Hi I am new here too and I have no experience. I just wanted to say that sounds like a really cool idea. I read something eailer tonight about digging out a shape in the ground and then filling it with tufa. (the hole in the ground being the mold) I don't know if that really works, but it might.

Hi Katie
We tore out the kid's sandbox a few years back after they'd outgrown it. Wish we hadn't, now. That would have been the perfect place to work on this thing and I could have covered the whole box with plastic to cure the 'tufa! Ah,well. Hindsight and all that... I'm still contemplating exactly how to manage this project. I REALLY want a moongate- so does my clematis! Kathy

What is a moongate? I probably want one too.

Hello Leafaholic!
This is a moongate-
Mine will be much smaller, more of a window, if I can figure out how to do it. Any ideas?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:69109}}

I'm afraid I would have no idea. But that one is wonderful. I have to stick with rhubarb leaves til I get them right.

Get some 8" polystyrene foam (perhaps glue several thinner bits together) and carve with a knife, hotwire, rasp and sand paper. Then put a thin layer of acryllic/cement render base with some fiber mesh over the surface (apply cement, push in fibreglass mesh, apply more cement). Then wait a day or two, and apply another layer of the same stuff. Then apply hypertufa over that to a depth of say 1cm. Let cure and apply any surface treatments (such as milk or moss).

8" foam should easily support a 1m diametre moongate. Indeed it should be able to handle a 2m diameter one, but you'll have to make some decent foundations to stop it blowing over.

Hello Nathan-
I hadn't thought of using polystyrene. Do you mean the large sheets used for insulating walls? I used that a couple years back to carve gargoyles for my son's bedroom- very messy, but fun project. I used a butane torch to harden the surface of the finished carving.
I thought I'd use rebar on either side of the Moongate to anchor it to the ground. Do you think that would be sufficient, as long as the rebar is inbedded in the 'tufa, rather than the foam? Thanks for the suggestion! Kathy

yeah, I'm thinking of the wall stuff. I don't think you need to harden the surface - the acrylic cement will do that. I don't know how big you intend your moongate to be, that would affect the kind of bracing you'll need. For a small one, 1m diameter, some heavy gauge fencing wire would probably work just fine, set a u-bottom in normal concrete and attach the top tails to the foam with builder's adhesive all the way up the curve.

Nathan- I'm not familiar with acrylic cement. Is it applied with a brush from a can, or squeezed from a tube? I'm assuming this is something I can pick up at the local hardware store. I've got a roll of plastic drywall mesh tape- can this be used in place of the fiber mesh? Or is it the same thing? My Moongate will only be about one meter in diameter (at least this first one). Thanks so much for the information! Kathy

You can often buy it premixed for stucco, or you can make it by adding 'acrylic hardener' to normal portland cement. I buy it in 20kg bag dry premixes and just mix with water and stir with a cement paddle to a pancake batter consistency (It took me a while to get it right - too thick and it's hard to apply, too thin and it doesn't stick). Start thick and water down until you get a 1mm thick layer when you apply it. I use a paint scraper to apply, with another underneath to catch the drips. I can do about 5m^2/hour (base coat, mesh and top coat) after doing our garage.

I don't know what plastic drywall mesh tape is, but I doubt it is as stiff as fibreglass mesh (glass is probably the stiffest stuff you can get commercially). If the mesh isn't as stiff as the cement the cement will crack. Perhaps someone else here will know more than me. The fibreglass stuff I use comes in 50m * 1m rolls, is a pale green colour and is used for stucco walls (what it was bought for originally). I'd ring a stucco specialist.

This looks like it would be a fun projet and after looking at the pnoto I want one too lol!
Could you use a larger child's plastic swimming pool for a mold? I guess you could place a smaller round object in the center of that? They are relatively cheap I think walmart usually has two sizes out front small and large.

How is the Moongate coming? I would love to see a pic when you get it done.

Hi Katie-
The moongate project is still in the pondering stage I'm afraid. We had out Family Reunion last weekend, which involve alot of crafting and camping, so I'm in the process of recuperating and cleaning up from that (we got drenched on our last day of camping and had to pack up wet gear- so it's all got to be reset-up and dried out, then packed away... YUK!!!) I really do intend to tackle my Moongate this summer, though. I think I'll use the foam sheets to cut the form from and take it from there. I'll be sure to post pic's once the project is underway. Kathy