Welcome mammo8,
I think you are right about adding but I'm not the expert here. Think all you have to do is wet whatever you are adding to. I've been wrong plenty so wait for someone with experience. I've made some feet using leftovers but haven't tried to attach them to anything yet. I have a couple pots that are tipsy and need feet but I planted in them. Maybe when the flowers die I can add the feet. I'm still asking a lot of questions as you have probably read. But wanted to welcome you, everyone's so generous with their knowledge. Kathy

Mammo,

Too funny !!!!..."You would have thought my life depended on this project".

I'm the same way.
I'll check for your updates.
Patsi

Good Grief Illinois your an hour or two behind me so you've got daylight, run out there and unmold. 24 hours are all you need. Never mind, just saw you did this 2 or 3 days ago. Did you unmold yet?
Yep, you can add feet and handles. You may have a color difference due to the mix. Add a little Elmer's Glue to the water you use for making the feet and handle; it can help with adhesion. Soak your piece in water before adding the feet and stuff. Billie

Well my first project was a disaster. At 72 hours I
unmolded and it feel apart in 5 pieces. I did not even
cry. but I was so surprised, I had felt good about this project. I do know when I poked with my finger it didn't feel like I thought it should,it still seemed to soft. My recipe was 1 1/2 peat, 1 1/2 perlite, 1 Portland cement. Since molding I have done some more reading and I think maybe I should have used more cement.

Later this pm, I got busy and mixed up another batch, using 1-1-1, molded another pot like the first adding 4 feet, 2 handles. The pot is a 12" hanging pot, I turned upside down and molded on the outside. I covered the pot with a plastic bag and sprayed with pam then molding. Perhaps I should have done something smaller for a first.

It has been 6 hrs now since I completed 2nd project, was just out and checked it on it, it seems more solid on top half now than 1st pot did when I unmolded.

I will not give up. I have taken pictures, have given up my Picture Trail account, will subcribe again so I can post pics. Thanks for all comments. mammo8

Got pictures going again, hope they come thru OK

1st project

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1st project disaster...when I would pick up the pieces they would break apart in more pieces.

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2nd project...and hoping for a success
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Sorry to hear that Mammo. Too much water maybe? billie_ann is right, it should not take that long to set up. I have never just stuck tufa over something, I've always put it between two forms, so maybe there's a trick there you are missing. Did you use any other additives like concrete color? The only one I ever broke had too much of that.

Checking your photo, it looks as though the area where the base and walls meet was too thin. You can use a nail, or pin to check that you have that area thick enough when you mold.
The base - which was the top when you molded - may have slid down the sides as you patted and molded. Making a strong join between walls and the base takes some practice. Remeber, everything should be at least 1 1/2" thick.
Hope the second one works. Let us know. Don't give up!

Unmolded my second project and just as the first it fell apart as I started to take mold out. Fell apart just like the first. I measured pieces they all were aleast 1 1/2 inches.

Just don't understand. I had DH read GardenWeb Hypertufa FAQ and he understands the way I do. He rechecked my recipes and they seem okay. Tomorrow I am doing a small project, something simple, like a brick or something.

Once you unmold, the hypertufa is still fragile right? Mine are still soft and will crumble. 1 pics of second project. Oh well. mammo8

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Mammo8, I know just how you feel...I had exactly the same results as you when I tried making 2 large pots. I made mine with a mold within a mold and they fell apart when I unmolded 2 days later. However they broke so that I could patch them up with a concrete bonding agent so they don't look too bad; just kind of even more rustic. I used perlite thinking that it would make for a lighter piece since they were going to be large pots, so I'm wondering if maybe vermiculite may have worked better. I have had good success with smaller items but I still want to try the larger pots since I have enough small pots, troughs, and bowls around my yard. Also I always line my molds with plastic bags and that usually makes for easy removal for me. Anyway good luck on your next project!

For some reason it looks like an awful lot of perlite, you're sure this is an equal parts recipe? Is the peat moss sifted or straight out of the bag? Is the portland cement from a fresh bag? I've never used that recipe. Most of the time I use equal parts portland cement, peat moss and sand. Did you add anything besides water to the dry mix? Did you mix all dry ingredients first before adding the water?

I had a similar failure when I used water out of the garden hose and it was hot from the sun. But didn't realize it was hot until I was mixing. But think effected the curing process. Kathy

Your frustration and disappointment come through loud and clear. I know that whenever one of mine break, I have to walk away and wait to get over the disappointment - but I always come back again!
Clearly there is something wrong. Most ideas have already been suggested. Two other suggestions: 1) is your mixture wet enough, 2)are you building your pot with real conviction? Try adding more water and spend more time tossing your mix. I spend a lot of time stirring, mixing and pushing the stuff around - unlike batter, more mixing is better. When it reaches the right consistency, I start bashing - and I do mean bashing - it onto my mold. This may be why the usual beginner project is a box within a box because you can really beat down on the floor and walls. You can make a brick, but first puzzle over how to hold the shape while you bash! We've told you, now its your turn to tell us what you do next!

mammo8
I use the exact same recipe that you use
1 1/2 peat, 1 1/2 perlite, 1 Portland cement I also do 1,1,1 and had the exact results that you are dealing with. I started stirring the dry parts really well and then added more water then it calls for and stir, stir, stir . I know it tells you that you don't want to get more then a couple drops of water out of a hand full or it will be to heavy and wont set well. I cant tell you exact how to mix it you will find the right amount for you but I'm pretty sure from your pictures your mix is to dry and maybe not mixed as well as it should be. Don't give up my first project was a sphere and it took me 3 days to get one that finally turn out right . One little hint if you get to much water then take a few hand fulls and set them on newspaper before you use them it will suck up the excess water or if once you got your pot done it appears really heavy or is sliding from to much water take paper towels and just blot it well until you get the excess water out of it . Good luck and lets us know how it goes
Bea
You will have to figure out what works best for you . Just from personal experience I have to add more water then all of the recipes call for and the only time I have issues with them breaking is when I simply don't get a area thick enough......good luck and lets us know how its going .
Bea

I remember when I first did hypertufa. I molded a trough along a cardboard box and the whole thing was so heavy, it eventually collapsed in against the box. I was so impatient, that I'd break projects apart when unmolding and it was a general mess. So, I didn't do it for about a year and then tried it again. This time, I altered my recipe to equal parts of portland cement, peat moss, and perlite. I then used molds that were harder like plastic, or other things you might find in a dollar store. But, what really worked was to cover molds in plastic bags. If it was a big project, I covered with three or four plastic bags. Hey, it's more tugging power and sometimes you need it. As experience and time went on, I became more patient knowing that smaller projects cured faster and bigger projects took a little more time. And, it's important to keep your process as simple as you can. I use my wirebrush and putty knife religiously and have found that the finishing touches are what take your project from amateurish to "elegantly primitive".