Hi debbie, Working on fully cured 'crete is akin to working on stone. I have stone working tools at my disposal so that means I can work "crete when it's fully cured if needed. Most folks aren't able to do that though. Concrete/'Tufa can be harder than some stone(s).

But as far as working fully cured project goes, it depends on what you want to do to it. A 4" diamond saw blade on a mini grinder can be a wonderful tool. Hammer and chisels are the age old way of working hard stuff too.

What exactly do you want to do or try? As always working cured concrete/hypertufa means you have to take some precautions. Eye and lung protection are the only way to go too.

Thanks Rockhewer,
I was hoping to try some relief carving and try to get the rock temple wall look. I don't have any stone carving tools but I tryed my die grinder and seems to cut through pretty well.
Debbie

Glad to hear you found something that works for you. Just remember the dust created by grinding can be injurious to your lungs, just like portland cement before wetting. Also, dust from the grinding stones is abrasive so a good dust mask is a requirement. Good luck.

Hey, Rockhewer.
I've been searching for something that I can engrave on hypertufa or concrete, like in pet memorial markers, etc. Someone just recently pointed me toward a dremel tool and while researching that I found an Inland Engraver at Hobby Lobby.
I have a 40% off coupon, so I'm hoping this is a good thing. Will it do what i want?
Thanks, HypertufaLady

Hi HL, Yes those would work for you using diamond bits. I wouldn't try anything too large because it'd take you forever. You'd also be able to create a stencil on your computer and adhere it to the project and then it's just a matter of staying inside the lines.... lol. You may have to darken the letters to get them to show up well.

I'm going to try and carve lettering in cement while it's not fully cured. This means I have to time everything just right. I want to do v-cut lettering because it looks so sharp when done and doesn't need darkening.

Good luck

Hi, Rockhewer.
Well, I bought my Inland Engraver and a set of the diamond bits for 40% off. I can see why it would take u forever, the tips are very small.
I went to the Inland website to learn and discovered that u can transfer ur computer design to the stone or surface using Saral transfer paper. It comes in different colors and red was suggested for ceramic, so that is the one that i bought.
I'm very excited about finding a way to transfer my computer design to the hypertufa or concrete surface.
What is v-cut lettering?
Sharon

V-cut lettering is carving the letter or number so that it comes to a V at the bottom, if you were to look at the letter in cross section. You need sharp chisels to this in wood or stone. It produces a very sharp looking finished letter. It is very readable no matter the direction of the sun and needs no darkening of the letter as when sandblasted which leaves the letter rather squared on the sides and rough at the bottom.

A good example of when this style of lettering was at it's height is on Trajan's Column, Roman era AD 106-114. Just do a search for it and you'll see what I mean.

It's generally used with a classical serif lettering. Look up serif and sans serif lettering.

Ok, thanks, Rockhewer.
I under serif and sans serif. Years ago I worked as a desktop publisher, so those terms are very familiar to me. I thought I knew what u meant by v-cut lettering, but asked to make sure. I think I will do the search u suggested and teach myself how to do this.
THanks again,
Sharon

Rockhewer, I have one more question. I think I would like to check out a set of chisels. Do you have any recommendations? Something that is economical but works? hehe.
Thanks,
HL

HL, a set of cheap wood working chisels would be just fine if you want to try doing this when the concrete is still green. There are plenty of cheaper Asian imports that will fill your need well. Look up carving letters in wood and see the shape of the chisel you'd most likely use. There are many helpful sites to teach you how to incise letters in wood. The technique is similar for green 'crete too.

If want to try when it's fully cured a few cold chisels would work if you have no large aggregate in your mix. you'd have to keep them rather sharp though and it means stopping often and sharpening them as needed. This would be a whole new set of skills to learn :). You want to be careful and not take the temper out of the steel or you'd never be able to keep them sharp enough.

I'm going to go the dollar store and get a few pounds of cheap plasticine clay and roller it out and practice on that. The uncured 'crete will still be harder but I'd be able to practice the motions and depth control.

Good luck.

Thanks, RH.
Concrete is green for about 2 weeks????
Hypertufalady

That's true HL, BUT It's getting harder by the minute/hour. So the window of opportunity may be much smaller.

When I try this I'm going to be looking for that plastic stage where it's very stiff but not hard. I'll have to be all set to do this, with no interruptions and get it done in one setting.

There are others that carve concrete and I've read that they use a number of different tools as the 'crete cures and goes through its metamorphosis. Scraping is much easier than chiseling.

Next weekend is when I plan to do a bit of experimenting on this.