So who was born brilliant at anything? :) Besides, who likes a know it all?

Everybody does tufa a little different and develops their own style.

About the molds -- there are as many molds as there are tufa makers. Some take, say, a bowl, turn it over and pack the tufa mixture over the outside. Others, pack the mixture on the inside. Some put one smaller cardboard box inside of another and fill in the "well" between the sides.

If you go to Google and type in "hypertufa", you will find lots of instructions and tufa recipes to get you started and your ideas flowing, and there is a book, by Joyce Fingerut and Rex Murfitt "Creating and Planting Garden Troughs" that is lots of help in getting started. You can get it on Amazon (or at least you used to be able to)

Don't get discouraged if you get in a hurry and break one :( unmolding it too soon -- everybody does -- whether they like to admit it or not :)

Some of the tufa-nuts on this site do some awesome work, so just keep reading and looking at posts.

Post some of your stained glass work -- would love to see some!!

It's fun, not rocket science -- don't worry.

Afternoon!
We use a number of plastic and urethane molds,both for hypertufa and concrete mixes.We always use the inside,pouring the mix in until just about to the top(other wise you get an overspill and more cleanup).You COULD use the outside(we're talking masks here) pack it on(whatever mix you use)and you'd get a weird looking reversed mask,I guess.Sorta like an optical illusion,could be way cool!
Good luck and happy mudding!
Cheers from here

Hi Mesa,

Welcome aboard. Don't feel like an idiot, & by the way I'm blond. too. Anyhow, I was going to email you a link to some really good directions & pics that I share with all my new to tufa friends, but you didn't provide an email addy. I don't know how to add the link here so if you're interested contact me.

Summer

Mesa, If you work on the inside of a mold/form to make a planter. Spray the inside with a light coating of baking spray like PAM. You would fill the bottom with enough of your hypertufa/concrete/whatever mix for the tamped thickness you want. I make patties from the mix and work up the sides. You work around the mold with the patties, one layer at a time. Packing and tamping as you work your way to the top. Adjust the thickness of the patties for the size of your planter. It would be about the same for working on the outside of a mold. Turn a plastic bowl upside down on a plastic covered work surface. Spray with a baking spray. Start working at the bottom outside edge (this will be the top edge of the finished planter) of the mold with patties going in a circle around the bowl and work your way to the top (which is the outside, bottom of the finished planter). It's a little easier when you first start to work on the inside of the mold. Billie

Mesa,

Sent email.

Summer

Thanks for all the advice, links and help. I can't wait to get my hands dirty and join in the fun! Here goes!

Mesa

If you still want to see pictures, click on Gallery at the top of the page next to where it says On Topic Discussions. Just don't get jealous like me.
Signed
newbee too