[Rods UP 9000]

Dennis,

Will talk to you about doing a clinic at Marty's.

I have about 18 tons of concrete sand that will be used for this then. I will try this sand for a base then use a very, very fine sand and portland mix for the final coat. I have some large rock molds (24" X 48") that I have tried with good success with this mixture.

Thanks again and we'll see at Marty's.

Rodney

 

[John J]

Hey Denis
If you come to Marty's and would do a demonstartion of how you did this I would be willing to throw 20 bucks in a hat to defer the cost of materials.
I would do it just to see your sculpting meathods.
Any one else? I got a big hat.

Of course Marty would have to give his ok

PS Hey Marty! Want a free mountian?

 

[denray]

John
I hope he okays the donation, there could easy be 100 bucks in concrete for a clinic.
This is also a hands on clinic for people to experience, nothing better than hands on. I will bring my personal mixer. So mixing will be a breeze, I will bring some forms to show the making of spires and retainer walls. I am going to post a couple pictures of finished retainer walls.
Dennis

 

[denray]

This is a view of a back wall I have made to work as a retainer wall to hold in dirt at different levels, This wall is just cement layed out with a brick trowel, and very little details added after drying. You can create alot of detail as you, (I call Plopping it down)
Plop it down in small amounts and never to try to get it all straight.


Next picture is of same area finished

 

[denray]

Another picture of retaining walls that are just laid up concrete

 

[denray]

 

[Rods UP 9000]

Dennis.
I throw in $20 also.
Rodney

 

[denray]

View of an outcropping, I put the figure and track on there for reference of size, the
outcropping hangs out about 6 inches on one side and about 9 inches on the side of the track.

 

[denray]

Rodney
Did you say you will have all that sand at Marty's?/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/doze.gif
Dennis

 

[Rods UP 9000]

Hey Dennis,
I'm bringing the portable live steam layout we built for HARGS up to Marty's. If I have room I could bring 1000 lbs. I will let you know. If I can use Doug's (Bronson) trailer for the layout, I'll have room for 5 or 6 5 gallon buckets of sand.
Rodney

 

[NTCGRR]

I have around 2 tons of fill sand in the south yard right now, use what ever you want.

 

[jimtyp]

Quite the layout Dennis! You are very artistic and talented! You should post a picture in the photo contest.

 

[Guest]

denray,
thank you for the inspirations.
your landscaping is really impressing.

 

[Gary Woolard]

Dennis,
First of all, let me get in line to say that what you've shown here absolutely blows me away! If there was any way I could get to Marty's 'thingy', I would. Alas, I'll be tied up here that entire month. So tell Stan he has to take step-by-step pictures of your clinic!


I've printed out this thread and taken a hi-lighter and pen to it.. Boy, do I have questions! So in no particular order... and please be advised that you can answer as many or as few as you wish to whatever level of detail you desire. (Big of me, huh? Probably, in my excitement over your methods and results, I'll be asking for more detail than necessary /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue.gif.)


1) In the 'early stages' pix, looks like you're making sorta' random forms for your chicken wire or hardware cloth. You reference 1.5"X ballasters, but you also mention 2"X. Any difference, or was it what you had around at the time? (You also mention using rebar, but I think that's for areas that will get foot traffic?)


2) You talk about 'screwing things together'. Pix look like you're using bolts with washers to hold the wire down? Since I get the feeling that these forms aren't necessarily meant to hold the final scenery together, is there any reason you don't use nails? (Or are you using the bolts as 'standoff's' occasionally, to push the wire away from the forms? It's hard to tell in the pictures.)


3) Just outa' curiosity, what are those forms you're using for tunnel portals with doors? They can't be 'doggy doors', they look way too deep! Something meant to go through a wall?


4) I don't know what a tuck tool to re-tuck brick is. I guess if I ask a knowledgeable hardware store guy, he can point me in the right direction? More importantly, I'd love to know what sort of technique you use to get those marvelous, realistic lines and grooves in there. Any hints?


5) Clearly, both Rabbit Mtn. and Wolf Mtn. have at least two tracks running through what appear to be separate tunnels. Looks like at least one line makes a fairly sharp turn inside the mountain to run parallel to the other? Is it actually 'open space' inside the mountains, or do you have separate tunnels running through them? And it looks like you've got some fairly long tunnels there -- do you have hidden access ports somewhere, in case of de-rails?


6) In your 'spires' area, you say you built them with styrofoam, but I get the impression that you if you had it to do over again, you'd go with cement. But I'm not sure why? The styrofoam method actually sounds easier to me! How does the styrofoam look next to the cement mountains? Is there an obvious difference in texture?


Well that's a start, huh? Hope I'm not overwhelming you with questions! Regardless, thanks {i]VERY[/i] much for showing us your work here!
/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gif

 

[denray]

Gary
Thanks for your questions, I really appreciate them, I know for every one that ask the question there are 6 that won't and wonder for the answer.
#1 I do not use chicken wire or hardware cloth, for me they are to open or porus, I use, and I am not sure what the proper name for it is, but builders use it for stucco, and also they fasten it to the walls before laying up artificial stone, any builders supply store like lowes or H. depot. it comes in sheets of 3ft x 8ft i believe.
I use treated stairway ballasters, 1.5" x 1.5" and I buy 36" long, I keep a cordless saw and drill with me, Here, I need to rock bar me a hole 5-6" deep usually at a angle, with a 3 lb sledge I drive the wood into ground to create a form for the wire mesh. I will put the ballasters anywhere fron 8-16" apart, I like to not make them straight or even, very uneven just like mountains.
Invest in a good pair of tin snips not cheap ones/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif cut strips 8-12 wide x the 36" width.
I use fender washers over wood screws and screw the wire mesh to the ballasters.I also use a 2" deck screw to screw balaster to balaster, this gives me different shapes of mountains, I screw all my components together because it holds together better ,and I think is easier and less jarring than nailing, unless you use nail or staple guns.
Onse all the wire mesh is screwed to the ballasters it is very solid, In case of very sharp edges or corners you may even use narrower strips for ease of work, you may overlap pieces over each other 2-3 times, DO NOT try to make perfect or neat,/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif it all gets covered with 2-3 inches of cement.
The wire mesh is for the pupose of holding the cement till it drys and gives it some structual strength, Not much because cement just barely squeezes through. When it cracks it will help prevent seperation. Think of the wood as a TEPEE and the wire mesh as buffalo hides /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue2.gif
you could use rebar but I belive it would be more difficult to fasten the wire mesh to rebar than screws into the wood, My father use to call me lazy, my mom use to call me smart, because I always try to think of the easy way to do a job. As a business owner time is money and I am always out for the easy quick way, if you find a better way that is quicker please let me know

I use rebar when I make tall spires out of cement, for the strength, to prevent it from being knock over if it gets hit hard, in some case a spire 24" tall may take 3 or 4 pours or batches to get that tall, the rebar prevents seperation in dry joints. I usualy always use two bars per spire this prevents rotation.

I will answer the others later
Thanks Dennis

 

[Torby]

What a grade!

 

[denray]

Only a grade for the Yankees, for us Johnny Rebs its a real WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE slide down LOL
Thats a good one Toby, I liked that one.
Dennis

 

[Gary Woolard]

Thanks very much for the info, Dennis. I'll be standing by for future enlightenment as you get the time and inclination.

I was dead serious about Stan or somebody taking photos at the clinic, btw. Inn fact, if somebody could set up a camcorder on a tripod and push 'go', that'd be something I'd be willing to toss some money in the hat for! (And I do believe I just ended a sentence with a preposition!:laugh )

 

[silverstatespecialties]

Dennis: WOW! FANTASTIC!! Thank you for sharing!

 

[barnmichael]

Dennis, first, let me say what a great job you did. The pictures and descriptions are key and tremendously helpful.



Gary asked a lot of the questions I had. Less typing for me. Now some questions/thoughts on your answers.

You used treated deck balusters for some of your forms. Since the wire lath reinforced concrete should be able to stand on its own after curing, couldn't you use grade stakes or just rip down 2x4s instead? They are not treated, but they are a fraction of the cost. Once the concrete sets up, if they rot away it should not be an issue, right?

Regarding the use of rebar versus wood. Have you used the metal twist ties used to fasten rebar together in conventional foundation work? It is a soft, yet strong wire with loops pre-twisted into the ends. You use a little spinner tool, a hook with a wooden handle, that will put them in in a few seconds with a little practice. That might add versatility in the ability to bend rebar instead of the straight line constraints of the wood.

I see that you are just using the concrete mix in globs over the metal screening. Have you tried the cement soaked burlap method, then built up over that? How do the two methods compare?

On your spires behind the station you sprayed vinyl patch cement over Styrofoam. Was this done in place or did you make them elsewhere then move them to where you wanted them? You say you later built forms and then removed them. Did you cover the form and make hollow spires, or did you fill the form and have a solid spire?


Again, a really great job. I showed the pictures to my wife and she said "Yeah, we can do that!" Thanks for taking time to share it with us.