Large Scale Central

Rock Walls or Mountain Walls

General Discussion
#21

When working with concrete, there is proper terminology…in case anyone cares:

CEMENT; is the powder that CONCRETE is made from, along with proper portions of sand, stone (Gravel) and water.

MORTAR; is made from CEMENT powder, sand and lime.

What is used for bonding stone, as in the general context of this thread, is MORTAR.

Premixed Mortar is available in bags, just like Cement powder. The Lime in Mortar, acts as a bonding agent in the mix. Mortar is the mix that is used also in brick laying.

Some modern Mortar mixes, also include other chemicals to aid in stability, and bonding, depending on what you are using it for.

When curing Concrete, it is wise to keep it damp for at least 24 hours.

keeping rocks wet when preparing to use Mortar, aids in stronger bonding.

Small quantities of premixed CONCRETE are also available in bags. The premix includes the cement, sand, and stone

#22

Thanks Fred for the explaination, and before I get ask I use the Motar mix not the sand and cement mix.

Thanks Dennis

#23

That really looks nice Denis. Do you have any data yet on how long the paint holds up?

I’ve used the vinegar & steel wool solution to rust stain concrete in a crossing and it was washed away in one winter.

#24

Jon,

If you put bits of steel wool in the concrete it will continuousely rust forever. People have used steel wool instead of bronze wool to clean teak on handrails and have had rust particle stains on deck for years.

#25

I’m guessing that one could put some concrete dyes to give a permanent base color to the mortar, I would think either the powers or the liquid would work, I’m also guessing that one could use a liquid mix on the still green mortar after carving, to give a more permeant base color then paint.

Not a cement guy (tho I’ve done a lot of it) but never used the dyes. Maybe someone with some experience will pipe in on the dye thing?

#26

There are a whole spectrum of colors available to color the concrete. I am sure it could be used to color mortar. You would have be sure to mix it in well and to use the correct proportions. It would be extremely easy to get mix matched tones. It is generally sold by commercial suppliers and comes with enough color for a typical concrete truck load (9-13 cu. yds.) So be sure to scale down. I would also like to point out its rather pricey as well… Some of the benefits from being the son of a mason include pouring alot of concrete and laying lots of brick/block in my spare time, I Thank Fred for chiming in about the nomenclature, it helps to avoid confusion. Hope this helps.

Glenn

“Concrete is the foundation of America.”

#27

Dennis, you’ve got fans! Number me among them!

#28

When painting I use latex house paint and have had concrete painted for 7 years still looking good. It could use a little highlighting, which can be done with a paint brush.

The sun does lighten it all, but requires very little maintenance.

For me I would not use cement color because of the cost and cement coloring would only prevent the base color. The other highlighting colors would still need to be added. The painting is really quite easy and requires small efforts.

#29

(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/f5/9e/01/19c58_ca83.jpg)?c=a9f9

#30

(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/32/9f/01/19c94_eb3b.jpg)?c=b130

#31

As can be seen the base color or the first color is not very visable, because the darkest color is placed first.

#32

Base color is dark brown,

#33

…(http://www.freethoughtnation.com/components/com_comment/joscomment/emoticons/funny/images/smile.png)…

#34

On a related theme, some folk following this thread might also be interested in an article I recently posted here on LSC: “Tunnel Reconstruction on the Littleton and Smallville Railroad”.

It gives tips on making a very stable tunnel wall with free recycled material.

I wired my stonework into place rather than mortaring it in, by the way. I refrain from both mortar and coloring concrete, because in my case these steps aren’t necessary. Details are in the article.

I tried an experiment, making this entire article one large GIF file. You can access it at the link belkow.

Once it’s completely downloaded, on my monitor I have to set my zoom level to ‘Custom-700%’ to read it. Your mileage may vary. Cheers!@

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/choochoo_chaboogie/the%20story.GIF)

#35

Oh crap, I wasn’t expecting that! The whole thing appeared here in that post.

No intention of hijacking Dennis’ thread, guys. (Sorry about this, Dennis.)

I’ve seen all kinds of situations where members can’t seem to get pictures into their posts… Beats me all to heck. Results around here are still kind of unpredictable. I’d better leave it there now…

Anyways, enjoy…

#36

Dennis Rayon said:

(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/32/9f/01/19c94_eb3b.jpg)?c=b130

WOW. Those rock formations look mighty fine!

#37

Full view of that mountain view

(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/02/9f/01/19c64_9a8c.jpg)?c=cb45

This is another view of the mountain

(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/0e/9f/01/19c70_66d4.jpg)?c=2f37

#38

Dennis, that’s really beautiful. I love that incredible structure on top, too!

#39

Thanks for the compliments

Dennis