So...some of my earlier papercrete efforts haven't weathered well and I've decided to refinish them using sturdier mortar. This is easily done by attaching some hardware cloth over the area. These new faces are made with mortar that includes sand, powdered clay, builder's lime, Portland cement, and a dollop of asphalt emulsion.This mix feels like clay and seems to hold up well.

Old papercrete faces attached to gazebo structure haven't weather well..
These old papercrete faces haven't weathered well.
Fasten hardware cloth over the old.

This mortar mix is quite workable -- feels like clay.

This mortar recipe has held up well in other places.




Comments

  1. She CraftyJuly 6, 2021 at 12:11 PM

    These are gorgeous! I'd love to be able to make some sculpture for my backyard, could I trouble you to share the newer recipe? I was going to try the older version but worried about it not weathering well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJuly 18, 2021 at 4:25 PM

    I second this request ☺️

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Drip Irrigation Experiment 2

Image
I placed another four inch block under the barrel (I think the higher it is, the better) and changed the middle four way connector to a tee, eliminating the middle emitter pipe. Then I graded the bed a little toward the barrel and water flow is much better. I think the 1/8” holes may be too large. I’ll be making another drip irrigator for a smaller bed, and I’ll drill 1 /16” holes instead. Also on this barrel, the mosquito screen top is in place, held on with a band of hanging wire. Since getting that screen to stay in place was a bit of a pain, I placed a 2” PVC fitting with cap near the top of the barrel as a filler. We’re excited and can’t wait to plant.
Read more

Drip Irrigation Experiment 3

Image
The second drip irrigation barrel was easier and less expensive to make. I drilled a 7/8” hole near the bottom and forced an old ¾” hose bib in. It took a lot of force to start turning that hose bib, but once it was in, no leaks, and no need for a washer or even a nut or fitting to hold it in place. The same went for the 2” PVC fitting used as a fill spout. Cutting the hole just slightly too small made for a tight fit and no fitting on the inside to hold it in place. This bed is not as wide as the other, so I used two emitter pipes rather than four. I drilled 1/16” holes approximately 12” apart. It takes about six hours to empty the 50 gallon barrel, which means, I hope, my irrigator will water our garden plants for six long hot hours each day this summer. I used a product called “Liquid Tape” to seal the 1/8 inch holes on my first effort, and re-drilled on the other side of the pipe with the 1/16” bit.
Read more

Improvised Shelves for our Frigidaire Refrigerator

Image
Well, this is not necessarily recommended. Ask me in six weeks, or six months, how it's going and maybe I'll recommend it then. These machines--these Frigidaire Energy Star refrigerators (like the one we purchased at Lowes only four short years ago) are frail. Seriously. All the cheesy, half-ass components that make this feeble milksop of an appliance come to life supposedly work together to make it more energy efficient. Cheap, frail plastic and glass shelves included. Of course, the energy efficient aspect of these newfangled appliances are supposed to save us money. That's the sales pitch, anyway. We replace our shabby old energy hungry appliances with new ones (appliance purchases usually indiiate an emergency, so we might well be using our credit card to make the purchase), and we're rewarded not only by a cleaner environment, but with a slightly fatter wallet. Only so far, this particular appliance is begging to be replaced after only four years. That's not le
Read more