Post #189256 by capotiki on Tue, Sep 27, 2005 8:11 PM

cover the entire piece with mortar,three parts sand to one part portland,you can go 4 to one,from my experience it makes little difference,the more sand the rougher texture you will end up with.The portland rises as you work the mortar.The most important part is the water added,keep it just wet enough to flow when applied.After you cover the unit finish off the parts with little detail,the back side
and so on.Then start building up the features.Your wire frame should speed up this part.Keep moving adding small layers.You will get a feel when the mortar has set enough to hold more bulk.Temperature and humidity will effect setting time.Do not concentrate too much on detail at first ,try to get the dimension you are after and then get the detail.Keep a paint brush and water handy,if the surface seems to dry brush with water,also after complete smooth entire piece the same way,maybe after setting for 30 to 40 minutes.If is a good idea to mist with water every 1/2 hour or so for 2 or three hours to slow down the drying process.If it drys too fast it could get surface cracks.capo