happgarden

I can't help you but hopefully Betsy will be along soon to help you out

I'm using high strength Sakrete. Before I pour cement in I mix a soupy concrete slurry and pour it into the detail design portion of the mold for a smooth finish. Then I put the regular concrete mix in and vibrate the air pockets out. Sometimes I get small porous holes in the finished mold like you see in the capital. If that happens I patch the tiny holes immediately while its green and let it cure.




Then I decide what color and style I want it to be for that location. In some cases you want your piece to be a focal point as in a bench or fountain. In other smaller places I just want a piece to be a complimentary space filler without making the isle look cluttered or gaudy.

Thank you so much for replying. I know this sounds odd but I want to make some headstones for an old family cemetery. Originally these headstones were made by my grandfather back in the 1930's but due to acid rain and such the printing wasn't very deep and now they can barely be read. The cemetery is in a farmers field, so adding to the family tradition I would like to make some new ones on site, keep the old and just add the new at the bottom of each grave. I have actually found a youtube video to help. Any suggestions or help will be greatly appreciated. Total I will be making 5 headstones.

happgarden said:Thank you so much for replying. I know this sounds odd but I want to make some headstones for an old family cemetery. Originally these headstones were made by my grandfather back in the 1930's but due to acid rain and such the printing wasn't very deep and now they can barely be read. The cemetery is in a farmers field, so adding to the family tradition I would like to make some new ones on site, keep the old and just add the new at the bottom of each grave. I have actually found a youtube video to help. Any suggestions or help will be greatly appreciated. Total I will be making 5 headstones.

For head stones you want sand blasted polished marble. Or polished granite.

Of course if it's just on a family farm and not a grave yard.... Stained concrete is ok.

I imagine that the marble or polished granite is normally used because it lasts so much longer, but your way should preserve the names for another few generations. Hopefully when they got less legible, another family member might do the same thing you're doing. Thank you for caring! Headstones are an important part of our history.

The stained concrete will last a couple lifetimes if done correctly and you can do a 3x5 for less than a hundred dollars where as a polished granite stone set in concrete (same size finished product. will be $700 - $1,000 unless you are sand blasting it yourself.

So as long as you get the concrete correct and thick enough not to crack it could be a fun project. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

You will want to re seal the concrete every year or two to protect it from erosion that can come from freezing, rain, hail... And other ferocious elements That said, we all know concrete is pretty tough once cured.

It's not like you would have to bring it indoors or anything...

Thank you all for your comments. I am guessing most of the graves in this cemetery were wooden crosses and have long been gone.
If anyone has time to watch his video any comments and help would be appreciated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

This is my plan. He also did another video on how to make a big cross for the entrance of the cemetery. Old cemeteries can be lost. In that video he uses the big pink insulating foam you see at lumber yard to make his form and this part I like instead of letters being indented they are raised, because he uses refrigerator magnets and squeezes them into the foam so when the concrete is poured it causes the letters to be raised. Since I live in the midwest we have freezing and thawing problems. The cross is also 4 layers very interesting video
Video for large cross
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Sorry didn't mean to take your thread.

No apology necessary - we love learning

happgarden, Thank you for the Blue Earth Historical Society casting videos!

Another 2 cents for concrete stain. Check out the online link for "Homemade Concrete Stains". A bag of Copperas costs only $6 at the local feed store. I used it to stain rocks that will line my flower bed. In our yearly droughts, it might be the only color in my yard.

Before


After


I'm impressed. You've got a good handle on your workm, both in creating the pieces, but also the finishing touches, too. Applause!

Thank you for this information and welcome to Garden Art