FOAM C OR E F OR A T OT E M CONSTRUCTION A totem
T his is another
foam.
re qu ired
or connect-
just how uncomf ort-
and nose.
39).
or if you need to
attachme nts
halt, and a form -fitting
able the pesky polystyrene
(photo
incorporate ing system s,
to experience
If for a
to ma ke it m ore struc-
saver, but it only w orks on larger
and a dust m ask so you don't
Y ou can soften the edges and refine
or m odified.
O n a pow er drill can be a big tim e or on sma ller pieces
49
foam core is versatile
turally sound,
A wi re wh eel attachme nt
that can be secured.
8
A polystyrene
and easily adapted
you need to add m etal supports
U se the w ire
brush tool aggressively ma terial,
cut-
planes,
F O R M I N G EC O N S T R U O I O N T E C H N I O U E S
O nce you've
finished
core, draw a center
carving
the
line to guide you
as you cut the piece in half.
5
U se the riffler rasp to carve out a
(arvin~ Basics
hollow space, half the circumf erenc e
Wh en sculpting,
of the pipe on one side (photo
subtract
40).
you either add or
m aterial
to create a form .
C arving is about subtracting.
6
H old the tw o halves of the poly-
rough translation
styrene
foam together.
Mi chelangelo
m anent
m arker to m ark the opening
U se the per-
A
of a response
from
w hen asked how he
could carve a figure from stone is, "The figure w as in the stone. I just
of the first carved the me asureme nts
half, trans ferring onto the opposite
side. Lay the sections
dow n and con-
rem oved
everything
figure."
that w asn't
the
In other w ords, you need to
nect the ma rks using the straight-
be able to visualize the form you
edge.
w ant to carve before you begin.
7
C arve out the second half as in step 5 .
If you we re carving stone, you'd select one w ith the approxim ate
pro-
Wh en you put the two pieces together
portion
to
wi th the pipe inserted,
carve. On e of the benefits
8
should tit together
the pieces
tightly and the
of the form you w anted
in concrete
of carving
is that you can easily cast
a block or shape wi th the proportions
pipe should be snug.
you need. T o decide on the size and 9
cl ue all the pieces together
ca ul k ad he si ve generous
usinq the
by first applying
bead of the adhesive
a onto
both sides of the pipe and the foam . Put the pieces together Wi th the cut halves facing up, decide how you'd
like to position
on the pole, taking
the piece
on
yo ur tot em . 3
Me asure and m ark the outside
w idth
of yo ur p v c pipe onto the polystyrene
M easure the length of the area w here inches
and add
(5.1 ern) to the length.
piece of pipe to that length.
42). Al low the ad he sive
tions. Th is contact
C ut a
2
you
for your carving. T his wi ll
help you solve problem s
on a sm all
me thod
10
Y ou don't w ant to cast a very large
min-
for a relatively
sma ll piece and spend all your energy remo vi ng
excess ma terial.
the secprovides
If you w ant to start w ith a sketch, try to draw the im age from different
a stronger initial bond and w ill m ake it easier to w ork w ith the piece
view s as if you w ere looking at it
sooner.
from the front, the sides, and even from above, or wh at is some time s
II
nails for added
4
design
block of concrete
Secure the edges w ith a few long
foa m.
the pipe w ill be inserted,
41 )
pull them
utes, and then reposition
tion the w eight of the finished piece balance
(photo
to air dry for approxi ma tely
into considera-
and how it w ill physically
and then im me diately apa rt (ph oto
of your casting,
mi ght wa nt to wo rk on a prelimi nary
scale, saving you time and ma terials.
10
2
proportion
strength.
For larger
called a bird's-eye
view .
D raw these view s to scale to w ork out
pieces, I've even used landscaping
the finished
nails to pin sections
a three-dime nsional
together.
or overhead
proportions.
mi ght prefer to develop dime nsionally;
sculpture
is
art form, so you your ideas
wo rking wi th clay to
FORMING
El de r G. Jo ne s, Wall.
1996,
zo to
30
inches (50.8 to 76.2 ern) high _ Ca rved concrete.
t c ONmu
cnoN
T E CH NI QU E S
Photo by aTI;,1
create a sma ll mo del or ma quette
If the piece is too large to m ove eas-
O ften, wh en people sta rt to carve,
ca n be useful. It is beneficial
ily, try to locate it so you can w alk
they're
and w ork around the piece. O r, place
mu ch ma terial.
the piece on a turntable
to transform
and feel the different
to see
view s of a
piece. Wh ile your carving
m ethods
adjusted
to the scale of
according
m ay be
your w ork, you should alw ays posi-
or lazy Susan
certain cuts ..U se sandbags
carving
and reposition
to prop
a piece; they'll also
help absorb
blow s. A fast and easy m ethod
back and arm s aye in a natural
posi-
sturdy
surface that can m aintain
creating
the shock of the carving
sandbags
of
is to take som e old
jeans or other sturdy-fabric the
your cast form , and
concrete needs to be remo ved, some time s in large chunks. If you're
com fortable
tion. A lso, place your w ork on a
off too
D on't be! Y ou w ant
so you can tum it. So me time s sma ll pieces need to be tilted to accornpllsh
lion your carving at a level that is to w ork on so that your
timi d about taking
trousers
a head from a block that you
have cast, you w ant to lose the squareness
of the initial casting.
Start by m aking
w ide cuts until you
see the basic form begin to eme rge. D on't get too involved
w ith one
and cut off the legs. Sew up one end
sm all area or detail. C ontinue
w eight of the piece as w ell as the
of the leg, fill it two -thirds
w ork on the piece in a holistic w ay,
imp act of any carving.
sand, and sew up the open end.
full of
constantly
turning
it or mo ving
to
51
-
The advantage
of carving
concrete
just after it has set is that the m aterial can be remo ved
quickly. T here's
also very little dust as you w ork on your piece. Th e followi ng uses a stepping
technique
stone as an exam -
ple, but these sam e steps can be adapted to create larger form s, such as the R ousseau R elief Planter on page
12 1
and the Figurative
T able
Base on page 134. Th e tools used fo r this technique
don't
have to be
fancy. Y ou can easily collect a variety of toothed package
tools by picking
of assorted
reciprocating
blades
up a
for a
saw at your local hard-
w are store. O r just m odify som e old saw blades
that are lying around
your shop. A visit to the kitchen area of a local thrift shop wi ll probably provide you wi th a va riety of kn ive s and utensils that can be adapted.
Materials and Tools CO NC RE TEMI X: Pr em ixe d
Sa nd (To p-
ping) Mi x, Sifted, or Mi x 4 - Ma terials to construct your casting form - Plastic w ork board Ja ck Has tings , Photo
Mas ke d Be as t,
1976,
24
x
24
x
15
inches
(61
x
61
x
38.1
er n) . We t-car ve d
con cr ete.
by El d. r Iones
around
it to develop
your form . W ork
w ith your tools so that you're
carving
Concrete can be carved me thods
at the different
aw ay from high points or protru-
T he results,
sions, such as a nose on a face. Y ou
expended
don't
Y ou m ight start carving
w ant to accidentally
lop off a
by different set stages.
tools used, and energy w ill vary at each stage. a piece w ith
nose! If there's
no other direction
to
the w et technique
and finish it using
w ork, establish
a stop line by m aking
the dry technique.
T his is how I
a cut or slice in the concrete of the protrusion,
in front
and carve only to
the depth of that line.
approached page
115.
the A ncient C arving on
- Container
to mi x concrete
- T row el - T urntable
or lazy Susan
- A w l, large nails, or other sharppo int ed tool s - A ssorted sharp knives - A ssorted
toothed
and flat tools
- w hisk broom T his form w as m ade w ith strips of alumi num
flashing
w ith sm all clam ps tying a cord around
held together and reinforced the flashing.
by
Wet ca rv ing too ls. cl oc kw ise fr om top lef t: fl oa t, mas on ry tro we l, po int ing tro we l ki tch en kn ive s, sh ap ed met al sc ra pe rs , mor e ki tch en kn ive s, as so rt ed mod ified sa w bl ad es
Instruc ti
on s
.2 . Al low the concrete
to set until it's
Select or build your form , and posi-
firm, but not hard.
If
tion the w ork board
ture is 70 ° to 7 SO F (21 ° to 24 "C) , thi s
w ill be the board cuting
(photo
your carving
on later. Wo rk-
ing on a piece of plastic w ith a plastic provide
43). T his
that you'll beexe-
lam inate
or a board surface w ill
a surface that is both non-
wi ll probably
the temp er a-
take about three hours.
6
M ove the casting
to a sturdy
carve. place the w ork board m old on the turntable
table to and the
or lazy Susan
stick and sturdy,
to ma ke it easier to w ork around
2
carving.
Mi x the concrete to a creamy texture, about the consistency
of muffin batter.
~ Fill your m old by starting
dle to avoid creating
the
I R em ove the form (photo
45).
8
in the m id-
air pockets
as
U se a saw blade tool to scrape off the top scale, or the flaky, crystaline
the form is filled. Ag itate or wi ggle
deposit
the board to elim inate
w ater. This gives the surface a con-
air bubbles,
sistent,
It
caused
by the evaporated
grainy texture
U se the trow el to level off the con-
2.
crete in your form (photo
D raw out the design
44).
knife or pointed
(photo
46).
w ith a sharp
tool (photo
47).
10
your fingers.
B lock or rough out the shape by cut-
or directly
ting it out w ith the sharp knife
the sur face text ur e.
(photo
48).
your piece
it wi ll change
13
R edefine the edges and lines using
II
U se a coarse saw blade or other toothed
Ov erwo rking
handling
tool to shave and scrape as
the sharp point of a kn ife (photo
51).
14
you begin to refine the shape (photo
Softly brush the surface wi th a wh isk
49). As you're scraping or shaving the concrete off the form, w ork each
broom to unify the surface texture. The brushing functions alm ost like a
stroke at a right angle to the previous
light sa nd ing .
stroke. Yo u wa nt to constantly
_ !}
change the direction
of your carving
Af ter you're finished
carving,
stroke as you w ork across the piece to
the piece uncovered
overnight .
achieve a consistent
16
surface texture.
The next day, carefully
12
U se a flat-edged
tool to sm ooth the
over onto a soft surface,
su rfac e whi le you wo rk each stroke at
piece of carpet,
right angles to one another
wo n' t ge t scratche d.
50). D on't touch
(photo
the surface wi th
Ca rved stepp ing ston es ma ke an eclectic gar de n pa th.
leave
turn the piece such as a
so that the surface
iCbii~rJl
F O R M I N G ': C O N S T R U C T I O NT E C H N I Q U E S
55
Materials and Tools
17
U sing a.f lat piece of me tal, remo ve
As sorted
the sharp bottom
cast ma terial
edge by scraping
at an angle (photo
52).
chisels:
If you're
carving
using a soft aggregate,
such as vermi culite
or perlite,
you'll
18
be able to use w ood chisels. If you
Wh ile the piece is upside dow n, you
have cast a block w ith sand or m ar-
m ight also sign and date your piece
ble dust, carbide-tipped
wi th a sharp nail.
el s ar e rec omm en de d.
stone chis-
19
Take the piece outside
and spray it
w ith w ater to rem ove the rem aining
if
dust. D on't be disma yed sma ll round
there are
holes on the surface.
These are just air bubbles
A ssorted
files, rasps,
addition
to flats and bastards.
and rifflers:
In
curved face files, rifflers, sma ll curved files and rasps used by sculp-
and are
part of the process.
tors wi ll help to refine surfaces de ve lop
and
de tai l.
20
To cure, w rap in a w et tow el, then in
Wire brush:
plastic,
file or rasp, you should alw ays have
and leave for five days.
Wh enever
you're using a
a w ire brush close at hand to rem ove
DR Y CAR VI NG
the grit from the tools' teeth and to
C oncrete is often referred to as cast stone. Y ou can approach cured con-
clean the fil es wh en you're finished us ing the m.
crete like stone. In fact, you'll use m any of the sam e tools and safety
4'/2-inch
precautions.
wi th ma son ry
We ar a good dust m ask
an d go gg les .
(11.4 ern)
grinder
power
or diamcnd-surjaced
w heel attachm ents:
This can be an
effective tool throughout The selected significant
aggregate
w ill have a
effect on how the ma terial
reacts to the carvinq aggregates,
tools ..F ine
such sand or powd ered
m arble,
are going to produce
m aterial
that has a texture
stone. If you use verm iculite lite, the ma terial
a
like lime or per-
wi ll be mu ch softer,
process.
the carving
It can be used as a cutting
aggregates. aggregate
O n the ratio of those A hard-crushed
stone
wi ll m ake a m aterial
that's
am ount
of w ater added
tool to rough out the shape in the
m aterials,
beginning;
pages
as a carving
you remo ve ma terial
tool w hile
28
to your
several of the recipes on an d 2 9 w ill produce
crete w ith a consistency
to further
clay, w hich can be m odeled
tool that can either sm ooth the sur-
effective ly.
faces of your carving
w orks best as a relief,
or add
interest ing text ur es and lines.
Mo de ling
form eme rging
a con-
sim i lar to
define your form s; and as a finishing
and you'll even be able to saw it, depending
Pe dr o Si lva . Sea Mons te r, 19 81 , de tai l of D ragon Park. C oncrete hand form ed over a steel and me sh arma ture: m osaic surface tr ea 1men t. Photo by sherri Wo' M' HunI .· ,
very
wi th co ncr ete a low level
from a flat surface,
or built up over an arma ture.
Direct
Co ns ist en cy
M odel in~
M ost people think of concrete
m uch harder and less effective to
poured
carve.
of being shaped
ma terial.
as a
is on e co ns ide rat ion
w hen m odeling;
gravity
you're
a face, you can't
m odeling
is another.
In fact it's capable
fully shape the nose in we t concrete
or form ed
in a num -
and expect it to rem ain
the
w ill begin to droop and slide. A
ber of wa ys. B y controlling
in place. It
If
m odeled
concrete
form should be
built up in layers, allow ing set before patient
adding
each to
Y ou can create
rather than new
ones. My favorites
are a 'I.-inch
or use it to
give interesting contrast to a piece that emp loys other surface decora-
- A ssorted
w ooden
or scul pt ur e
or w ire-end
tions, such as the faces that punctuate the m osaic
- Fi le (op tion al)
arches of the sea
in the photo
on page
55 ,
created in N ashville, T ennessee, comm unity
collaboration
by a
wi th artist
Pe dr o Si lva s.
Instructions I
Select a preconstructed or build
MO D E L lN ,G A H U MA N W hen w orking
FA C E
on a m odeled
of
concrete at a tim e, using a sm all plastic container to me asure your or, if you've
other pieces,
been w orking
use the rem aining
crete after it has begun cess w ith the latter. m ove too quickly
and spend
necessary
trying
con-
have m ore sucIo ften try to
create
of
to fill out the arm ature your mo deling
or
surface. to a pi ec e tha t's
in progress,
rem ove
unw anted
or file any
concrete
areas, and spray
the piece wi th wa ter.
~ Lightly slurry the surface
m ore tim e than
to keep things
concrete
Each tim e you return on
w ith freshly m ixed
concrete,
to m odel on to.
:2
to set for an
hour or tw o. Iu sually
the arm ature
base surface,
First, add one or tw o applications
piece,
either mi x several sma ll batches
parts,
clay
too ls (opt ion al )
- plastic drop cloths - K itchen knife - Ra sps or riffler rasps (optional)
m onster
[6
mrnl short, flat sable, and a soft, round #10 watercolor brush.)
a w hole piece w ith technique,
(I use
that have been w orn out
from painting
the end
gr at ifying .
the m odeling
artist brushes
brushes
m ore. If you're
w ith the m aterial,
res ul ts wiIIbe
sharpener - A ssorted
from
sliding.
adding
concrete
dry just lonq enough sur fac e
you'll be
to, and allow it to for it to lose the
shi ne .
4
W hen you begin to m odel your form ,
Materials and Tools
consider
CONCRETE MIX: Pre mixe d Sand (Top pin g)
Mi x or Mi x 3 or
10;
Sl ur ry Mix 1 4 or
-
Base form or arm ature
-
Latex surgical
-
Container
to m ix concrete
-
Container
to m ix slurry
16
m aterials
gloves
w here the highest points of
the form w ill be located. forehead,
cheekbones,
srnal Ip inches
of concrete,
go so no air pockets
- Short pieces of 'I.-inch
(photo
dow els,
sharpened
in a pencil
by adding taking time
each application
- Sponge (6 mrn)
nose, and chin.
Start to bui Id these sections to comp ress
- Paint brus h
For a face,
you'll w ant to begin to define the
as you
are created
53). Use a dam p sponge
push and com press
the m aterial
to as
you're wo rking.
If you're wo rking on
Note: Wh ether you're
or
pressure
form occurs in the w ay light and
Te chn ical advances
shadow
ing of concrete
Note: In the beginning formi ng,
stages of
the piece wi ll look awk wa rd
in a sculpted
C oncr et e Sys tem s
carving,
in an upwa rd mo tion.
definition
m odeling
a vertical surface, alwa ys try to exert
play on the surface of a
form. Stylistically,
there wi ll be time s
in the engineer-
and in concrete
tives are occurring
addi-
every day.
w hen you w ant to create a very
Ad di ng
sm ooth form : how ever, looking at the
or polypropylene
eyes in photo 56, notice how the
resistant
S
shadow cast by the narrow ridge of the upper lids adds to the appear-
in a m aterial that is superior in strength and durability. Ne w systems
D on't get involved wi th details at this
ance of depth
being used in the building
point. Ad d the ma terial wi thout
how edges and shadow s
and clum sy. (See photos!) critical or discouraged. process.
D on't get
Enjoy the
Yo u'll have lots of opportu-
nities to m ake changes
focusing on anyone
to the piece.
area. E stablish
the location or proportion tures (photo
of the fea-
54). If you notice any
slidi ng or di stor tion , from contiinuing.
restrain yo ur self
Co ve r the piece wi th
plastic, and allow it to setup for at least 30 mi nu tes
be for e pr oc ee di ng .
in the eyes. C onsider
po lym er for tifiers, po lye ster fibers, or alkali-
fiberglass
to ceme nt,
utilize a comb ination
w ill add
depth and the illusion of volum e to yo ur pi ece .
new industrial
S
variations
R efine areas w ith a dam p sponge
readily available
dipped
or
in w ater.
If you plan to com bine
a m odeled
m ent centers, w hile others, due to or de red
need to be
from spe cialized
File O rr em ove any unw anted concrete, and m ist the piece w ith w ater,
m ents, consider how m uch m ore concrete you'll need to add to incise
PO L YAD AM CONC RE TE S YS TE M
if the surface appears
or texture
As I explored
an area, or how deep a
techniques
space you'll need to leave to accom -
la.rge-scale
mo date
w as introduced
tions of concrete
10
the features sharpened
(photo
dow el to help define lines
or creases,
such as the eyel ids. Soften
the lines by dipping brushes
excess mo isture,
out the
and brushing
concrete
2
and 7 until you're sat-
isfied wi th your form.
over
sculptures,
instructor,
com m ission
to design stage sets for
brushes, hands.
They can help to define areas
by pushing am ounts
and m oving sm all
of concrete
difficult to m anipulate ge rs (ph ot o
56).
that w ould be w ith your fin-
enough
to be raised and low ered during but durable
venues. Th is particular developed comb ines
to
to different system,
by G eorge E .Ad amy , a high-quality
acrylic
polym er
additive,
Polyadam
cem ent,
sand, and glass
an al ka li-res ist an t,
reinforcing
the
enough
portland scrim,
of
in P a ris. Th e set ele-
m ents had 10 be lightwe ight
travel wi th the com pany
of your ow n
Da le
the K ansas C ity B allet's production
the sharp lines. T hink of the dowe l, or any other tools you
I
Eldred. H e used this system for a
perform ance,
m ight use, as extensions
to construct
to this system by m y
forme r sculpture
An Am erica n
the artist's
in w ater, squeezing
mo saic or emb edding.
Re pe at steps
55). U se the
sup pl iers.
wi th other surface treat-
7 Proceed again wi th sma ll applicaestablish
are
at home imp rove-
eleme nt
to better
Some
of these ma terials
6
dry.
finishes on
construction.
their unique qualities,
9
industry
of these ma teri-
als to create stucco-like
a paintbrush
results
ma terial
ble wi th ceme ntitiou.s
that's
liar PII
[ibe rql as s comp ati·
products.
Th e
£JQNt1RIICIlON
(h a p t e r z lfO~ING'
58
resulting
structures
are strong,
w eight,
and w eather
unlike a resin-based
TI,"",Q:utS.: light-
rior supporting
structure.
resistant,
and,
enables
fiberglass
sys-
base forms created
tem , the ma terials
are nontoxic.
A nother attractive
qual ity of this sys-
This
Polystyrene
you to start w ith arm ature
pages
47 through
When
I m ix these m aterials,
49.
cardboard,
or
fabriC.
sm all m easuring
I use a
container.
D ue to
the cost of the supplies,
I'd rather to com plete
tem is that it can be appl ied to virtu-
A s m y ow n w ork has developed,
I've
m ix another
ally any surface.
com e to prefer using this system
to
a piece than throw expensive
Its strength
is
derived from its unique comb ination of ma terials. An otherwi se struc-
cover carved polystyrene foam arm atures. The G arden Throne on
turally
page
w eak arm ature
function
only needs to
until the system
sets. A fter
140
and Bird W atching
13 7 are tw o exam ples.
on page
that, the cured strength
of the shell
utilize for shaping
the polystyrene
of the inte-
foam are detailed
under chapter
sm all batch
m ateri-
al s awa y.
The m ethods
supersedes
the strength
on
from ma terials
such as foam rubber, even stuffed
or
Foam Ar ma tures
I
P OLY AD AM CONC RE TE S Y S T E M A P P L I E D OV E R A P OL Y S T Y R E N E F OA M F OR M
2:
W ith this system strong
you can m ake a
and surprisingly
lightwe ight
for m tha t's wa ter pr oo f.
Materials an d Toors CONCRETE MIX: M ix 9 an d
10;
Slurry
M ix 1 6 - polystyrene foam form - Polyadam II - Lightw eight
glass scrim
- H eavy-duty
glass scrim
- Scissors - Perm anent
m arker
- Container
to m ix concrete
- Container
to m ix slurry
- Paintbr ush -
4 mil pl as tic
- G alvanized
roofing
- Lightw eight
w ire
-
nails
2
mi l pl as tic - Rasp or rub block - H am me r (optional)
Instructions 1
U se the scissors to cut the lightw eight glass scrim into strips. The am ount depends Th e Pol ya da rn Con cr et e Sy st em al lows yo u to cr ea te inc re di bl y du ra bl e, ye t ligh twei ght st ruc tu res .
and size of your strips on the shape of the arm a-
ture form you w ant to cover. The
FORMING
& CON ST Ru a l ON
T E C H N IQ U E S
papier-rnsche
(photo
S9
m ore sm all curves there are, the thin-
apply
ner you should m ake the strips.
Secure each piece tightly to the foam
large,
flat areas can be covered
by
w ide strips. Ius ually cut stacks of 3, and s-incb-wide (45.7
18
surface wi th the roofing nails. C on2,
tinue until the entire [orm has been
and 15.2
covered.
inches
to ensure a Secure application
(5.1,7.6,
em ) strips ap pr ox ima tel y
ern) long. A ny of these can be
cut shorter as you're wo rking.
58).
C ut-
U se as ma ny nails as needed
me sh. Do n't worry appear
of
if some areas
to have mo re overlapped
ting the 6-inch ('5.2 em) strips into squares can be very useful as w ell.
m aterial than others. In fact, you m ay w ant to use additional m esh to rein-
Set aside until needed.
force we aker areas of your form, like the tail of this fish.
2
To prepare
your heavy scrim , you'll
6
need to cut large sections to com -
Mi x the concrete.
pletely
of slurry over the m esh (photo
59),
and then apply your concrete.
T ake
cover your shape. T here are
tw o w ays to approach
this. The first
w ay w ould be to tack a length of
sm all handfuls
m esh onto the carved shape using
surface
the roofing
cheese throuqh
nails. T race the shape
using a perm anent
as
(photo
m arker. Wh en
if
Ap ply another
coet
and rub it over the
you're pushing
soft
a cheese grater
60). Ma ke sure that the con-
you cut out the m esh, add an addi-
crete is w orked betw een
the layers of
tional'/)
m esh and is com pressed
against
inch ('.3 ern) all the w ay
around
the tracing.
An alterna tive
m ethod
w ould be to tack paper over
the form , and m ake a paper pattern that can then be traced
Us e the SIUHY
heavy m esh. D on't forget to add the 'I, inc h (1. 3 ern) to your pattern.
arranging
your pattern
tively as possible the sections
3
concrete.
I
onto the
w ill allow you to save m aterial
the
foam. C over the entire form wi th
This by
concrete
paintbrush
by brushing
su rfac e (ph ot o
to level the
lightly over the
61).
8
Co ve r wi th
as conserva-
onto the m esh. Set
aside until needed.
un di st ur be d
2
mi l plastic,
and leave
ov er ni gh t.
9
T he next day, use the rasp or block
place your form on a plastic-cov ered
over the w hole surface to rem ove any
wo rk ar ea.
rou gh
~ Mi x the slurry, and slurry the entire
10
M ix another
pi ece (ph ot o
apply
57).
~ Ap ply the lightwe ight
area s. batch of slurry, and
it to the form .
I I
me sh, overlap-
ping each strip by 3/ . inch (1.9 ern) m ore, m uch in the w ay you w ould
or
A ttach the heavy m esh sections
to
your form w ith roofing nails. It m ay be necessary
to cut slits or darts into
the m esh so that the m esh w ill con-
~
form to the contour
T he next day, use the rasp or block
(photo
62).
of the form
Secure the m esh w ith as
m any nails as needed it lies firml y against
to ensure that the surface.
m ay need to use a ham m er nai Is through
Y ou
to tap the
the first layer.
over the w hole surface to rem ove any rou gh
areas.
16
A third application
of concrete
w ill
herp to refine the form , give the su T-
12
face a finished
Wi re together edges wh ere sides me et to secure the m esh sections
to build up additional detail. Note: W hen Ima ke sm all shapes
(photo
decorative,
rather than structu ral
elem ents,
such as a bird for a totem ,
63).
_1l
Slurry the m esh (photo
64), and then
cover the form w ith concrete, the same grating in step 6 (photo
m ethod
using
described
65).
or allow you as
only apply the light-
we ight me sh, overlap m ore extensively,
the ma terial
and apply a sec-
ond coat of the concrete
to refine the
for m. To or de r P II and glass scrim,
14
Even the surface
as described
7. C over w ith plastic, un di stur be d
I'll usually
texture,
in step
see page
143,
and leave
ov er ni gh t.
Ge or ge E.Ad am y, Not ch ed Ri ng , 19 80 , 13 x 3 x Sf . inch es (33 x 7.6 x L6 em ). Po rtlan d ce me nt , sand, Po lyad am II, glass scrim; pe s castin q in plastic mo ld wi th p olystyren e arma ture emb edded ; untrea ted, un col or ed surface . Photo by drti,1
_ -
~~~-
Chapter
61
J
S ur la c e T r e a t m e t ome time s surface
a natural
Ce rtain finishes can only be applied
concrete
is all you need or w ant.
O ther tim es, you m ay w ant to add color or texture,
or use a con-
for surface treatm ents
the m anipulation or
to avoid blis-
tering or efflorescence. faces are achieved
crete form as a surface to m osaic. T he options
to dry, cured concrete
cation of concrete
Ot her sur-
w ith additives
or
of the final applito your form .
finishes are as varied as the form s
E xplore these techniques,
and m aybe
you can create wi th concrete.
through
you'll come
experime ntation
up w ith som e finishes of your ow n.
Sur fac e T ex tur es The spontaneous
m ovem ent
of the
concrete, as it has been applied by hand or trow el. speaks of how the piece wa s created, or sponged
wh ile a brushed
surface mi ght indicate
how a m aterial
that w as once liquid
w as sm oothed
into control.
m anipulate concrete
Y ou can
the surface texture
of
at each stage of the set
process from the initial application to the cured hard surface. T he consistency
of the ma terial
wiI I dictate
the type of m arks or fin ishes that can be ap pl ied . Further exploration techniques
of the ma sonry
of the construction
trade
can add to your ma rk-ma king vocabulary.
Professionals
patios and w alkw ays tools, m ethods,
wh o pour
have all sorts of
and m aterials
to cre-
ate a wi de range of finish textures. O thers w ho w ork w ith stucco or piaster finishing
can provide
insights to
the application of w et m aterials cr eat e de co rative pa tterns .
Virginia
to
Bullman and LaNelle Davis. Ti me Pa s2 feet (2.1 x 1.5 x .6 m ). Peace Garden. Funky ch i cken Art Project, Dahlonega, GA . Cement formed over chicken wire. arm a t u re. phot 0 by Han k Marg ., on
sage, 1999,7 x 5 x
62
(h a p t e r 3
Mi x your slurry and ceme nt.
O nce you're satisfied
If, in your youth, you ever took a
3 B rush the slurry onto the base form ,
that if's at about
a 45° angle to the
stick and w rote your nam e into a
and apply a coat of concrete
concrete
surface.
Yo u're not just
freshly poured
'f. inch thick (6 mrn),
w riting
or draw ing,
4
tool into the concrete.
Wo rk the surface of your piece until
deeply
you're
.2
INC ISI NG ON T H E SURFACE OF A BASE fORM
concrete
then you already
have experience
wi th this technique. process
sidewa lk,
Incising
of cutting,
carving,
ing into the surface
is the or draw -
of sem i-set
con-
crete w ith a sharp instrum ent can incise designs, signature
into your concrete
ations. Us e this technique treatm ent decorate
cre-
as a surface
to finish a base form or to the surface of a casting.
Materials
and Tools
CO NC RE TEMI X: Pr emi xed ping)
Y ou
w ords, or your
Sa nd (To p-
Mi x, Mo rtar Mi x, or Mi x 3;
Sl ur ry Mi x 14 - C ontainer to m ix concrete - C ontainer
satisfied
at least
wi th the overall
sketched
design,
w ith the
use your tool so
but pushing
the
D on't push too
on the first pass.
If yo ur lines fill w ith wa ter, let the surface mo isture evaporate longer
texture.
~ Al low the concrete
to become
slightly
be fo re pr oc ee di ng .
stiff, and w ait for m ost of the w ater
LO
to evaporate
Re trace your lines, pressing
from the surface.
6
deeper
Select the tool(s) you w ant to use to
the line is ap pr ox ima tel y
ma ke your incised
m rn) or a level that looks good to
design.
so that the finished
slightly depth
I
you. R em ove any accum ulated
S ketch the design or w ords very
crete on your tool wi th each stroke.
lightly in the surface.
I I
m ake som e changes is positioned. 8
If you need to in how the design
refinish and try again.
A llow the concrete until all surface the artist's
to continue
mo isture
paintbrush
con-
to set
is gone. Us e
to soften the
to m ix slurry
- Pa int br ush
- lncisinq tool: your tool can be a pencil (I find a dull one w orks better than a freshly sharpened
one),
a short piece of 'I,- inch (6 rnm ) w ood dow el that's in a sharpener, wh atever
been sharpened
a nail. or an aw l-
feels comf ortable
in your
hand. E xperime nt w ith other ma rkm aking tools. A bent piece of pipe can m ake a clean deep groove, w hile a broken
piece of com b can
ma ke a rough,
scratchy
surface.
- Ar tist's paint br ush
Instructions I
Spray the base form w ith w ater. 2
of
'h inch (6
Ma rvin and Li lli An n Ki llen Rq senbe rg. Walkway with Planter (detait), 2000,St ephen 's plac e Af forda ble Ho us ing Proj ect; Me dfor d. OR . Co lore d conc rete fish; slate , mo saic s, inl aid shells, ston es. and bon es; jnc lsl ng. PhO ,10 by ·~.!Vi~Rosenberg
.dfij"tfT'3 the artist's
paintbrush
to soften the
table knives, and sma ll putty knives
lines. Di p the brush in wa ter, squeeze
are alii going to produce
out the excess m oisture,
textures,
and brush
depending
different
repeat as needed.
tinctive
12
cations of pinches of concrete
Fo llow the same
instructions
for
D is-
m arks m ade by hand appli-
dents in a m odeled
Pol ished
sands of sculptors a comp letely
surface w ill add
different
in
wa y. N ot only
shared his knowl -
edge of construction
techniques
expand
of how concrete
our thinking
to
incising the surface of a casting.
to the personality
S creed and/or trowe l the top surface to your desired smo othness and then
tool and each person leaves its ow n unique set of ma rks, so the possiblli-
can be uti Iized as a direct application ma terial, but his polished sculp-
incise.
ties of new and interesting
tures have Iiterally transforme d
ar e vi rt ua lly
of your wo rk. E ach
thou-
to see concrete
has he generously
or
63
Concr et e
Ar tist L ynn Ol son has inspired
on how you
stroke or apply the w et concrete.
lightly over the lines. Ri nse and
SU RFAC E TR EA TM ENTS
textures
we look at concrete
limi tles s.
how
surfaces.
STAMPING Us e old printing stamp s,
blocks, Tu bber
cookie cutters,
various sizes
of tin cans, and even buttons,
shells,
T O O L M A R K S IN H AR DE NI NG CO NC RE T E
Wh en asked how he accomp lishes
A s we 've seen in C arving B asics in
Ly nn has two answe rs,
and plastic toys to press into the sur-
Chapter
face of semi -set
w ith a knife, and an em erging
concrete.
C heck the such as m ashers,
textural
set concrete
can be developed
kitchen for imp leme nts, cookie presses or potato use to add interesting
2.,
to
ele-
of saw blades.
such be autiful
con crete
sur faces,
can be cut form
Th e short answe r: elbow grease!
wi th sma ll sections T he long answe r: As portland
A coarse rasp cut
sm all lines that serve not only to
comb ines wi th wa ter, it forms tiny crys tals of calcium silicate hyd rate
wa ter, shake off the excess mo isture,
form your piece but to add surface
that are too sma ll to see. L ike finely
position
texture
m ents. Sim ply dip the "stam p" on the surface,
your desired
in
and press to
depth.
In case you're
thinking
about stam p-
ing a m uch larger area, say a patio, comm ercial
stamp ing
across a surface creates a series of
ceme nt
as we ll. T here is another
grater
surface. T he process is simi lar to that
that can slice through
concrete, tinc tive ,
portland
a roc k- like
T E X T U R E S IN FR E S H CONCRETE either by hand or w ith a tool, you'll or m ark
that's the result of that application. A. st he application m ark is repeated, eme rge .
continues a texture
Tr ow els, pa lette
to harden
into chisels
still other textures.
na tur al
T his effect can be
begins to
is hard-a
T he begin
signifi-
over trying to polish
ston e.
in a piece by contrasting
d ifferen t surface textures
to acc en t u-
ate the forms of your design; porate
wi th
slowl y over
process can actually
before the mi xture cant advantage
incor-
sm ooth restful areas to set off
busy textured
ones.
M ost people don't expect to see smo oth
and polished
ceme nt because
they usually see cem ent used in com bination concrete.
and the
kn ive s,
the mi xture created cem ent hardens
days, w eeks, and even m onths. polishing
ma ss, ston e-ca rvi ng
to create a sm ooth
any stone, wi th one ma in
and points, can be used to create heightened to a form
imp ression
continues
tools, such as a flat or toothed
stone , tile, or othe r patterns.
of finishing exception:
line s.
can imp rint simu lated
notice a unique
soft
leaving flatter, but still dis-
Asc oncrete
brick,
stones, these crystals can be
of rasp has sharp holes Iike a cheese
tools are availpaving
grained
cut and polished
able at m ost large rental centers that
A .s you apply concrete
type
w ith sand and gravel in T he visible sand in the con-
Sewa rd Communi ty Library
crete is, of course, alw ays rough and
P. O. Bo x 238 9
dull. Ho we ver, replace the typical
Se wa rd , AK 99 664
aggregates lea-based
w ith m arble
or other sil~
dusts and me tallic
and you have a sensitive
fibers,
ma terial,
rich in ae sthe tic
po ten tial s.
Y ou m ay decide
to only polish a por-
tion of your sculpture
rather than the
wh ole piece. T his wi ll enable
surface
textures to contrast one another add interest to your piece.
PO LI SH ING
A SCULPTURE
A s you proceed polishing,
and
through
the steps of
notice the m arks that the
various tools you're
using leave on
the cem ent
T here m ay be a
surface.
point in tim e that you choose to utilize that texture
as a finished
surface.
Lyn n Ol so n, Carousel, 1998,24 X . 24 x 19 inches (61 x 61 x 48.3 em) . Ce me nt, stell, bronze fibers; direct mo deled; polished and sealed wi th me thyl rnethacrylate, blue color from reaction of br on ze fibers wi th ceme nt . Photo by arli,!
Materials and Tools
-
CON CRE TEMIX : Mix liar 12 ;Sl ur ry Mi x 15 - Ar ma ture
- Me thyl me thacrylate
- Container
to mi x concrete
B rush the slurry onto the base form, and apply a thin layer, about '/4 to 'I,
- Wa x (optional)
2. A s soon as this final application
I
A n interesting
- Colored pigme nts - Sharp kitchen
achieved
(optional)
12.
knife degrees
to both fibercem ent
m ix
over an
a base form .
hours or overnight,
you can begin to
use a variety of cutting
tools to refine
your form . U se a coarse rasp to cut across the surface to remo ve irregularities, or slice through
the ma terial
w ith a sharp kitchen knife to define details. Wo rk on the general surface at this stage. T he ma terial is still too
Mi x the slur ry.
- W ire brush to clean rasps and files
3
- Silicon carbide
Mi x the fiber-ceme nt
paper
in various
of sandpaper
m ay be
coarse, m edium ,
or fine, or
they m ay have a num erical T he sm aller
mi x
of
sets firml y, usually in six
2
- R iffler rasps and files
grits: grades
concrete
3 that has been applied to create
fiber-ceme nt
can be
m ix liar sanded
arm ature
files
surface
by polishing
It can be applied
cem ent
rasps in various
of coa rs ene ss
the num ber,
code.
the
40i5 very coarse and
is very, very tine.
paint,
can be added
to this
fina l mi x. Fi rst mi x the fibe r-ce me nt and then fold in the pig-
m ents so they appear 600
Pigme nts,
either iron oxides or those used in artists'
thoroughly,
coarser the grade of abrasive ma terial;
(optional)
4
inc h thi ck (6 m m to 1.3 em),
- Me tallic fibers
labeled
tools (optional)
Instructions
- Container
- A ssorted
abrasive
to m ix slurry
- Paint br us h
- A ssorted
D iamo nd
as lines of
color. Do n't mi x in comp letely.
soft fo r fine de tails or fina l fini she s. 6
A llow the cem ent perhaps stage, coa rses t paper
another
to harden
further,
24 hours ..A t th is
use the coarse files and the silicon ca rbi de
abr asive
to refine the su dace,
finer and finer grades tinu e po lish ing .
using
as you con-
~aEi2h No te: Af ter the initial 24 hou rs, keep
SU RFACE
TREATMENTS
PIGMENTS
the ceme nt surface we t wh ile you're
Col or ing Concr et e
T here are some limi tations
w orking
There are three basic w ays to color
adding
concrete.
into
tioned
the
on it to avoid dust and to
fa ci litat e
hy dr at io n.
Y ou can add pigm ents
the concrete
7
A s the cem ent
continues
w ith passing
to harden
hours and days, con-
mi xture to integrate
color to concrete.
wh en A s m en-
in earlier sections of this
book, portland
cem ent
color, stain it wi th transparent
solu-
Som e pigm ents
that w ork w ell in
tions, or apply opaque
In
paint are attacked
paints.
tinue to use finer files and finer
mo st cases, coloring
grades of silicon carbide abrasive paper to develop a sm oother finish.
appl ied to the surface o f concrete should only occur after a piece has
8
thoroughly
Us e the soc-qrede si lic on ca rb ide
ef flor es cen ce.
paper to produce
6S
processes
cured and dried to avoid bl istering ,
an d pe el ing .
cem ent,
resulting
is caustic.
by the alkali in in a breakdow n
and other natural consideration.
elem ents-is
a
Y ou w ant to use pig-
the final polished
surface after the cem ent ened sufficiently,
has hard-
usually wi thin four
weeks.
2 T he surface can also be burnished rub bed
or
firml y and me thodi cally
using the flat side of a steel blade or a traditional
tool to ere-
burnishing
a te a I us ter .. 10
A sealer applied
to the finished
w ill help to prevent
piece
stains as w ell as
to add gloss to the surface.
A w ater-
based me thyl m ethacrylate
is recom-
m ended.
It's im portant
to use a
sealer that wi ll inhibit mo isture penetrating allow ing
from
the surface wh ile still vapors to escape.
The best
w ay to apply it to a sm ooth surface is to rub it on by hand, w earing gloves, unti I it dr ie s. cloth to obtain enhance
Buff
a m odest
wi th a soft gloss and to
the colors and grain pat-
terns in the surface.
of
the color over time . Al so, colorfastneSS-if a color can endure the Sun
If you w ant m ore
of a shine, a w ax, such as car nauba wa x, can be applied.
Bu dd y Rh od es , Ta llcoc kt ai l Ta bl e. 2000, 30 inches (76.2 em) in di am et er , 44 inches (1.1 rn ) hi gh . Co ncrete pressed int o mo ld; int egral col or ed conc rete ba ckf.illed wi th cont rasting con crete to create ve ini ng ; g ro un d, san ded, an d sealed, photo by Buddy Rh od es St ud io
base form is created
w ithout the pig-
m ent, and then a top coat of pigm ent and cem ent
is applied.
T his
creates a stronger
structure
w ith a
deeply colored surface.
If you plan to
m ix m ore than one batch of colored concrete
for a project,
careful in me asuring
be extreme ly out the propor-
tions so you achieve uniform
results.
A dd pigm ents
to a m ix that uses
w hite portland
ceme nt instead of
gray to achieve cleaner-looking
col-
ors. Th orough mi xing of the pigme nts
Cr ai g Nut t, Br idg e Ta bl e, 19 97 , 1 8 x 37 x 24 in ch es (45.7 x 94 x 61em ). Po lyc hr ome co nc ret e to p , ma h o g an y. we n g e; cast co n crete: co lo r mi x ed in to th e concrete. Photo by lohn lucas
directly
into the fresh concrete
integrate
the color throughout
the
concrete.
Toob tain variations
in the
color patterns,
add the pigme nt
the cem ent has already D on't mi x thoroughly. the pigme nts
wi ll
been mi xed. Instead, fold in
to obtain streaks of
color. A polished
treatme nt
to your
surface wi ll reveal a rich pattern color. A variation m ents that have been proven to last
the use they w ere developed
wh en mi xed wi th concrete.
valuable
to prepare
test pieces and
record your observations T ypical concrete
colors tend to be in
the earthy range: rust, ochre, brown , and charcoal.
O ccasionally
for. It's
orfast these coloring
on how col-
agents
actually
are over time .
of this technique
tw o colors mi x, and a third color w ill eme rge as you finish the surface of yo ur pi ec e.
you'll see G etting a deep, rich color also pres-
STAINS
ents a problem.
O ne of the sim plest
me rcially
used to m ake these colmo re expensive.
are available
com-
in either a powd ered
form
amount added
Of
T he ma ximu m
pigm ent
that should be
is ten percent
of the w eight of
the mi x. A higher percentage
of pig-
ishing concrete wi thout affecting
m ent can w eaken the m ix, since
concrete.
or thi ck liqui d.
m ore w ater is needed
been specifically
me nt particles, paints,
in artist acrylic
or concentrated
used to tint house paints, enough
alkali resistance
isfactorily.
pigme nts m ay have to serve sat-
B ear in mi nd this is not
w ater/ceme nt
to w et the pig-
increasing
the
Y ou're faced w ith the dilem m a deciding
betw een
w eaker concrete,
is painted of
a good color and a or a stronger
con-
crete and a pastel shade. O ften a
of fin-
the texture
Ac id-based
on concrete
ratio of the mi x.
me thods
is to use a penetrat-
ing stain. T his wi ll alter the color
or m ixed w ith w ater to form a paste
Some pigme nts
is
T here w ill be some areas w here the
com pounds
Co lor pigme nts
of
to fold in two colors of pigme nt.
green or blue; howe ver, the chemi cal ors are significantly
after
the solution
designed
surfaces.
the acid in
creates porosity the concrete,
colored stain penetrates th e su rf ac e.
to wo rk
Wh en the stain
on the surface,
slightly etching
of the
stains have
by and the
the pores of
.~!Rt!~~3 S U R f A C E T R E A T M E N T S Y ou can also stain the surface of concrete
using w ater-based
acrylic opaque
or
stains. These stains
m ethod
Mosaic T he attraction
of m osaic for m e, and
the aspect of this art form that'll
wo od surfaces,
addressed
long-term
colorfastness
on concrete we ather.
wh en used
surfaces exposed
to the
A pply these stains w ith a
utilizing
in this section, the proper
m osaic can provide
perma nent,
colorful surface on exte-
wi th a slightly
are adhered
recessed
stain in the
surface textures
of the con-
crete. A s in any technique
that uti-
lizes a stain or w ash, it m ay be necessary
to apply several coats to
achieve the depth looki ng
of color you're
for .
PAINTS Ar tists' acryl ic pa ints or ma sonr y house paints, either w ater- or oilbased,
can be used for a m ore solid
or opaque
surface
color. Ma ke sure
that the piece has fully cured to ensure a lasting finish. A good ma sonry
prime r wi ll help to prepare
yo ur su rfac e by applying base and bonding
a good
coat for your final
coloration.
Paint tends to mi nimi ze
the texture
of concrete
as it fil is the
sur fac e po res .
Sh erri Wa rne r Hu nt er, Angel. 19 99 , wa ll de ta il , Stepping Stone Pork, Na shville, TN. Ha nd mo deled over on orm olu re, m osa i c. Photo by "tist
and
techniques,
stiff brush, and wi pe off imm ediately dam p cloth. T his w ill
be
is that by
ma terials
rior wo rks in concrete.
leave the colored
sculptural
to as direct
m osaic. Mo saic and em bedding
are m ade to be used on exterior so I'm not sure of the
is referred
individually concrete
a
simi lar, but the processes di ffer en t.
67
look
are quite
Br iefly, in em be dd ing ,
pieces are put into w et cem ent; m osaic, cem ent
is put around
in the
pieces (see page 76 for m ore on embedding).
Mo saic pieces onto a
form. Th is
In a m osaic,
a base form in concrete
m ust be cured and dried before
starting ..T he mo saic ma terials attached
to the surface of the base
form wi th adhesive, or interstices, they're
are
leaving spaces,
betw een
positioned.
each piece as
On ce the adhe-
MOSA .I C
T ile: T he basic bathroom
Ceramic
that's
mo st easily available
suitable
for outdoor
tropical
clima tes.
sive has dried, a ceme nt-based
of tile is porous,
ma terial,
m igrate
grout,
is pushed
spaces betwe en
into the
each mo saic piece.
are not. G laze is a suspension
MAT ER I AL S tile
is not
use except in
Be cause this type mo isture
glass that has been me lted
onto the surface of the tile during firing process.
wi ll drops, ice
the
Gl azes can be either
glossy and shiny or dull and ma tte. T he amo unt
into the clay body of the
tile. Wh en the temp erature
pow dered
of
doesn't
of shine on the surface
affect w hether or not it can
be used outdoors.
T here are also tiles
T he grout is cleaned off the mo saic surface and leveled betw een the
expands, cracking the tile. As k for [rost-proo] or frost-resistant tiles.
that aren't glazed but have the color m ixed into the day itself. Wh en you
pieces to create a solid, durable
Stonew are
see these tiles, you can assume
sur-
face. Th ere are add ition al
con side ration s
wh en constructing piece-ma inly biggest
an outdoor
the w eather.
enemy
T he
they're
exterior tiles, although
wo rk we ll ou tside .
fact
IIrers
doubt,
some ma nu-
wiI Icar ry terra -cotta
ma de from porcelain
and w ill
clay
Wh en in
ask.
Glass: ma terial
By nature,
glass is an ideal
to use. Stained glass is also
we ll suited for mo saic app lication s.
is the freeze/thaw
seasons can m ean death to a piece
O f these tiles, you'll also come to
Y ou can purchase
find that som e are gl:azed and some
ask stained
stained
glass or
glass studios jo r their
from the wr ong ma teri-
als for a particular
clima te.
As you begin to accumu late to use on your outdoor
supplies
pieces, you
need to look for frost-proof resistant
are the tw o
types of clay m ost often used for
tiles that are frost-proof.
cycle. Wh at we think of as changing constructed
and porcelain
ma terials,
or frost-
unless you Iive in
an area wh ere the temp erature rarely, if ever, drops below freezing. If I'm at the local home imp roveme nt center, and Id on't w ant to confuse the sales person by going into detail about m y current garden simp ly ask if the ma terial to purchase
w ould be good to use
for m y sw im m ing a sw imm ing of mo isture
creation, I I'm I.ooking
pool. I don't have
pool, but the concerns and year-round
sure to the eleme nts
expo-
are the sam e,
and Ig et a quick yes or no answ er instead
of a puzzled look.
To ol s an d ma ter ial s for mos ai cs . Cl oc kw ise from top ce nt er : she lls, un gl az ed po rce lai n tiles, mi rror, brok en po rcelai n plat es, as sor ted glas s gem s, pi eces an d frag me nts of fros t-res ist an t gl az ed tile, as so rted po lish ed ston es , st ai ne d gl as s, di amo nd sha rpe ning ston e, tile ni pp er s, ce rami c cl ea n- up too l, sha rp en ed do we l, tile cu tter s
;C(~aPt,e"3 scraps.
F ound glass, such as sea
glass, broken stemw are, bottles,
or colored
can also be used to create
interesting
A dditional
ma terials
for outdoor
projects
SUR FA C E TR EA TM EN TS
69
that can be used include
ma rbles,
glass gems , rocks or stones, nonfer-
surfaces and designs.
rous me tal objects,
such as brass
keys, copper pieces, silver jewe lry, or Mi rror: T he caustic chemi cals cem ent-based
products
tim e, alter or dam age
in
other objects m ade from m etals that
m ay, over mi rrored
sur-
don't
rust. In som e cases, the chem i-
cals m ay cause the m etals to tarnish
faces, causing dull gray spots to appear; how ever, I use mi nor
or change colors, creating a new patina on the surface. Wo od and
tow ard the center of your body
because
plastic can also be used w ith the
(photo
understanding
inch (310 6 m m ) of the tile in the
I
like the initial effect, and I
appreciate change
how nature
things.
high-grade about
continues
to
A lw ays start w ith a
com me rcial
than a thin. low- grade B roken dishes:
ma terial.
In selecting
use in your outdoor
durable.
dishes to
piece, follow the
Mos aic To ol s
ing in the direction
ham m er
pieces, or
to break. For additional
to m ake random
cut w ith a specialized
you prepare
wo rk best
A popular
19405'
wo rks we ll because
ma de from porcelain.
saw to ma ke
pieces. YO Ur sense
dinnerw are
com e into playas
your ma terials
to
it's
Gr andmo ther's
go gg les
and gloves:
Do n't
china m ay be porcelain,
but you
forget to protect yourself w hen
have to check carefully.
In addition
ma ni pu lating
to checking
the m arkings
back of plates,
I
in the privacy of m y studio, only m ention certainly
and I
it here as an aside. It
isn't scientific.
I touch a
like the tile leverage,
your thigh.
Squeeze the handles
firml y, using
one or both hands as needed.
V oila!
can also be used as a
shaping
tool to nibble aw ay sm all
sections
of the plate or tile to define
a sha pe .
yo ur ma terials.
T ile cutters:
on the
have a test that Iu se
you'd
hold the grip against
T ile nippers
mosaic. safety
is flat.
A djust the flat area so that it's pointw ith a
high-fired
reissued
Y ou'll also notice
Ma terials can be sm ashed
precise geome tric
v,
Ho ld only about '/8 to
that the end of the nippers
of style and design
and china
I).
jaws of the nippers.
same advice as w ith cerami c tile:
.dinnerwa re
not as
m irror that is
inch thick (6 mr n), rather
'/ 4
that they're
T his tool comb ines
two
tools that are often used wi th stained H amm ers:
Ce rami c tiles and plates
glass. It has a carbide
w heel for cut-
can be broken w ith a ham m er safely
ting and a pair of flange-like
by placing
them betw een
at the end that are simi lar to running
news paper
w ith the glaze side dow n.
sections
of
w ings
pliers. T he key thing to reme mb er
piece of broken dinnerw are to m y tongue, and if it sticks, I assume that
T ile nippers:
it's a porous,
mo dify larger pieces of tile or plates.
piece in tw o, each section
T hey're found in the tile section of
least as w ide as the flanges to be
home imp roveme nt
successful.
low -tire bodied
and only suitable my tongue
dish
for interior use. If
doesn't
stick, I'm com-
fortable
incorporating
exterior
piece. We 've all been told by
our m others
not to put strange
things into our m ouths, decide.
it into an
so you
N ippers can be used to
centers.
have m ore success cutting
Yo u'll the tile if
you put less of the tile in the nipper's jaw s. H old the nippers the handles; them.
don't
at the back of
choke up on
T here's a curve in the jaw s;
position
the curve so it's facing
wi th this tool is that it's for cutting, not trim m ing. W hen you're cutting a m ust be at
Ho ld the tool handle
closed, and rest the w heel on one side of the tile. Press dow n firm ly as you m ove the w heel across the tile surface to the other side to score or cut a Iine into the surface. by holding
the handles
Id o this
at the back
70
Chapter
J
Sl$ . FA ~E .m AJM ~N I$. : flanges are centered
over the score
same thin-set
used for mo st tile floor
line. Sq ueeze the grip slowl y and
and swi mm ing
pool installations.
firml y. Th e piece should break along
available
the scor e line . Do n' t ge t di scou rage d-
it's a portland-based
this tool takes practice, but once you
have a cho ice, select the w hite. If
learn to use it, you'll love it.
you're
in gray or wh ite because
T ile saw s: T his tool can be rented from your home imp roveme nt center, or you m ight decide you w ant to invest in one if you expect to cut a lot of tile . It Isn't necessary one to get started
product.
uniform
background
the transparent
mo saic ma terial,
the colors w ill ap pear dearer
T he polym ers
block: In som e
added
S ome th in-sets
you cu t tile w ith a saw , the edge m ay
m anufacturing.
be slightly chipped
wa ter to activate
2). Iu se a
comp an ies
w ith the during
the
A ll you do is add the polyme rs.
Ot her
ma rket a tw o-part
prod-
uct that has a dry com ponent mi lky wh ite liquid containing
wa ter to the surface of the sharpen-
polyme rs,
ing stone, and hold the piece of tile
T he two parts are mi xed together
so that the edge you w ant to sm ooth
wi thout any additional
is at a 4S
angle to the surface
and a the
known simp ly as "mi lk." wa ter. It's
very imp ortant
to read the directions
(photo
3). T hen press the file firml y
on the package
of the thin-set
against
the stone, and m ove the
are considering.
Ifa product
0
you needs
piece in a C ircular m otion four to six
to h ave the separate
time s, or until the chips are remo ved
added
and the edge is sm ooth (photo
the pieces ma y stick initially, but
4).
A D H E R IN G T H E M O S A IC T O Y O U R B A S IC FO R M
roll the w heel back and forth or try to
T he selection
score the line repeatedly.
p roject depends
of adhesive
for any
on the surfaces
w ith snap-on co nt ai ne rs .
mix ing
you score the tile is simi lar to scraping
and how the piece is going to be
(112
u sed. F or concrete
and add
base forms that
in ceram ic and glass
jaw s of the tool and position them so
mo saic,
that the spine of the tool and the
tified th in-set adh esive.
I recomme nd
a polyme r-forT his is the
bond
lection of plastic food storage tainers
y ou're trying to adhere and w here
are covered
a w aterproof
to m ake them perm anent. O nly m ix sm all batches at a tim e. 1 have a col-
this correctly, the sound it'll ma ke as
On ce the line is scored, open up the
liquid polyme rs
to it, and you only add w ater,
m ay not provide
hand on top of the tool. Y ou w ant to create the score line in one pass. Do n't
ac ros s a bl ack bo ard.
poly-
is actually used to sharpen knives to sm ooth any edges. A pply a little
w ith one hand and placing the o ther
yo ur fing er na ils
have powd ered
m ers that are comb ined
block that
are
or liquid form .
other dry ingredients
(photo
and
to thin-set
cases, wh en you break tile, you'll
sha.rpening
and
brighter.
end up w ith a sharp edge, and w hen
fine-diamo nd
a
visible through
to have
wi th mo saic.
sanding
glass,
wi ll provide
either in a pow dered D iam ond
If you
using gems or stained
the. wh ite adhesive
It you do
It's
con-
lids Iu se as Put about
'I, cu p
g) of dry mi x into the contain er, I
or
2
the m ilk (photo ingredients
ounces
(28
or 56 g) of
S ). S tir the tw o
together
ture is the consistency
until the mi xof peanut
~iPte.ri~ butter.
A llow the m ixture
about
five mi nutes,
to sit for
mi xture
is applied I
Occasionally
that
In fact. your grout
lines should be considered
of tim e that the
is wo rkable.
ma terial
to fill the spaces betwe en
the m osaic pieces.
the pot
snap the lid on to extend
tife, or the am ount
G rout is a cem ent-based
consistency.
W hen I'm not using the m ixture,
71
GROUTING
and stir again
until you get a creamy
URFA CE TR EATM EN TS
an imp or-
tant aspect of your m osaic design. I'll
The w ider the spaces betw een
add a few drops of the m ilky liquid
mo saic ma terials,
your
the mo re domi nant
to the adhesive
if it gets a Iittle too
the color of the grout w ill be in your
stiff. Ge nerally,
if I've been careful
finished
about
m y container
thickness
covering
w hen
piece. Y ou can vary the of your grout lines to help
not in use, I'll be able to use the
define a shape or desiqn.
m ixture
two different
for three to four hours.
unsanded The technique adhesive
Ius e to apply the
to the surface
is called but-
tering.
I like to com pare
it to putting
peanut
butter
on crackers
and sanded.
is typically
(photo
6).
tion w here the spaces betw een are uniform
less. and has a consistency
m osaic adhesive.
than
piece, regardless
of its size. You
don't w ant to starve applying don't
to
of the m osaic
enough
the joint by not
adhesive.
You also
w ant to have so m uch adhesive
on the back that it com es oo zing around
adhesive
m ore sim i-
W hen spaces are larger
'I s inch (3 mr n) or are irregular,
you should sanded
use sanded
grout.
M ost
grouts are m ixed w ith liquid
polym ers
or contain
polym ers
in the
dry mi x. Polyme rs alw ays add flexibility to the finished
to r
it suitable
ma terial,
ex ter ior
ma king
us e.
the piece as you stick it on. I
like to generously surface
tiles
and 'I s inch (3 m m ) or
lar to plaster.
It's im portant
T he unsanded
used for interior applica-
Iu se old table knives to apply the cover the entire surface
T here are
types of grout:
cover the back
of the m osaIc m aterial
w ith
and then lightly scrape off
Mo st home a brand variety
imp rovem ent
of fortified
centers
sanded
grout
Basic Sand M ix 3, as a grout.
A dd
blade angled,
your ow n color to custom ize
your
adhesive
form s a low pyram id
in a
of colors. You can also use the
the excess on the side w ith the knife so the rema ining
sell
in the
center of the piece. Wh en the m osaic
grout if you wi sh. If you're grouting a larger piece. be sure to m easure
piece is applied
your pigm ent
Iight pressure,
to the base form w ith the ad hes ivel eve Is,
and a good bond 7). A ny adhesive rem oved cleanup
is created
(photo
that oozes out is
using the knife or a ceram ic tool (photo
8). A llow the
you don't
additives
carefully
so
end up w ith a different
shade for each batch.
T he color you
choose for your grout can set off a design
or w ash it out. Bright or dark
colors of grout tend to fade w hen
thin set to dry for at least 2 4 hours
used outside.
be for e gr ou ting .
col or ca re fu lly.
So choose your grout
palm , com press
it onto the surface of
your form using a sma ll circular mo tion ..Co ntinue to rub the mi xture unti I m ost of the m aterial mo saic surface. handful,
and, overlapping
area slightly. m anner.
is oj] of the
T ake your next
apply
C ontinue
the initial
it in the sam e to do so until the
entire mo saic has been filled wi th grout.
~ A llow the grout to set up until firm . For a sm aller piece, you m ay need to Nin a So lo mon , {ish, 1999, 14x 9 x 34 inches ( foam and m esh arma ture' mo saic Ph' b 35·6 x 22.9 x 86·4 em) . Ce me nt I
'
•
,
010
Y arttst
wait ov er po lys tyrene
20
mi nutes
or
Fo r la rg er
50_
pieces, it m ay have taken so long to apply the grout that it's already
G routing seems to be one of life's lit-
- 4 m il plastic
enough
tle my steries.
- Sponge
in the area wh ere you started.
- Ch eeseclot h
~
although
It's no t that difficul t,
it can be labor intensive,
depending
on the scale of your piece
and how textural the m osaic is. T he grouting
process needs to be w orked
through
to comp letion
once you
begin. Y ou can't stop in the m iddle of grouting
organized,
block out the tim e needed
and
to do a
pieces. D ip the sponge squeeze
Instruct ions
,.6R0UlfNG~ -
only w ant to m ix a sm all am ount,
MOSAI(
A.s'q,RFACE
-
parts of pow dered
a planter,
allot about four hours for
the comp lete
grouting
setup to cleanup.
process from
If the piece is
should
cookie dough-a
no-slum p
tency that does n01 crum ble.
larger, enlist the help of assistants, and plan on a six-hour
by the grout particles. that it feels w orkable
Materials and Tools - Container - G rout m ix
to m ix grout
grout of sugar consisA llow
the mi xture to sit about five mi nutes so that the m oisture
w ork session.
the
m ix to one part
have the consistency
can be absorbed Mi x again so and even in
texture. 2
We aring rubber handful,
of grout from the m osaic. If
you rub too hard in the direction
are 4 to I-four
w ater. Wh en mi xed properly, If you can physically hold the piece you w ant to grout,. such as a bird or
deposits
recipe. If
basic proportions
--
over the
the grout line and to rem ove
package
or the custom
you have a large bag of grout, but
--'
it alm ost dry, and rub
mo saic surface to further comp act
Mi x the grout followi ng directions
the mo saic in wa ter,
firml y, in a circular mo tion,
goo d job grout ing.
~..
w ith the next step
Level the grout betw een - Spray w ater bottle - Bl anket (optional)
to go out for dinner. It's
best to get everything
to proceed
firm
gloves, take a sm all
and using the heel of your
the spaces,
the grout. R ubbing mo tion
of
you'll begin to remo ve in a circular
wi ll help avoid this. Continu-
ally rinse and squeeze
your sponge.
R otate the sponge as you w ork, al wa ys tur ni ng it to a clean side. D on't be timi d about rubbing
quite
firm ly. If you notice low spots or even holes in the grout lines, add m ore m aterial, sponge
let it set up, and then
again as recomm ended.
A fter you have leveled the grout and remo ved
the deposits
ma terial
from the mo saic pieces, stop
sponging.
of excess
S U R fA C E T R E A T M E N T S 1
REV .ERS E- CAS T
MOSAI
A llow a haze to form over your
The m osaic process
can either be
m osaic ma terial
executed
as the grout residue
dries on the surface.
The m ore vitre-
ous your m osaic m aterial
is, the
ind irect
pr oc ess.
longer this process wi ll take.
stained-glass
by Ka ty B rown .
O nce the haze has form ed,
the process
to sparkle.
so far,
To thoroughly
Mat erials and To ol s CO NC RE TEMI X: Prem ixe d
ping) M ix, M ortar M ix or M ix 3
and clean the surface of each individ-
-
Perm anent
ua ~ pi ec e. Re po sition
- As sorted
w orking so that you're
needed.
Th ree-dime nsion al
m ay need to be rotated properly
as
pieces in order to
finish the comp lete
surface.
D o this w ith care, as the grout is still
frost-proof
a
wi th plastic.
I follow the rec-
curing procedure
on the grout package
listed
instructions.
strong
grout joints. T w o things that
w ill cause cracking
in grout are dry-
ing out too fast, or not comp ressing the ma terial du ring
firm ly into the spaces
the ini tial app licat ion .
design. a va riety of colors, shapes, inside the temp late
Note: Wh en you're
ma terials
for m osaic,
draw ing
develop
design
sharp perm anent
- Ne ws paper
or clarify your sketched
- D iam ond
sanding
block
- Scissors
2
a design
it in shapes
- H am m er
on the paper
tem plate.
wo rk bo ards
lines. Select,
break,
cut, or nip your m osaic
pieces,
and begin to arrange
pieces for the design shelf paper
U se a
m arker to sim plify
creating
the
as if you w ere
a jigsaw puzzle.
L ay the
pieces on top of the design
tem plate
- M old release agent
w ith the glaze side up. A s you
- H ardw are
cloth
organize
to m ix concrete
sure that you leave at least a 'Is-inch
- C ontainer
2
mi l pl as tic
mo saic ma terial,
ma ke
each piece.
Y ou can fill the tem plate
wi th consis-
tently spaced tiles, or you can sim ply position a few pieces of m osaic
- Sponge - C ontainer
YOUT
(3 m rn) space betw een
- Screed -
R eme m ber, this is a cem ent product and it m ust cure properly to ensure
casting. The inside area is the space you have to create your m osaic
- Ti le cutters
-
om m ended
to soften the
rather than lines. Sketch out your
ate a soft w ork area by covering
finished,
inch (6 rnrn) inside that line.
area, or draw a m ore specific design.
m arker
- C lear adhesive
Wh en you're
'/ 4
and ma terials
very fragile. Y ou m ight w ant to crefolded blanket
line
Or ganize
- TH e nippers
C hange
to a clean piece of cheesecloth
of the m old you'll
2
Pencil
yo ur ch ees ec lot h
Sa nd (To p-
- M old
-
over your finger
alwa ys using a clean surface.
trace the
be using to cast in. D raw another T hi s space is needed
Paper for tem plate
as you're
paper,
inside top surface T he
mo saic wa s designed
-
clean the m osaic, you m ay need to wr ap the cheesecloth
O n the tem plate
edges and m old line to finish your
the piece has looked dirty; now it begins
of indirect.
use a
clean piece of cheesecloth to buff the mo saic surface. This is the rewa rding part. Throughout
or as an
Th e reve rse-cas t
m osaic is an exam ple
6
Instructions
C< ; :
as a direct process
73
for w ater
- N ylon pot scrubber
ma terials.
The cast concrete
ate the background
wi ll cre-
color.
1 Wh en you've
finished
your design,
cut a piece of clear
adhesive
shelf paper
positioning to about
size of your wo rk board.
the
gently, but firml y, betwe en
4
It helps if you have a second
set of
hands to help you w ith the next tw o
if
steps, but you can do it solo need to. R em ove the backing
yo u
of the
mo saic pi ece s (ph ot o
the
Yo u do n' t
12).
w ant the pieces to com e loose from the shelf paper,
and you don't w ant
the m old to m ove. C ontinue to do this unti I the spaces betw een
the mo saic
sticky side down . H old it so it creates
ma ter ial s,
ar e filled
a "U " shape (photo
and the bottom
shelf paper,
and hold it w ith the 9).
the int erstice s,
surface is covered.
II
~Let the bcttorn m osaic design,
and gently
of the
ease the
sides over the rest of the design. you try to hold the adhesive flat to apply
the
as we ll as the awk -
of the position,
the design
If
paper
it to the design,
static electricity, wa rdness
Fill the mo ld halfwa y.
curve of the shelf
paper touch the center section
w ill cause
pieces to shift.
hardw are
Position the
cloth so that it doesn't
touch the sides of the m old, and co nt inu e
filling .
12
Follow steps 9 through
13
un der Ca st-
ing a Sim ple M old or Form (see pages 34 through
35).
!1 place a piece of plastic, then the sec-
6
R ub or burnish
the adhesive
shelf
ond w ork board on top of the cast-
paper over the surfaces of the m osaic m aterials w ithout adhering it to the
ing, so that it's now sandwi ched betw een the tw o boards (photo
pa pe r
D epending
tem pl at e.
and your strength,
7
A fter you're attached,
sure that the pieces are
pick up the shelf paper,
w hich is now holding
your m osaic
pi ec es
(ph ot o
10), and tum
the
design
upside dow n onto one of the
13).
on the size of the casting
an assistant
you m ight w ant
to help you turn it over.
H old the two pieces of wo od together firm ly and turn it over (as if you w ere taking
a cake out of a baking
pan).
14
wor k bo ar ds .
R emo ve the shelf paper (photo
8
there are voids in the int erstices,
A pply the m old release to your m old,
take some of the reserved
and center your m old over the de sign (ph ot o II).
and rub it into the surface lar mot ion .
9
concrete in a circu-
15
Wi th the aviator shears, of hardwa re
14). If
cut a piece
cloth '/2 inch (1.3 ern)
sm aller than the perim eter
of the
W ith a dam p
sponge,
wo rk over the surface mo tion
(ph ot o
m old, and set it aside.
16
10
Af ter the spaces
Mi x the concrete. ful of concrete,
T ake a sma ll handand press or tap it
to
in a circular
IS).
rinse the sponge, the design
continue
have been filled. and start to clean
area by continually
turn-
SU RF ACE ing the sponge
to clean surfaces
you w ipe across the m osaic. sponge
frequently
as
R inse the
as you do this .
.!l C lean off the edges of your m old (photo
16 ) and then rem ove
ing from the m old (photo
the cast17).
18
carefully smo oth the sides, edges, and m old lines w ith the dam p sponge
(photo
there's
18). D on't w orry if
a haze on the m osaic surface.
!2 C over wi th plastic tur be d
and leave undis-
ov er ni gh t.
20
After 24 hours, use the soft nylon brush or nylon pot scrubber
to clean
the mo saic sur face. 21
K eep the casting w et for five days to cu re (ph ot o 19).
IJ·
I've used a stepping exa mp le, m ethod
stone in this
bu t thi s rev erse-cas t can also be used to create
decorative
panels or wa ll hangings.
C onsider m aking
a thinner
using extra reinforcing mi nimi ze
the w eight.
w ant to include
m old and
ma terial
to
Y ou mi ght also
hanging
loops in the
backs of these pieces w hen you cast them,
to ma ke installation
easier.
TRE ATME NTS
7S
7
EWRFACEJRUTMEHTS""
Cha pt er 3
-
Embeddin~
- Sma ll stainless-steel
E mb edding objects
ding. T his wo rks easily on the inside
N ylon brush
is the process
into w et cem ent
of pushing to m ake
them part of the surface.
appearance.
It depends
solely on the
em bedding
betw een
mo saic technique
section
67. A lso refer to pages
for a de tai led m aterials exterior
in the
68 through
full description
on how to use tools
for ma nipulating
E MB E D D I N G PRECONSTRUCTED B AS E FO. RM
the ma terials.
ON
w ith
tech ni qu es.
added
texture.
the tiles by cutting
ing them into certain on hand.
random ness."
limi ted palette
or selection
of deco-
and apply them in a
random
base of a birdbath,
or utilized as the
variety of elem ents
decorative
in castings,
piece a sense of unity, and often, a
as stepping
such
stones or sidewa lks.
rhythm
w ay. T he Iim itation
or pattern
on the
helps to give the is created
subcon-
Materials and Tools CO NC RE TEMI X: Pr em ixe d Sa nd (To pping) Mi x, Mo rtar Mi x or Mi x 3; Slurry - Mo saic m aterials 68 through
-
Container
-
Pai nt br us h
- Container - Screw driver - Sponge
and tools (pages
wi th plastic
(photo
Wh en you're
satisfied
m ent, use the handle
22).
wi th the placeof the screw -
driver to firm ly tap the pieces into the we t concrete
(photo
the pieces so the surface
23). Embed
is level w ith
the co nc ret e. Note: D ue to displacem ent,
you m ay the
object and the concrete.
pinch of concrete, or take a w et sponge, squeeze out m ost of the
larger than w here you plan to apply (photo
on page 38 (photo handle
surface
4
20).
layer of concrete
using the patty technique to m ix concrete
the concrete 8
Y ou can either add an additional
5 Ap ply an additional
to m ix slurry
I
pieces on
3 Mi x the slurry and concrete.
the concrete
70)
7 A rrange your decorative
emb edded
Paint the slurry onto an area sli ghtly
M ix 1 4
to set slightly
see a sm all space betw een
sciously.
apply
so the con-
before you begin to em bed.
of
Ip lan on a
w ithin
or so. Periodically
crete has a chance
or sizes
like to or ga ni ze
I
mi nutes
m ore slurry and concrete
or break-
shapes
boxes. O nce the concrete is applied, go to w ork in a m ethod Ir efer to as "planned
20
I'll
form s, such as the bow l and pedestal surfaces
as you think you can em bed
in low cut cardboard
rative m aterials,
to base
A pply as mu ch slurry and concrete
on a few
colors of tiles and a few ele-
m ents to provide
to help push out
air.
6
that you'll use
O ften I'll decide
my ma terials
into the final
of concrete
random ly.
ma terials
for mi ng
It can be incorporated
of ma terials
push the concrete
up as it is applied any trapped
im age or just have a
selection
prepare
Ease the
onto the form by pushing
flat. Co ntinually
Prepare your ma terials for emb edding. Y ou m ay w ant to design a rec-
different
base. W hen you
firm ly rather than trying to slap it on
so that Ih ave a good supply
A
can be com bined
sev eral di fferent application
for
pieces and to r a
em bedded
Em bedding
70
Iist of fros t-resistant
that are recom m ended
the base form.
ognizable
on page
to a vertical
try not to create air pockets. cem ent
2
mo saic and
are described
Prepare
hori-
but gets trickier wh en
apply th is layer to a vertical surface,
I
in
style and personal ity of the ma ker. T he differences
- W ood craft stick
Instructions
very direct process that can be or controlled
zontal surface, applied
T his is a
spontaneous
of a bow l, w hich is basicallya
brush
concrete
21).
described
T he layer of
only needs to be as thick as
the thickest
ma terial
you're
emb ed-
wa ter, and sponge
over the concrete
towa rd
the center of the emb edded
ob jec t.
Th is sho ul d move the con-
crete into that sma ll space. emb edding
If
you're
a large, porous object,
first dip it in w ater and then blot off the excess mo isture.
Ad ding mo is-
ture to the porous object before try-
S U R F A C E T R lA T M E N T S ing to em bed
it w ill keep it from
77
II
absorbing
too m uch w ater from the
concrete.
Wh en using sea shells, fill
T he next clay, take the piece outside and spray it w ith w ater. U se the
any open spaces w ith concrete
nylon brush to clean the film off the
before em bedding.
decorative
reinforce
T his w ill help to
the shell. If the shell gets
broken and is not fil ied, it creates
a
space for w ater to collect, and during a freeze/thaw
cycle, m ore dam -
age caul d occur. If the shell gets broken,
you'll have a concrete
sil on the surface
fos-
of your piece that
wiIIst ill look int er es ting .
stainless-
steel brush to clean m ore difficult textural you don't hasn't
or
areas, but be careful that scrub so hard as to scratch
the concrete;
and it had been filled w ith
concrete,
pieces. Y ou m ight w ant to
use a toothbrush-sized
it feels soli d, but it
yet reached
its full hardness.
C hunks of concrete w ith the w ooden you've
finished
can be pried off craft stick. W hen
clea ning, rinse the
piece w ith w ater one last time . Ifyo u find that your concrete beginning
is
to set up, and things
are
If you're
able to clean your piece
not tapping
in so easi Iy, cut out a
within
sma ll shape,
approxima tely
you'll find that m ost of the cem ent
of the decorative
the size
elem ent,
add a dab
12 to 24 ho ur s of emb ed di ng ,
residue
can be rem oved
w ith w ater
of slurry, and then tap in the piece.
and elbow grease.
Ad ditional
to w ork on your piece until som e
pinches
fill any rema ining
of concrete
can
spaces.
9
sponge
large deposits
of concrete
to clean off and
the surface of the concrete
(photo
24).
sponge
frequently
clean surfaces concerned concrete
to rinse your
and rotate
it to
as you w ork. D on't be
if a thin layer O r fi1 m of rema ins
on the surface.
C ontinued sponging sm ear m ore concrete
face, not clean it com pletely,
so stop
sponging.
cleaned
the piece, or
after the first 24 hours, cure for at leas t five da ys.
It
em bedding
a bow l,
plan a w ork session long enough com plete
the design
the bow l. If you stop w ork in the of the bow l and return to it
the next day, there m ay be a visible line or ridge distinguishing the two applications.
If you w ant to emb el-
side the first day, allow that to set fin ished w orking,
cover
your piece loosely w ith plastic and lea ve un di stur be d
ov er ni gh t.
to
to the edge of
lish both sides of the bow l, do one
10
Wh en you're
12
m iddle
is only going to over the sur-
to use
(see page 26).
A fter you've
smo oth
R eme mb er
unable
tim e later, it m ay be necessary chemi cals
U se the dam p
If you're
up for 24 hours, and do the other side on the second
day.
78
(COiKR£TE
fO ll (
EN.VI~ONMENTS
(on e e te Fo lk Env ir on
nt
A So ur ce of Inspi r at ion ooking at the wo rk of creative people w ho are categorized
as
Fo lk, Na ive, or Vi siona ry Ar tists has provided inspiration
a m ajor source of for my wo rk. Wh ile it's
hard to com e up w ith an encom passing label for folk artists (not, in itself, a bad thing), informa lly attracted
trained
they're
usually
or self taught.
I'm
to th is type of w or k for
seve ral reasons :
use of ma terials,
dedication
(to the project),
adventure,
and the sheer tenacity
spirit of of
the artists. There are books available tha t cove r these artists extens ive ly. but as a w ay to provide examp les
of creative
additional
concrete
and the vast possibilities wi th concrete
as the starting
I'd like to Introduce the se rema rka bl e
use
that exist point,
you to a few of
artists.
T hese are creative
people
on a m is-
sion, and oftentime s
their wo rk takes
the form of a garden,
park, or yard
Right: Wisconsin Concrete Park Phillips, Wisconsin (c. /950-1964) Fr ed Smit h (1886-/976) celebrated po pu lar fron tier he roe s from rea l life, his me mo ry, an d po pu lar fol klore by cr eat ing at lea st 200 an ima l an d hu ma n figu res inc lud ing co wb oy s, po litica l figu res, hor se-draw n wa go ns , and even a lar ge -sca le Pa ul Bu ny an . Court~.$y of the Friend; of Fred Smith. Inc.
an d th e Smi th Fam ily. Ph ot o by lisa St one
Aboue: The Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend, Iowa (begun 1912) Of ten called "T he Ei g hth Wo n der o f th e Wo rld ," the Gr o tto o f the Red emp tion wa s be gu n by fat he r Pa ul Dob be rstei n (1872-1954) as an ho ma g e to the Bl essed V irg in Ma ry. By 1939, mo re tha n a mi llion peop le ha d visited it. Fat he r Dobb er st ei n' s wor k wa s th e in spiratio n fo r ma n y of th e o ther g ro ttos in the reg ion . Wo rk co ntin u es o n th e gr ot to .
Above: Ave Maria Grotto, Cullman, A1abama (c. 1932-1934) Inspi red by ar t histor y bo ok s an d po stca rds , Br ot her Jos eph Zoetl (1878-1961) bu ilt mi ni at ur e co nc re te ar ch itec tur al re pl ica s of Ch ristian shrines that we re placed at an ab ando ned qua rry on the groun ds of the mo nas tery in wh ich he lived.. Ma ny of the bui ldi ng s ar e pa int ed co ncr ete, bu t the mi ni at ur e
ar chitectur e de tai ls ar e fashion ed from items suc h as toi let floa ts an d bi rd ca ge s. Th e ce nt erpi ece of this pa rk- like setting is a central grot to finished in 1934. Photo by sherrl Hunter Right: Garden o f Eden, lucas, Kansas (c. 1907-1929) Th e Gar de n of Ed en is on e of the ol de st sur viving env iron me nts in the Un ited Stat es. Its creat or, Sa mu el Pe rry Di nsmo re (18 431931) fas hi on ed the loc al lime ston e of Lu ca s, Ka ns as int o squa re-hewe d, not ched section s that resemb led logs to build a th re e- sr o ry hous e. The garde neon tain s abo u t 50 SCI)/ptares with 30 trees al l ma de by han d- for me d co ncr ete reinfor ce d wi th steel a nd chicken wi re arma tures. On e sid e of the halfac re pr op erty is the ma nifestat ion of his religi ou s be lief, wi th we lco mi ng sta tu es of Ad am a nd Ev e a t the entry . The o ther side of the hou se is pe op led by pol iticians an d Am erican heroe s. Ph 010 by Sh eli f leek iR; ~th
show gone w acky: a unique
environ-
doors. T he son w as so am used the father continued
m ent. Som e create out of a w ork ethic to be useful and to m ake som e-
am azing
thing to give back to m ankind,
populated
others are m otivated ration,
howe ver
personally
transstarted
environme nt
enough:
encourage
concrete
Wi sconsin,
to build an m enagerie
betw een.
that
builder
his wh ole gaJden.
innocently panda,
hoping
Folk art environme nts his he to
his Sickly son to play out-
G eorgia,
cific to anyone
In a few instances,
[act they exist w orldw ide
or region.
In
in coun-
tries such as india, France, England, and South A frica. T hey can be found
in
a
w ork, but for the m ost
part, any sim ilarity
are not spe-
country
and all states
m ay have seen or heard ofa
predecessor's
by divine inspi-
lated. A m an in E ngland built a concrete
w hile
in the Un ited States in Ca lifornia,
that
in w ork is m ore
the result of a shared, sciousne ss
collective
tha n a.di rect referenc e.
con-
Ab ov e: Pa rad ise Ga rde n Su mme rville, Ge or gia (c. 1960-/970S) Se ve ral co nc rete wa lls eme rge from the Pa rad ise Gar de ns {ike cr az y qu ilts, emb el lish ed wi th Vi rtua lly an y fou nd ob jec t imag ina bl e, inc lud ing re ligi ou s st at ue s, sec tion s of co mme rc ial ly pr od uc ed co nc re te ga rd en scu lpt ur es , an d simpl e ca sting s mad e from di sca rde d co nt ai ne rs. Cr eat or Re ue ran d Ho war d Fi ns ter (b. 1924) us es hi s ga rde n to illus trat e hi s re ve la tions and re ligi ous be li ef s. Photos by She, ,; Hunte r Le ft.: Wat ts To we rs , Lo s Ang el es , Cal ifo rni a (c. 1924-195/J These amazing teo-foot (30 m) to w ers w ere bu ilt fro m the gro u nd u p wi tho ut mac hi ne s, sca ffol di ng or wr itten pl an s by an Ital ian immi gr an t na me d Si mon Ro di a (1875-1965). Ar ma tur es for the tow ers we re con struc ted by tightly wi ring bent steel an d ch icken wi re. As the tow ers gr ew in he igh t, Rodia wo ul d us e the struc tur e itself as the scaf fol di ng to climb an d con tinue its con struc tion us ing rop es to pu ll up sup pl ies. Ea ch tier or run g wa s emb edd ed wi th di scar de d ma terial s ran ging from glas s bo ttles, she lls, roc ks , br ok en tiles an d pl at es. Th e wh ol e en viron me nt is sur rou nd ed by a sca llop -sha pe d wa ll. In 1954, Ro d !« ga ve the key a nd the title of the pr op erty to a neighbor an d wa lke d aw ay into ob scur ity. photo
by Mar.
Greenfield
As di ffer en t
as the se ind ivi du al s
and their environme nts are theme s,
buildi ng
and preservation the m toge ther
are, there techni ques,
issues that link like di stant
in the best case scenarios, bers of the com m unity
see the value and uniqueness the artist's
cousins at a fami ly reunion.
enjoyme nt.
Of ten the builde rs
time s nature,
and labeled
social outcasts,
it fo r public
Un fortunately,
som e-
time , and thought-
less individuals
have w on out in
ecc ent rics .
the destruction
or dam age
B ut w hen all w as said and done,
the se ama zi ng
the ve ry lea st, creat ive
or at
to of
w ork, and m ade the
ef for t to pr es er ve
we re harassed
m em -
began
env iron me nt s.
of
PROJ'Em
:(OMMUNITY-BUlLJ
project:
o m m u n if - u il P r o ·e c s Buildin~
a totem sculpture
ping stones. budget
Com m uni t ie s t rou~h to w ork w ith broad-based
formi ng
nity groups,
and decorative
tech-
niques lends itself to the possibility of involving a wi der com m unity design,
T he third-grade
an artw ork.
com m u-
designs.
artist
in classrooms , wo rked wi th a specific co mmu ni ty of stude nt s.
of people w ith the
organization,
and creation
I've had the opportun
students
ity
T H E E N S WO RT H T he Inma n Sculpture and constructed
P R OJ E C T
for the step pi ng -ston e
the final installation, third-grade
wa s conceived
specific theme :
third, sixth, and seventh
graders
at
young
w ater, earth, and air. of that theme I w as
puzzled
w as
w hen a
m an in the "air" class show ed
m e his design blue.
in
each of the three
classes wo rked w ith a
left wi de open.
w ith the help of the
w ere
T o help unify the designs
T he Interpretation of
a
for w ork-
ing wi th the students.
A rt
and as a visiting
and step-
N ext w e estim ated
and a tim e schedule
res po ns ibl e he acc essibi l ity of co nc ret e
81
I thought
of a leaf surrounded he had gotten
by
con-
Enswo rth School in Na shville, Te n-
fused; then he explained
ne ssee .
w as being blow n into the sky by the
Fi rst,
I
wo rked wi th He idi
We lch, one of the art teachers,
to
wi nd. T he third graders
identify
for the
grasped
l
the basic comp onents
the concept
that the leaf quickly
of arranging
_. -
De tail of The En swo rth Pr oject a tribut e to a special teacher.
photos by Cary layd"
the
hydrated
lime w ere trow eled
structure
in layers to form an undu-
lating wa ll wi th sculptures
onto the eme rging
from the top of the w all to add interest and height. We planned brightly
to cover the w all w ith
covered
mo saic designs.
Ov er
a period of several years, hundreds vo lun teers,
ages 6 to 76, we re aske d
to contribute
w as that the designs
uplifting.
Mo saic designs
arranged
on paper patterns,
wi th transparent
ate their designs pavers.
Stepping
Be fore starting
for the reverse-cast
the totem
the ol der stude nts
sculpture,
br ainstorme d
Stone Park at the S alvation C enter in
Na shville, Te nnessee,
is a very special
project that could only have been energies
of
ideas for a them e, and then created
hundreds
clay mo dels of symb ols they w anted
vision for the park w as the inspira-
to use to represent
it. The sports
of volunteers.
Th e original
tion of R enee L aRo se, a local artist
them e w as a special tribute
to M r.
w ho w anted
Inma n, a recently
faculty
steps that the previously
home less
residents
Ar my 's
m emb er.
deceased
S tudents
eve ry step of the the polystyrene
w ere involved
in
pr oj ect-carvi ng foam , applying
of the Salvation
Tr ansitional con-
taking
to acknow ledge
the
Ho using Program
we re
as they w orked tow ard
self-
crete, and comp leting
the mo saic
sufficiency.
surfaces.
are proud of
L aR ose invited me to assist. The sur-
T he students
the piece (installed
in a courtyard
next to the school's
gym nasium)
has becom e a lasting m onum ent their collaborative be lov ed
tea ch er .
energies
rounding that to
and to a
Trained as a painter, w all w as form ed
from the ground
by hand
up. R ebar w as bent
to form 'u' shapes and then set into the ground. hardw are com plete sanded
C ross su PPOTts
an d
cloth w ere w ired on to the arm ature, concrete
and layers of
m ixed w ith
the designs
to the wa ll, we organized
various
ima ges in groupings-an
underwa ter
scene, a circus train, a sports wa ll-to
A rm y A rea C om m and
bui It w ith the creative
secured shelf
until the w all w as
ready. Be fore we applied
S T EP P ING ST ON E P AR K
be
we re
adhesive
paper, and stored
tile piece like a jigsaw puzzle to cre-
the on Iy
tile designs;
requirem ent
A d eta il o f th e wa ll at S tep pin g St o n e Pa rk a t the Sa lva tion Ar my Ar ea Co mm a nd Cen ter in Nash vi ll e, te nne ss e. Photo by Cary tay da
of
add some continuity
to the zzo-foot could be
(72 rn) mo saic. T he designs
picked
up and positioned
they w ere attached paper.
Surrounding
in w ith bands landscapes
because
to the adhesive areas we re filled
of color to form stylized
and the sculpture
we re also covered
Ni ne years in the ma king, Stone P ark wa s funded from int erested
forms
in mo saic. Stepping
by donations
indi vi dua ls,
organi za-
tions, and the artists thems elves, and built entirely wi th volunteer hours. T here's a special sense of pride w hen people com e to the park and recogni ze their design section
or can point out the
of w all they helped grout. T his
has truly been a project for a com m unity, built by the comm unity.
Chapter
83
4
Th re you ready to m ix som e
fun and help
ma terials
concrete?
de ve lop
already
B efore you get
simp le
you don' t have around
skili s you can
your home . T ake into
this. It explains how the projects are organized and offers tips that w ill
refine. Th e next ei gh t pr oj ec ts
account the w ork space you're going
ma ke your projects
take the simp le
to use. Is it adequate
sk ills you 've
for the project you 're
started,
take a m inute
to read
go smo othly.
learned
and
abo ut to un de rtake ?
apply them in mo re challenging
L ay dow n som e plastic, put on a dust
w ays. In som e cases you m ay sim ply
m ask and a good pair of latex gloves,
be com bining
a
and you're ready to go.
few simp le techniques for one project, w hereas
Other Cens ider at i ens
in
ot he r ins tan ce s
T he projects broad
are grouped
categories
Be gi nner, Ad vanced.
based
Interme di ate,
into three on skill level:
you m ay be w ork-
Ma ny projects the tech ni qu es
ing on skills that take a I ittle pr ac -
in Chap te rs 2 and 3. Ma ke sure to take the
tice. Fi na lly, the
ma terials
las t ei gh t pr oj ec ts
needed
are perfect
for w hen you've
tle experience
got a lit-
under your belt.
niques deciding
refer to de scribe d
and tools for th ose tech-
into consideration
wh en
w hich project to start wi th.
and
Th e first eight projects
are perject for those w ho have never wo rked wi th concrete before. Th ey're
Th e concrete and slur ry mi xe s neede d for each project appear as the first listing in the Ma terials and To ols section. Th e mi xes are referred to by numb er and appear on pages 2 8 thr oug h and 30. Wo rk safely and have fun.
Flip through
the projects,
and read
through the Ma terials and To ols lists and the Instructions. Find a project you fee l co mf or tab le one that doesn't
wi th- pe rha ps
require
a lot of
Tu fa Tr ou gh Designer: Elder G. Jones Years ago, garden troughs were laboriously chiseled aut of blocks of stone. They made the perfect spot to showcase acid-loving plants, and they still do. Prized, moss-covered
troughs can be found in antique stores,
but they command top dollar, so why not create your own version of this planter at a fraction of the cost? All you do is create a basic form, mix together ingredients you can find at the local home improvement/garden center, and refine the shape with a few simple tools. This trough is actually made from a mix known as hypertufa, not tufa (compressed volcanic ash), but I couldn't resist the alliteration.
~ni'~ij
85
BEGINNER
Casting the Trough MI X: Mi x 7
CONCRETE
A pply the m old release
- Tape m easure - Saw
2
- 1/4-inch (1.9 ern) plywood -
Phillips-head
-
D ryw all screw s
- M old release
Set the form s on the plastic
screwd river
agent
w ork board
- M edium
container
and fill each form . Use the sm all
block of w ood to tam p or pack the m ixture to m ix concrete
4
T row el off the tops to level, and let the castings
- Trow el
six to eight hours.
- Putty knife
5
blades,
carving
tools: sharp
kitchen
U nscrew and remo ve
knife, saw
etc.
W ith the putty
mil pl as tic
-
2
D rill w ith a m asonry
-
2
trough.
bit (optional)
of 'I,-inch
(1.3 ern) hardw ood
m etal rod, 5 inches
long (12.7
ern)
dow el,
knife, carve out the inside shape of the hole at the bottom
DESCRIPTION
Q1Y -.
(
Tro u~h Si des Tr ou~ ~ Ends Le~Sides
4
D
le ~ Ends
4
B
MATERIAl.
the trough
m~ll ~lt(!r
x 34" (2 5. 4 x 86.4 e m ) x J O " (25.4 x 25.4 e m ) 1 0 x 1 0 " (25. 4)( 25.4 e m )
10
10
10
carving
use a sharp
shapes.
overnight
\!r~~
(they're
tools. H owe ver, a saw -toothed
and undisturbed
8
Creating the Trough Forms Cut the plyw ood
to w ait as long as four w eeks before setting
them in plastic, pieces C A ,B . C , D).
and spray w ith w ater. W rap
and cure for tw o w eeks. You m ay w ant
2
up on its legs to allow the m aterial
Butt the trough
mu m stren gt h.
pieces CA ,B ) to form a rectangle,
and
screw them tog et he r.
2
3
Set the trough
Butt tw o leg sides (C ) and tw o leg ends (D ) together
R epeat wi th the rema ining
boards.
10
quite fragile at this stage).
Mo ve the pieces outside,
form a leg form . and screw the boards
to
rather than
tool can add a good overall finish texture
the piece. Leave the pieces uncovered
x 8" ( 25. 4 x ZO.3 e m )
of
A s you
you'll find it mo re effective
knife to cut edges and surfaces
using the scraping blade
tools, carve the outside
and its legs to the desired
w ork w ith this m aterial,
DIMENSIONS
Plywood Plywood Plywood Plywood
of the trough.
I W ith the assorted
A
the form s.
T ake care not to carve any area too thinly.
Carve a drainage
or
(opti ana I)
CU T TI NG L IST F OR TH E F OR MS (ODE
set for
6
-
pieces
to elim i-
na te air bu bb les.
Block of w ood
- A ssorted
w ork board.
3
M ix the concrete
- Plastic
-
to the inside of each plyw ood
form.
together.
to
the m asonry
me tal rod s.
to reach its m axi-
on its legs. For additional bit to drill through
leg. T hen pin the trough
the trough
stability.
the trough
use
into each
to the legs w ith the dow els or
Sa nd- C a s t f r a m e The surface texture created from this simple casting technique makes the frame look both ancient and contemporary. You don't even need a specialized mold, just a sand pile and a few household items to make a frame for a favorite picture or to prepare a mirror for hanging. The basic instructions can easily be modified t
make
a decorative wall hanging. In addition to carving and digging designs in the sand to create your relief. press small objects, such as rocks, shells. or pieces of glass, onto the sand's surface. and they will become part of the: cast concrete design.
~~!I.I. tjVEit
(~tmrat[£~~="'---~~CO NC RE tEMI X; Premi xed Mix, -
OT
Sand (Topping)
Mi x, Mo rtar
M ix 3
Low box, larqer
than the pJanned
fram e
BEGINNER
.1 C ut four strips of the corrugated
cardboard
(5.1 ern) high to form a rectangle
the size of the fram e
opening
(see figure
2
inches
I).
!!
- Sand
Tape the rectangle
- Scissors or craft knife
together,
and w rap the bottom
edge w ith duct tape to wa terproof.
- R uler - C orrugated
.2 Square up the rectangle
cardboard
- D uct tape
tion the rectangle
- T ry square
into the sand,
- TabJe knife and spoon
tion as a guide.
- A ssorted
6
w ooden
blocks
- A viator shears
frame,
- '/s -inch (I. 3 ern) hardw are
cloth
carefully
- Short lengths
w ire
of zz-qauqe
3/ 4
to
posl-
like a cookie cutter, to m ake an indentaSet the rectangle
W ith the knife and spoon,
- M allet or ham m er
- Sm all container
w ith the try square,and
onto the center of the sand. Press it
I.
aside.
carve out the negative
of the
inch deep (1.9 to 2. 5 ern) in the sand,
remo ving
the excess sand (figure
I).
7
Stam p designs
to m ix concrete
w ith the w ooden
blocks. U se the m allet
to tap the blocks to get a good im pression. - T row el or putty kn.ife 2 pa ne l ha nge rs -
2
8
R eposition
mil pl as tic
- R asp or file
sand. A dditional
- Ne ws paper
the rectangle
- plastic bag - s-m inute
the cardboard
rectangle
ca st ing
(fi gu re
sand can be packed
so that it m aintains
in the center of
its shape du.ring the
I).
or m irror CARDBOAR.D R.ECTANGLE
- Piece of paper - Picture w ire
fill the low box w ith approxim ately
3 inches (7.6 ern)
of san d. 2
w ater to the sand so that it packs easily
but isn't runny, le ve l su rf ac e.
in the
epoxy
- Photograph
A dd enough
into the center of
the sand m old so that the edge is em bedded
Tam p the sand firm ly until it form s a
Figure
I
87
9
20
Cut four hardw are
cloth strips w ith the aviator
so that, w ith ends overlapping fit easily wi thin the frame
shears
onto one another,
they
area. Wi re them together.
A fter the fram e has dried. so that the hangers
and height of the fram e's
10
turn it over on a soft surface
are at the sides. M easure the w idth opening.
21
To create
a backing
II
in place,
cut tw o strips out of the corrugated
Pour the concrete
board
Mi x the concrete
to the consistency
of ranch dressing.
into the m old until half full.
U se your fingers m ixture
I inc h hi gh (2.5
should
12
or a sm all block of w ood to tam p the
so that the corners and detail textures
are
that w ill hold the picture
ern). T he length
be the w idth m easurem ent
or m irror card-
of the strips
or the fram e open-
ing pl us IV . inc he s (3. 8 ern) (see figu re 2). 22.
Cut a rectangle
filled.
out of the corrugated
cardboard
the
2
sam e Iength
as the strips and the sam e the height of
place the hardw are
the opening
plus 2'/, inches
and continue
cloth rectangle
into the casting,
to fill the m old to the top of the sand.
23
Generously
14
Carefully
level the concrete
m inute
w ith the trowe l or putty
knife, and insert the tw o panel hangers
4 inches
em ) from the top of the fram e, in the m iddle
(6.4 ern).
apply
the five-
epoxy to the card-
(10.2
of both
sides.
~ Cover the entire box w ith plastic, turbed
and leave undis-
for 36 hours. R esist the urge to rem ove
m old any sooner;
this is a thin casting,
the
and until there
the strips and allow to dry
has been am ple tim e for the initial set and cure, the
thorough
piece wi ll be quite fragile.
24
16
Slide the m inor
To rem ove
the casting,
dle of the rectangle,
scoop out the sand in the m idand rem ove the corrugated
Carefully dig out the sand around
form .
the sides so that
excess sand.
U se
the rasp to clean off any edges.
and leave undisturbed
strips betwe en
fram e from a sturdy 10
pages
at
news paper
in wa ter,
Put the fram e into a plastic for five days.
~ U nw rap and allow the fram e to air dry.
the cardboard
rectangle to
25
A ttach the picture
18
and w rap the fram e.
cardboard
by the
cover the m irror or photo as you slide it in to avoid scratching the surface, and then remo ve.
17
T o cure, soak about
or the photo-
into the space created
and the fram e back. U se a scrap piece of paper
you can lift the fram e out of the sand. Spray the fram e w ith w ater to rem ove
graph
Iy (see figure 2).
bag,
w ire to the panel hangers. hook.
H ang the
G ar den C r itter s
CON CR ET EMI X: Premi xed
Sand (To pping)
Mi x,
Mo rtar Mi x, or Mi x 3
lnhab'tan pathwa; ,bu
n my garde you can
oose
r
s
ny ld za you like, T s
- R everse-C ast
Mo saic m aterials
and tools. page 7 3
J-
p into two distinct activ ties, The fIrS
ect can be brok n IS
C
nspi ed the designs
to prepare your mosaic d sign, the sec nd s to cast the
steppmq stones, ThIS ere':'! when
't
is a great garden pro e '
isn't good garden'ng
0 wok
weather, an
it's fun to do with kids,
n
Select your m old, U se one purchased from a store, or follow the instructions for building a square stepping-stone instructions
m old in the C oncrete
Fossils
on page 93.
2
Follow the instructions C ast Mo saic, pages
in C hapter
73 through
3 for R everse-
75.
1 A fter the stones grass,
have cured,
place them directly
or recess them in the ground
on
or in decora-
tive roc k.
N O TE:I f you have m ore than one m old. it's very useful to prepare
a series of designs
and then cast
them all at the sam e tim e. Y ou'll need a plasticcovered
w ork board
extra board
for each stone. and just one
to use to turn the stones over.
90
S k i l lL e v e l J E ( jIN N E I~
Bookends Totally chic! Totally retrol These quick and easy bookends will look absolutely fab next to your lava lamp. Not your style? Simply substitute the blue and purple aquarium gravel with natural river rocks, marble chips, or crushed shells to create a completely different look. rhe texture of these bookends is achieved by scrubbing concrete otf the surface to expose the aggregate
On this case, aquarium graveD. This technique, otten used on
patios and driveways, has been brought down to size for this project.
B E G IN N E R
7
CONCRETE MIX: Mix
M ix the concrete,
2
tam ping
- Saw - 'I.-inch-thick
L evel the top of the castings
large coffee
2
L et the concrete castings
- Pa int br ush - M otor oil, or substitute
sm all,
m old release
-
Sand
10
to
hours. Y ou w ant the
24
to be firm , w ith no w ater visible w hen you rub
able to scratch fingernai
plastic-covered
set up for
your finger back and forth, but you still should
- Spray lubricant 2
w ith the trow el.
2
cans, w ith tops and bottom s
removed
-
as you go.
S
(1.3 ern) plyw ood
- C an opener -
and fill the open half of each can,
and agitating
wo rk boards
concrete
from the surface
be
w ith your
t. If you take your piece out too early, it'll be
m ore fragile,
and you'll have to be careful, If you take
it out too late, you'll have to scrub harder to expose
- Sm all container -
Trow el
-
Stiff nylon
-
2
to m ix concrete
the aggregate
to create the surface
texture.
10
or w ire brush
T o rem ove the bookends
mi t pl as tic
from the m olds,
can and push O L 1tt he sand.
- Felt or th in sheet of cork
aw ay from the casting
- W hite glue
the piece come s loose.
pick up the
M ove the center board
and gently
w ork the can until
II
Spray the bookends scrub the surface C ut the plyw ood
into tw o boards
that fit snugly
the center of each can. E ach board
should
inside
also be
I
the decorative w ith the surface
w ith w ater. and rem ove
Stop w hen you're
texture.
Spray the bookends
cally as you w ork to rem ove
a
12
w ith the
L ightly apply
the spray lubricant
the boards
sure the boards
inside each can.
into the center of each can. Ma ke
are perpendicular
to the w ork surface.
S
Place each can on its ow n w ork board. 6
FiII the side of each can that does not have the oi I
board
w tih the plastic.
periodi-
residue.
an d cure for one
~
3
coating
C over the bookends
the concrete
pleased
w eek, then air dry for at least three w eeks.
paintbrush.
,.Position
exposing
aggregate.
inch (2.5 ern) taller than the cans.
A pply the m otor oil to one side of each board
U se the stiff brush to the concrete,
on the board
w ith sand.
T his w ill hold the
firm as you fill the m old w ith the concrete.
T o finish, qlue felt or cork sheeting each bookend Groovy!
so they w on't scratch
to the bottom your shelves.
of
91
92
Skillevel~ tEtiH~"~
fossils
Concrete
Even though these aren't fossils from another geological age, the imprint of [eaves gathered on a nature walk or from around your home can create lasting memories, This is the type of project that family members can enjoy doing t"lgether. The instructions show a square, but the same technique will work in any shape mold. Create concrete fossils as stepping stones for a path. or to add an interesting accent in your garden.
CO NC RE TEMI X; Pr emi xe d
Sa nd (To p-
ping) Mi x, Mo rtar M ix, or M ix 3 - Saw - 5'/, line ar
feet (1.7 rn) of
I
x 3
stock" -
I line ar foot stock"
-
Drill
-
Sandpaper
-
Phillips-head
-
16 dr ywa ll
-
em) long* .2 plastic-covered
- M old release - A viator
(30
em ) of
2 X 2
-
R einforcing Flat leaves crete
- Screed
1'/. inches
(3.2
- Paper or synthetic - Putty
w ork boards agent
knife
pointed
knife
or straight
pin - R asp or file (optional)
m aterial
container
towels
- Sponge - Sharp,
shea rs
-
- M ediu.m screwd river
screw s,
- Plastic to m ix con-
"Q uantity M ultiply
garbage listed
bag is for one m old.
the quantity
ber of m olds
for the num -
you plan on m aking.
CU TT ING LI ST FOR TH E SQ UA RE ST EP PI NG -ST ON E MOL D
(O D E
D E S C R IP T IO N
Q IY .
M A n R lA l 3 stock
Sides Ends
Z
IX
S~pports
4
x 3 stock Z X l stock
A B
I
Mi x the concrete.
:D lM fN S IO N S 2
x
1 4"
(,.I x 35.6
3
em )
2 x 1 8 '/1" (5.1 x 46.3
em )
T ake a sm all am ount,
O verlap the applications
of the concrete,
blend the seam s until the bottom
2" 10 n1 (5. 1 em)
and pat it onto
the lea ve s 1 0 anchor them to the plastic wo rk surface. patting
to
of the m old is covered.
4
Comp lete the casting
Building a Square Stepping-Stone (2 x 14 x 14 inches
ins truct ion s
Mold
[5.1 x 35.6 x 35.6 cml)
according
to the R everse Casting
on pa ge s 73 through
75 , steps
U se the sponge
Cut the tw o sides (A ), the tw o ends (B ), and the four
m ay also need to use the sponge any concrete
all edges lightly.
that has covered
to gently w ash aw ay
the leaves or stem s, and
2
to w ipe over the rest of the concrete
Predrill tw o holes into each end of the side pieces (A ).
fa ce te xt ur e.
3
6
(C) to both ends of each side
piece (A) (see illustration),
straight
pin to I ift stubborn
edges.
7
_!
R em ove the m old, and lightly sponge
place the tw o sides (A ) on their edges w ith the supports facing out. Predrill two holes at
edges of the casting.
each end of the end boards (B).
Cover the casting
A lign the ends to the sup-
9
support,
to form the
square.
These are the
.
the sides and
8
File the bottom
ports, and attach wa ll screws per
to unify the sur-
C arefully rem ove the leaves. U se the sharp knife or
and insert the screws from
the inside of the sides into the supports.
them w ith tw o dry-
13 .
to clean the edge of the m old. Y ou
supports
A ttach tw o supports
through
2
I
(c), and sand
II
w ith plastic
for 24 hours.
edge of the fossil. Cure the fossil for one
w eek. and then allow it to air dry.
•
Va riation:
An easy
variation
of this project
is to cast
and finish the top of a m old. A llow the concrete
screw s you'll rem ove to take the
up, and let the surface w ater evaporate
mo ld apart.
sh in y (a ppr oxi mat el y
A pply the m old release
to firm
until no longer
30 to 45 mi nutes).
Th en position
agent to the inside of the m old.
your pressed leaves firm ly into the surface. A llow the casting to sit undisturbed overnight. If you don't w ant
Casting the Fossil
to use leaves, cast and finish the top of the m old as above,
I
Wi th the aviator shears, cut the hardwa re (1.3
de sign s
cloth '/,-inch
ern) sma ller than the inside of the mo ld and set aside.
(Ch ap ter
Position the m old on the w ork board,
and arrange
the
leaves inside the m old, vein side up, as you w ould like in the casting.
3, page
to stam p
or a pencil to incise
61 through
press your hand into the surface im pression.
2
them to appear
and use objects
63).
Y ou can also
until you have a good
W hen doing this, I recom m end
that you
first apply a good coat of hand cream , and w ash your hand wh en finished.
94
S k illL ev e l [SEGINjEOO
M as onr y Pl ant er Th is p lan ter about
wa s in sp ired
it, I learned
artist. T he basic co nstru ction b y in clu ding
by on e
I saw ,
it h ad been p urchased tech niq ue
some ro ck s y ou've
g ath ered
w ith a hefty p rice tag o n it, at an antiqu e
m all. Wh en
l asked
fro m an estate sale and had been m ade by an u nk no w n is really lik e bu ild ing on v acation s,
OT
a little rock wa ll. Ma k e this p lanter
fo lk special
sim p ly break u p a few bricks like Idid h ere.
. l~! IJ. .4, ~~ EGINNER tJ 7
CO NC R ET EMI X: Premi xed - A ssorted
Mo rtar Mi x or Mi x 3 or 6
rocks, pebbles,
and broken
to m ix concrete
-
w ork board
plastic-covered
plastic
Continue
w astepaper
plastic garbage
-
Kitchen
-
N ylon brush
as if you're
building
a rock w all around
w astepaper
can until you reach the desired
the planter.
For this exam ple,
the
height for
I used six row s of rocks
and finished the rim w ith som e of m y favorite rocks, arranging them a little closer, and pushing just bag
enough
knife
- Mu riatic
the arrangeme nt
can
trow el
-
staggering
them on
8
- Sm all container
- Pointed
of rocks, and arrange
[rorn the first row . Tap lightly to seat the rocks.
ham m er
- Sm all, round,
group
the new layer of concrete,
brick
- Safety goggles - M asonry
Select another
to secure them into the last application
of
concrete.
2
acid (optional)
Cover the planter, plastic,
including
and leave undisturbed
the w astepaper
can, w ith
for 24 hours.
10
The next day, carefully twi sting
I
Collect assorted
rocks and pebbles.
goggles on, use the masonry into chun ks. Set aside.
Wi th your safety
ham me r
to break bricks
can by
as you pull upw ard.
II
W ith the knife, carve a hole in the center of the bottom of the planter for drainage. 12
2
Mi x the concrete
to a stiff, sm ooth,
no-slum p
consis-
Spray the planter
w ith w ater,
and cover w ith plastic for
one we ek.
tency.
~
~ la y a round bed of concrete
On the w ork board, approximately (10.2
slightly
rem ove the w astepaper
1'/, inches (3.8 ern) thick,
em ) larger in diam eter
R em ove the plastic,
and 4 inches
than the w astepaper
can.
~ Center the w astepaper
can on top of the bed of concrete.
S
A rrange
a row of flat rocks on the concrete
they protrude
past the outside
perim eter
crete. Press on the rocks slightly
bed so that of the con-
to secure them.
6
W ith the trow el, w astepaper
place a row of concrete
can, covering
each em bedded w ork the concrete
slightly
next to the
m ore than half of
rock. U se the point of the trow el to in and around
the rocks.
brush.
and clean the rocks w ith the nylon
U se the m uriatic
fac e, if de sired .
acid to further clean the sur-
95
96
Skil lleve l 8iGl ~.~~ ~~
lauy Border Create a garden border that's jazzy in two meanings of the word. Improvise and make it flashy. Start by creating beautiful border bricks, and then throw in some fl1nky found objects to add unexpected contrast. Gather up a variety of elements-lamp
parts, bowling balls, machine parts, and other interesting thingamajigs.
If you'd
prefer a more natural border, tr y coral, driftwood. rocks. and large shells. T ry organizing and rearranging elements in the grass before you actually try to install it. Pretend you're making music ... improvise.
the
[M~lGlaaS t ttl Q ~ \
'':Z -
CO NC RE TEMI X: Premi xed
Sand (To pping)
3
_
Mi x, Mo rtar
place the tw o side pieces (A ) on their sides w ith the
M ix, or M ix 3
supports
- Saw
(c), and attach
-
4 line ar
feet (1.2 m ) of
-
2 line ar
fee t (6 1 ern) of 2 X 2 stock"
I
- Phillips-head
of bricks you plan on m aking
at
the same time .
(3 rnr n) bi t
screwd river
16 dr yw a II scr ew s,
w ith tw o dryw all
4
R epeat for the num ber
D rill wi th 'Is-inch
-
to the supports
screws for each support.
x 6 stock"
- Sandpaper -
facing out. A lign the ends to the supports
1'/, inches
long (3.2
Making the Bricks
ern)"
I
- R everse-C ast -
2
M osaic m aterials
and tools,
page
73
mi l pl as tic
- R ocks, lam p parts, and other found
bow ling
objects
balls,
m achinery
parts,
(optional)
T he brick designs
are created
Mo saic technique
detailed
through
75. T he only differences
m old is different
quantity
for the num ber
Mu ltiply
of brick m olds
to m ake. Y ou can save tim e by casting
the
you plan several
A
~ides Ends
B (
Snpports
QlY.
DIMENSIONS
MATERIAL
6 stock
4
x 6 s toc k
4
IX I
z x i stock
4
X 1 0 " (1 0 .2 X
x 9'/1" 4"lon~
lS.~ e m )
(I O.l X 24 .1 (10,2
em )
em )
.·1,
J_:J'JIJ
Building the Brick Mold I
Cut the w ood as specified in the cutting list, and sand all edges lightly to remo ve any splinters. 2
A ttach tw o supports
(C ) to both ends of each side
piece (A ). U se tw o dryw all screw s for each support, and screw them in from the inside of the side boards into the supports.
O n a flat, plastic-covered
table.
2
C ure for five days in the plastic,
D esign your border fou nd ob jec ts.
CU T TI NG LI ST F OR TH E BR ICK MO LD
D[S(RIPTION
are needed.
and then air dry.
3
bricks at once.
CODE
3, pages 73
are that the brick
and no w ork boards
can w ork directly listed is t o r one brick m old.
* Q uantity
using the R everse-C ast
in C hapter
T ake care to align the supports
wi th the edges of the sides (see illustration).
flush
usinq the bricks and selected
Y ou
98
Skill Levell-BEGiNNERIi
O rna m e nt a l Sp he re Designer:- George E. Aaamy There's something amusing about a large sphere you know is made from concrete but that you can actually pick up. Make your sphere any size you want, from a ping-pong to its scale, you'll project utilizes
end up with a permanent,
the Polyada.m
Concrete System,
ball to an 8-foot (2.4 m) weather balloon. Relative
lightweight object that can "live" wherever you want it to. This which uses portland cement, aggregate,
polyadam
II or PII (a
high-quality, acrylic, polymer additive), and glass scrim to build up a skin on the ball armature. This system will make an indoor/outdoor, strong yet lightweight, sphere that's waterproof and easily colored.
