imitation stone

Aloha.

In a recent thread, I mentioned the imitation stone. I dug out the book last night, and this is the recipe:

1.5 parts peat moss (finely shredded, no large lumps)
1 part sharp sand
1 part portland cement

Mix the dry ingredients together well and then add just enough water to bind these together to a stiff consistency.

There is also some information on staining the material various colors. Once I get that sorted, I will post it in another message for this thread.

OK, before I get to the coloring, I found the following handy tip. The book(let) is on making pots and planters, so that is why it refers to "containers"."After the container has air-dried for at least one week, you can greatly enhance the 'stone' appearance by cleaning and washing it...This treatment will give your containers a look and feel very much like real lava rock with its many small holes and rough texture...

"With a wire brush from the hardware, brush all outside surfaces. This wll remove the thin unbonded cement shell which will have formed over all the small bits of peat moss filler. Suddenly an almost smooth surface will become that of a very old rock which is full of small holes and fissures similar to those formed by foreign matter in a rock. Continue to brush until you get the effect you want. Round all sharp edges by brushing. The idea is to eliminate all evidence that this is anything other than an ancient and weather worn stone carving. The bits of peat moss will be brushed out, leaving only small random holes. Any air bubbles left by the casting process will blend right into the scheme of things! When most loose dust has been brushed away, wash the container with a hard blast from a water hose. Allow the container to dry for several days before proceeding."

Next up: Water-proofing and Staining

[ Edited by: KahunaMilu on 2002-08-23 16:55 ]

In conclusion:

“…A very satisfactory method for coloring these products is with the use of 'oil based' penetrating stains mixed with the Thompson’s water seal. This gives the obvious advantage of eliminating one step from in the manufacturing process as one waterproofs and colors at once.

“Mix one part ‘Wood Finish By Minwax’ (this is a mineral spirits based product) or equivalent stain with one part Thompson’s Waterseal or equivalent. Brush a wet flowing coat of this mixture on all surfaces of the product, just as recommended on the Waterseal container. When this has dried the prescribed time, repeat the application for added waterproof protection and for deeper color. These stains come in a very wide variety of colors. One can simulate stone colors in almost any hue imaginable. These products will give a flat, dull finish which looks like real rock colors in a range from very light tans, to reddish tones to almost black. Some interesting Minwax colors to try are ‘Early American No. 230’ for a light rusty tan color, ‘Red Mahogany No. 225’ for a medium dark reddish tone, and ‘Jacobean No. 2750’ for a dark, almost black finish. Don’t limit your experiments to these colors only. Many others are available. They can even be mixed to get the exact shade you want.”

hey, thanks for all the detail...I'm going to give it a try for my next one...I'm currently building two moai or, at least one is a moai...the other, since I live in Vermont, is going to be a MOO-AI yep, a cow moai with a red hat/stone on top and the black/white spots...

I went to Home Depot today to do some pricing. It was about $30 for everything. I would go to Big Lots to get brushes and dust/fume masks...another few dollars.

Definitely an affordable art/hobby.

Do you guys build an armiture out of wood and chicken wire and then put the mixture on that? I wan to create a big Moai but I was thinking more of the wire/paper mache kind that needs to live indoors.Please,any other tips on building one for outside would be awesome..thanks tikiluvgirl XXOO

Aloha, Tikiluvgirl! Look for an earlier post I started " Tips for building a moai...?" It has lots of good ideas from the others...I basically do as you say with the armiture, initially cover with plaster of paris, them pick a more protective coating...this faux stone looks good, or check out the link for monster mud, though they all look good...I'm just trying to find outdoor ideas, as I live in Vermont and I would really like to have a Moai sticking up through the snow and wig the neighbors out...Good Luck, Grey

Aloha Chef & Co.,
Try this out. Get a hopper gun and mix up Black Tile Grout and spray it on (knock it down here and ther for the natural look). I did my waterfall and planters. Faux Lava!! Would be quite a contrast popping up out of the white snow!!
p.s. seal it real well first.