Casting concrete fountains ???

I was wondering if I could get some input on techniques and places I could get info on casting concrete fountains. I am referring to outdoor ( normal size) multi-tiered fountains. I have been to those pottery stores and found them so expensive and have always been a do-it your self person. I would always rather learn how to make something and do it myself then have to buy it. Anyhow, back to the subject at hand. First, the original. What is the original made of when casting fountains or is there a way to be able to have the first original be the fountain? I have quite a bit of concrete work but not artistic. I guess im trying to say I would not be making these to be cast repeatedly. Just once. What would be the best material and formulas to make these concrete fountains in. I will obviously be asking more questions as this thread grows but thanks so far.

There is another forum http://www.statuaryplace.com/discussion/ discussion.html which specialises in questions of your type and you can also hook up with premade molds, there a wide variety of fountain molds out there to experiment with. If you then have something unique in mind, you might be better off getting the help of a local sculptor and mold maker for your first one.

There are many techniques and materials, each one has its merits and retail price points - poured concrete is the least cost, most difficult to finish nicely, and extremely heavy - a cubic foot of concrete is well over 100 lbs.

Cool. Thanks Gary. Now my weird yardscape is gonna get really weird....(hey, I'm an artist, it's expected).

Check out this website in Mexico. http://www.geocities.com/flyingconcrete/

Sprayed concrete (a little hand held 'tirolessa' sprayer from Mexico) over 1/4' galvanized mesh on a bent and MIG tacked 3/8' pencil steel armature. I'm real impressed with the technique, but haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. I'm thinking maybe some kiddies playgrounds or something? The neat thing is the wilder the design, the stronger it gets. This is also how Watts Towers in LA was constructed by a self taught artist. Gary

was Simon Rodia. He did do quarry and some stone work if I remember

Here's something to else to ponder - a structure built from the outside in. It still seems limited soley to convex shapes, but should be strong as hell, and accommodating as well.

Ethan Gross

mentioned in your post but was unable to find a reference on the site. What did I miss? I did find a place where steve talks about pouring the roof but nothing about spraying concrete. Thanks, Don

doubt that the work shown on the site, which btw is beatiful, was done with a sprayer. I found a pic under the heading 'Forming Systems' that has a national holding the ever familar cement trowel and cement box next to him, about to apply cement to a low dome sort of affair. It does make one ponder the possiblities of such as sprayer down here. As long as it doesn't put anybody out of work!

I see the picture in question. It is very tricky to trowel on the stiffening layer without it all falling through the expanded mesh - this is where the spray is easier, especially since you can add some fiber strands. Sprayers are normally used in a team, one person sprays and the others trowel and the master mason (or sculptor) does the final touches, on the final coat, such as sponging, carving, brushing, or pigmenting. A lot of Mexican construction is stucco over brick/cement blocks, again the sprayer would be used in this way.

As far as possibilities, how about a real cool doghouse/doggie playground for your place? How about a ferrocement submarine - wait - thats already been done!

The spray makes it easy to make 'sgraffito' cement - different color layers are sprayed up and troweled, and then a graphic design is 'scratched' out of the curing cement. In Vallarta, I think the office of architect Cacho Perez is done this way - but I haven't had a real close look - sometimes they scratch and then fill in the voids with paint.

Here's a link for a Mexican construction project. This is a remote area. In the cities they have sophisticated trucks and pumpers like in Canada and US.