More Carved Stone

(OK maybe not Carved Stone… But close).

I have a backyard with a number of flowerbeds… In my brain, if you make a flower bed, you work hard for a little while and it is done.  If you have a lawn, you work hard every week.  So I have made flower beds from the beginning.

The trick to a nice look with your beds is to have sharp, clean borders.

I achieved it with vintage bricks which I salvaged from the demolition of downtown Jacksonville.  (no surprise to anyone who knows me)

Well, the bricks get knocked  around and run over by the lawn guy

               (no I don’t cut the grass myself anymore, so some of that introduction doesn’t work anymore…)

So I decided to design and cast my own edging stones.

I have tried this on a smaller scale with edging for the herb garden around my pizza oven.  Here is a photo.

I wanted a bigger stone for the beds,  one that would be further in the ground and hold more mulch behind it. 

First, drew out a design and got it approved by my art director (aka. wife).

 

 

 

 

I carved the design from plaster.  It is a whole lot softer to carve than wood or any other material I know.  And if you screw up just add more plaster and start again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next came the process of making the mold.  The “Smooth On” company ( yes, that is their name) has a number of “rubber” mold making materials and will gladly explain it to you on their web site. 

I bought a gallon mixture of mold making stuff, mixed it as directed, and poured it over the plaster piece…                                   waited one day…   and ta da  it worked.

I have been casting one piece a day for about a week.  I made a rolling cart, which is my version of a production line.  The mold and a new casting is on one side, the newly cast, one day old piece on the other.  After they are out of the mold for a day they are gently set aside to cure for another day.

 

So far so good.

But remember, I have a lot of flowerbeds so this may go on for awhile….like maybe a year….i guess I should do the math and really see how long it will take.

As always I would love to hear your comments or suggestions.

You can use the form below or email me at

Steve@stephenzmetaldesigns.com

3 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI