Post #105656 by Aaron's Akua on Sun, Aug 1, 2004 11:45 PM

TNTiki,

You're right, they're probably too heavy to ship - but there's still hope. I'm a west coast guy, and not very good at geography. I've been to Nashville and Memphis, but I'm not sure where K-Town is. Anyway, if you checked out the link that I made for Tiki Filipi, you'll see that there is a big Mfr. of AAC in Louisville, Kentucky:

Eckart America, L.P.
4101 Camp Ground Road
Louisville, Kentucky 40211
Phone: (502) 775-4243
Fax: (502)-775-4249

Is this too far for a Saturday drive? You may want to call them & find out if their product is sold locally in your area. You may be able to just pick some up at a builder's supply house of do-it-yourself store.

I bought mine at E-Crete in Arizona, and had to buy a whole pallete of the stuff. They just don't sell it locally in California (because of our shaky ground, the Bldg Codes won't allow it) Still, the whole batch cost about $140 for 40 or so blocks ($3.50 a block), and I split them with a friend. The guys at the factory were pretty stoked to find out that we were using this for sculpture, because it's pretty mundane stuff - like CMU blocks used for building walls.

Maybe you could go in on a pallette with other TC users in your area? It never hurts to ask.

Also, I found this posting for a free sample of the blocks at sculptor.org http://www.sculptor.org/Stone/Marble/CarvingStonesOffered.htm

The ad says:

"Ohio: Duffy Building Systems: Autoclaved, aerated concrete. A lightweight concrete that can be sculpted like basswood, but is durable like normal concrete when coated with proper sealants. One-fifth the weight of regular concrete, 600 to 700 psi compressive strength. Ship anywhere in the US. Call for free sample. Contact: Don Duffy at [email protected] or 614-419-4563 in Columbus, Ohio USA."

I emailed this guy the other day, and haven't heard back yet, but it's worth a try.

I hope you find a way to get some of this material, it really carves up nice! Good luck!

Aaron