Mississippi 44"

[dvm]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Those are looking good. And kudos for employing the skills of your art consultant. She will have fond memories of these days every time she looks at those counters, which barring some tornado, should be for years to come.

[UtahBeehiver]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Gulf,

WOW.......looking good. I have a sidewalk superintendent too. Your so lucky to be able to work, it just snowed another 8" this weekend at my place.

[stonecutter]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Interesting colors Gulf. Did you buy a bagged mix or is it your own mix design? I know a lot of labor must have went into the pieces.

What are you using for your forms? Which btw, you did an excellent good with, very clean looking lines. Good form work is so important to making nice pieces.

Looks like there is a group here that gets to work with the little ones...very cool to get their hands dirty in a digital age! Here is my buddy celebrating the completion of the dry stonework...

[Gulf]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Interesting colors Gulf. Did you buy a bagged mix or is it your own mix design? I know a lot of labor must have went into the pieces.

What are you using for your forms? Which btw, you did an excellent good with, very clean looking lines. Good form work is so important to making nice pieces.

Looks like there is a group here that gets to work with the little ones...very cool to get their hands dirty in a digital age! Here is my buddy celebrating the completion of the dry stonework...

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Thank's Stonecutter,
I mixed my on using a 3-1 sand and white portland with concrete colorings.

I used 3/4" melamine shelving for the base. Which, as you know (but for other readers) is the top of an "upside down" pour. I ripped 1x4" yellow pine for the straight runs of the forms. That is what I had available in my shop. I also did not like the idea of counter sinking screws in the particle board center of the melamine board. I used 1/4" luan to form the curves of the forms. It does not bend very well into sharp bends straight form the building supply, But wetting it and laying it out in the sun for a day will curl it up nicely. Of course, that raises the grain, but a little sanding, fixes that .


I will be forming some 24" wing counters for the oven. Locally, I can not get the melamine in that width. I was thinking about gluing, some of that cheap stuff they sell nowadays for bathrooms, to a 3/4" plywood base. I don't know the name of it, but it is the same stuff that they use for dry erase boards. There may be something out there that is cheaper and better but. I am open to suggestions .


Thanks for the pic of your buddy. It reminds me that I should get some equal time for my grandsons. They have helped hauling wood etc. but, they are not under foot as much as my grandaughter. She loves getting her hands dirty, they love the digital age

[stonecutter]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Thank's Stonecutter,
I mixed my on using a 3-1 sand and white portland with concrete colorings.




I will be forming some 24" wing counters for the oven. Locally, I can not get the melamine in that width. I was thinking about gluing, some of that cheap stuff they sell nowadays for bathrooms, to a 3/4" plywood base. I don't know the name of it, but it is the same stuff that they use for dry erase boards. There may be something out there that is cheaper and better but. I am open to suggestions .

Wow... 3:1 is pretty lean for a sand only mix...I'll be interested to see how it holds up( I hope it does). I'm assuming you don't get great temperature variation given your location, that will help. I'm assuming you used a good sealer too. White porty is tricky to get around here..I have some bagged counter mix and a couple 94lb bags of white I am saving for some inside counters in our master bath... or I might just use it for veining.

No melamine around in 4'x8' sheets anywhere? You could try a cabinet maker..they might be able to help you locate some. A couple guys I spoke with use formica or other laminate (available in 4'x8' at big box stores) over plywood for a base table. Cheap, readily available and easy to clean. I'm gonna try this when my melamine is gone.

I have used PVC trim for some small forms and it worked great, and takes hot glue well. They should have it at the big box stores in different widths too. I just picked up some 3/4" x 6" that I am going to rip down to 3" ( didn't want 3.5" stock ) for my forms...if it works for my samples it will work great for the larger pieces.

Another thing you could use for free form shapes is plexiglass or some other kind of acrylic 'glass' because it bends without breaking and is nice and smooth..but I confess, I haven't actually used it yet.

[stonecutter]

Re: Mississippi 44"

This was my first sample doing the hand press method. I used grey portland with graded sand with acrylic additive...2:1 Ratio. I did two different shades but it didn't contrast that great, then I slurried it with sandless tile grout...because I couldn't find white portland anywhere and I only needed a little bit. I don't like it...but it was my first one and it's used as a top for a little cabinet in the shed. I put some linseed oil on one half just to see the color for the pic...then coated all of it.

[Gulf]

Re: Mississippi 44"

This was my first sample doing the hand press method. I used grey portland with graded sand with acrylic additive...2:1 Ratio. I did two different shades but it didn't contrast that great, then I slurried it with sandless tile grout...because I couldn't find white portland anywhere and I only needed a little bit. I don't like it...but it was my first one and it's used as a top for a little cabinet in the shed. I put some linseed oil on one half just to see the color for the pic...then coated all of it.

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Loooks great Stonecutter,
My wife would love that for the kitchen. She ain't exactly sold on the colors for the MQ

I can't help but wonder why a 3-1 sand to portland is lean, though . A general purpose mix is approximately 3 sand, 2 gravel, 1 portland. I used play sand for the sand portion. It is not exactly masonry sand as it has up to 1/8" to almost 3/16" pea gravel in the mix.

I did replace my water for the pour with an acrylic fortifier.

I don't have the temperature extremes of many on this forum and will be under a cover. What do you suggest would be a good mix ratio for my wing counters which may not be under cover in the near future?

[stonecutter]

Re: Mississippi 44"

I can't help but wonder why a 3-1 sand to portland is lean, though . A general purpose mix is approximately 3 sand, 2 gravel, 1 portland............. What do you suggest would be a good mix ratio for my wing counters which may not be under cover in the near future?

Funky colors are great for outdoor kitchens!

Gulf, 3:2:1 concrete mixes are 3 parts gravel, 2 parts sand and 1 part portland.
3:1 is a building mix for mortar, and some guys use straight port/ sand at the same ratio for building (not a good thing). So, the mix you did is on the lean side but that doesn't mean the counters are crap. It sounds like the sand you used is good, as long as it is sharp and not rounded in grain structure.
Good move adding an acrylic to the water too. The general consensus on the ratio for a sand only mix is 2-2.5:1 sand/portland.

Mix design is a hotly debated topic in some of the other forums I belong to. Lot's of variables region to region, materials are different and so are conditions.

Like I said, your work looks to be high quality...I'm not implying otherwise, just that the porty content should be a touch higher for a sand only concrete.

[dvm]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Another thing you could use for free form shapes is plexiglass or some other kind of acrylic 'glass' because it bends without breaking and is nice and smooth..but I confess, I haven't actually used it yet.

I could not get my Luan to bend to the radius I wanted for the "winged" landing in front of the oven. I used a PVC garden edging (big box store). I wasn't concerned about the surface texture (screw heads no bid deal) as I am now grinding / polishing the surface.

[Gulf]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Thanks? Stonecutter,
Sorry, I did write that recipe bassackwards .
I will definitely consider a 2.5 to one (or less) for my wing counters. They will have to cover much more unsupported area than my landing, mantle and shelvings. They may also be uncovered for some time. I do need to clarify my "playsand" comment. I'm not to sure how sharp it is but, I actually used all purpose from Quikcrete. I don't always use the correct terminology. The first sand that I can remember, which came in a bag, was called playsand. The work sand that I am so familiar with, came in the back of a dump truck .

[stonecutter]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Yeah, your sand sounds just fine. Looking forward to more pics of your efforts!

[Gulf]

Re: Mississippi 44"

I usually post on my thread when I have a pic of some recent accomplishment. But, due to long hours at work, preparing for, and just now completing our annual outage I have none to report. This weekend was full of great expectations for the build. But, a very nasty look from the president of my neighborhood home owners association (my wife, we are the only home in the neighborhood) let me know that the grass had to be cut . I spent most of Saturday working on the riding mower and buying new push mower for trimming. Today, I was rained out about half way through the cut. Hopefully, next weekend, I will be able to get one day to work on the MQ .

EDIT: LPDTLOPSS .

[stonecutter]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Bummer. I was looking forward to some funky 'crete bar stools or ramp sink.

[Gulf]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Gosh dangit Stonecutter!

As if I didn't need another idea . You've given me a couple of em' .

[stonecutter]

Re: Mississippi 44"

Welcome to my world.

Did you see the latest pics of the watertable on my oven? I went with the grey after all the hem and haw...my brain hurts.