Hey Langley! Glad to see you posting.
The birdbath is beautiful. I like the effect of the acid staining very much.

I've been setting aside bowls to use as forms, glass beads for embedding, and anything else I think might make an interesting mold for hypertufa. I don't know when we are going to find the time to set up for a class but I'm sure it will happen eventually. I agree - there just aren't enough hours in the weekend!

Kate

OMG! there aren't enough hours in a WEEK! And I'M RETIRED!! My family thinks I'm totally nuts because I save (like Kate) all sorts of trash and junk because of its shape, texture, etc. My garage hasn't seen a car in years and my closets are stacked with boxes labeled, "mosaics", "candles", "soap making", "art doll", "gourd stuff", -- you get the picture. I tried ceramics but my hands are becoming too arthritic to do well on the wheel - but I can design and make slab work off the top of my head. Hypertufa is something I've wanted to try for years and I'm thrilled to pieces that Langley is willing to hold a class (or two?)for those of us who delight in creating beauty from "mud". W3 please continue to post your work, it's an inspiration for the rest of us.
cora

Langley, I ADORE that birdbath!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE the bird bath AND suddenly I want to learn how to make one! Time is a factor though. I don't have enough waiting for me to do already???

I'll aad "learn how to do hypertufa" to the list so when I've finished my other stuff I'll know to start on hypertufa! haha

Really the bird bath is a work of art, very beautiful.

Beautiful!

Please give me the basic outline of the acid idea.

We have a patio that was defaced by the previous owners with names, drawings and foot prints. Maybe this will help to blend it in.

Hi Ms.langley, Lovely work of art. We are all enjoying the one you gave Sylvia. There was a blue jay drinking water this morning.
Felix

Gorgeous work.
I've done only very plain hypertufa. I'd love to learn to do fancier stuff.

Glad I am not the only one to save pieces of junk, for a some day project. WWW, your bird bath looks lovely. I am thinking about tearing out my carpeting and acid staining my concrete floors.

So, it's possible to acid stain old concrete? ? ?

I thought it was only for newly poured.

Could you give us more info on this subject? Thanks!

Susie

Langley, you have outdone yourself! That is just dropdead gorgeous!! Love it! Now you acid stain the CONCRETE birdbaths and containers before you pour it, right? And the hypertufa, you don't do acide staining on, is that right? And the hypertufa is for planting because it is too porous to hold water, while the concrete can be made into birdbaths because it is watertight...do I have it straight in my teensy mind?

Thanks for sharing that picture. It is positively inspirational to see what pieces of art can be made from concrete and various items used as molds. You are a true arteeeeest, Langley!!

Marcia

Marcia, you can seal hypertufa too if you use 2 or 3 coats of concrete sealer. The same stuff you would use to seal your driveway. I did that with mine and it holds water just fine. I thought I might have to re-seal it every year but it's 2 years old and still doing fine.

With hypertufa you can add colorant directly to the mix or you can brush on some things after you unmold it to give it color. I'm pretty sure Langley said she used concrete colorant in the mix on the ones she had at Susan's but I think the acid wash stain goes on after the piece is made. Not sure about that though 'cos I've never tried anything with concrete. I really want to make some of those round pieces that she showed us!

I think the entire process with either hypertufa or concrete just confuses me to heck and back! All I know is I LOVE both, and think Langley's work is wonderful! And someday, I want to try it for myself.

Thanks, Kate!

Marcia

Holy cow, ya'll! Thank you so much! These posts have made my YEAR! LOL!

For Thonotorose and Susieqsie, I believe you can use acid stain on old concrete. My suggestion would be to Google "acid stain." There's a wealth of info out there, and a lot of D.I.Y instructions. The biggest thing is, you do NOT want to clean the concrete with muriatic acid before you apply the color, as that will stop the chemical reaction between the color acid stain and the concrete. You may have to do some grinding on really old concrete, I'm not sure. And always, always, always follow all safety precautions. Acid stain is much safer than muriatic acid, but it's still acid.

Marcia, Kate is correct in that hypertufa can be made waterproof with a sealer. I finally found a sealer that is recommended for birdbaths and other items that are immersed in water, and I'm awaiting its delivery. And the acid stain is applied AFTER the piece has been poured and dried. The integral color is applied BEFORE the piece is poured.

The thing I really love about the acid stain is that it becomes part of the concrete, and is variable in its nature because of its chemical reaction. It lends an "old world" feel to pieces that are stained with it. It's more than a bit unpredictable, as you will see from the picture below. The color I applied to the leaf was "fern green" but it reacted strangely with the leaf portion (perhaps because of chemical deposits left by the leaf? Who knows?) So, I ended up with an "autumn" leaf instead of a "spring" leaf. I like it, anyway! That's the fun of acid staining!

Thank you again, all of you! We'll have some fun get-togethers and learn hypertufa and concrete, I promise!

Thank you, Langley. I understand much better now. (I theeenk!) The leaf birdbath is stunning, too! You really are an artist, you know!

I'm interested in what you will be using to seal your hypertufa. I would not want to use a sealer that might not be safe for birds, naturally, but it has to be strong enough to hold up to water. Kate, what kind did you use?

The acid stain goes on after, the integral color goes on before (hence the name). Got it!

This is so interesting!!

Thanks for sharing with us.

Marcia