tufanewbe, Your tiki head is neat. I think Cajunmist use to make tiki heads and tiki candle holders.
Not sure I'm understanding, you put paper 'tufa over a ball then put hypertufa over top of the paper 'tufa. It's hard to tell from the pics cause their not clickable.
We need more details to help or try to help. How did you cure the paper 'tufa? How thick was the paper 'tufa? Was the paper 'tufa still damp when you applied the hypertufa or did you use an additive to help adhere the hypertufa? How thick was the hypertufa? Not sure I know paper 'tufa; is paper 'tufa actually papercrete? Billie

I put papercrete (which I have been calling papertufa) over a ball. Allowed it to harden for 24 hours. The "papertufa" was at most 1/2 inch. It felt pretty hard the next day. I placed another layer of papertufa over the existing ball and thats when it started to split. I did not make the initial layer thicker because it kept falling off the ball the thicker I made it. So a thinner layer was the only way to go. I tried placing a pantyhose over the ball to provide a surface for the papertufa to grip to. This at first seem to work well except for the cracking the next day. Is there any way to make the initial papertufa layer much thicker without it falling of the ball. Should I use fiberglass tape? What to do???

I think I understand you want to have various balls to form into a caterpillar. You can surround the ball with a mix. I've not used papercrete so don't know the real benefit of using it as a starter. If you don't have a lot of experience working with hypertufa I'm going to suggest a much easier way to do your balls. Go to a thrift or second hand store and buy the round glass globes used for lighting fixtures. Then put your mix into them. Cover and leave them to sit for a week or so then put each globe into a plastic bag and gently use a hammer to break the glass off the spheres. This is really easy. I've done dozens of them that way. I have also done spheres over top of balls and it is doeable but more challenging. If you're trying to keep the spheres light weight you can stuff some pieces of styrafoam into the middle of the mix.
Cindy

Cindy,

How did you make the spheres over top of balls. what mix did you use. How thick was the hypertufa over the balls. You mentioned that it was challenging. What were the challenges you faced.

Here is a picture of the large sphere I did. I use it with some water and a mister with light in it, looks cool with the mist coming out. The first thing you need to do with the ball you use is make sure it is slightly overinflated. The pressure of the mix can cause an underinflated ball to sag. I didn't use a hypertufa mix, I used 1 part portland, 2.5 masonary sand,1/4 part silica fume, used fibres and an acrylic admix. I used drywall tape to help reinforce this. it is fairly thin and I can lift it to move if I need to. I put the ball on a bowl on a turntable to work on it so it could be manuevered fairly easily.I started at the top and manged to get almost to the middle before slump started. Left it over night and then turned and finished it the next day. Left it another night and then repeated. Wet the piece down with admix before adding more mix.I smooshed a thin layer of the mix on the ball and then imbedded the mesh into it to add more strength and help lessen slump. Let it cure for about 3 weeks then painted the inside black and the out side the bright indigo color.Hope this helps,
Cindy
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My first one broke when I tried to move it to do the second part, so I painted it, added little legs and turned it into a small planter,
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wooow!!! its beuuuutifuul. I really like your ball thanks for sharing the pics. I will modify my mix and start over. I do not have silica flume. Instead I bought 25 lbs. of diatomaceous earth which is 80% silica and it is highly micronized. I think it should work the same as silica flume. what do you think. I still want to use the paper so I am going to include elmer's glue in the mix. I read in one of the discussion threads that this helps hold the mix together. I will post pics once I am done. wish me luck.

Paulo

wooow!!! its beuuuutifuul. I really like your ball thanks for sharing the pics. I will modify my mix and start over. I do not have silica flume. Instead I bought 25 lbs. of diatomaceous earth which is 80% silica and it is highly micronized. I think it should work the same as silica flume. what do you think. I still want to use the paper so I am going to include elmer's glue in the mix. I read in one of the discussion threads that this helps hold the mix together. I will post pics once I am done. wish me luck.

Paulo

I don't know much about the properties of diatomaceous earth, but why not give it a try if you have some.The Elmer glue is a good idea, it will act like an acrylic admix. I've never used a paper mix so can't comment on it to much, however I've seen some great projects done with it,
Cindy

here is my first leaf casts.
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I have become a true hypertufa junky.

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the project is back on track Cindy, I have started two more balls.

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Looks good, practise makes perfect, :)
Cindy

small and medium balls are done.

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I have also completed my star wall hanging.

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I have to share about my most recent mix. I took cindy's and Jonathan's recommendations and went with a mix that was 1 part portland, 2 parts sand, 1/2 part joint compound, 1/4 part diatomaceous earth and 2 parts water. it makes for a trully wonderfull mix. It can be kept for an entire day, it has the properties of clay and is light. What I like most about it is that the next day is its extremely hard. Harder than any other paper mix I have made to date. I was so excited I decided to make a large leaf cast.

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Wow, you had a busy weekend, glad you had success with your mix, and spheres,
Cindy

its been a little while since my last post, thought I'd update everyone on how the large leaf cast turned out. I am planning on doing a second one but this time I will be a little more patient when removing the leaf.

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does anyone have any suggestions on what color to paint it? I am going to use it as large bird bath and it will sit on a small pedestal approximately 2 1/2 feet tall. I welcome any ideas.

WOW, how big is it? It looks like a flower or a mushroom. Could you use this for a chair back? You really have to let something like this cure before trying to remove the leaf. Even after curing you'll lose some detail. Some people let the casting sit and let the leaf dry out. If the piece is cured you can use a jet spray on your water hose. It has to be cured not just hard or you'll blow a hole right through the casting. Are you covering your pieces with plastic so they don't dry out too quickly? Looks Great! Billie

its about 4 feet in diameter. You know I had not thought of a chair back, but that is an excellent idea. It reminds me very much of a flower or the underside of a mushroom. I did not cover this one with plastic because it is papercrete and I read in another post that papercrete did not need to be wrapped. just the same I have been filling it up with water and letting it dry slowly, so that it never completely dries out. should I paint it? can you recommend some colors that might go well with a large birdbath leaf cast? BTW, I am going to cast another large one and will let it cure for 2-3 weeks before attempting to remove the leaf.

Hi Tufanewbe...I was wondering if you ever painted your leaf casting and how it turned out? I am a newbie and want to learn all I can before starting...but I am sure I need to just start and I will learn a lot from that!
I would love to know more about your progress.

Tufanewbe,
May I ask how you made your star? did you use a 'commercial' mold or did you make one? I've looked all over for one, but they want BIG $$'s for a barnstar.
Thanks
Marcia