Hi! Yes, I've done this - I've popped them off with a screwdriver. If the pieces are close together, I press down hard on the piece NEXT to the piece I want to remove (just with my finger), and slide a screwdriver in between the two pieces and lift up on the piece to be removed with the screwdriver, and it usually pops right off. I hope that makes sense.

You DID cure your concrete boot for a bit, before you applied the tesserae?

oh....but you know what....don't know if this makes a difference, but you know I'm always working with plates, etc., NOT glass.

Hey LYNDALU: Thanks for the reply. I poured the concrete on 7/23, applied glass on 7/29. Was that cured enough??

ladyronnie - in regards to the curing - I'm still a beginner at working with concrete, so I've been following the directions in my Sherri Warner Hunter books....she mentions that concrete is fully cured after 28 days.

And the first week is the most important - you keep the piece damp by misting and/or keeping it covered (I do both). It needs the moisture for the hydration process to take place, and for the piece to harden and strengthen.

I've been following this process pretty faithfully. Although on my smaller pieces - the mushrooms - I only waited 2 weeks.

I know there are differing opinions on this, though - and like I said, I'm a beginner!

oh - and on small pieces - I got a medium size syrofoam cooler (thrift store, of course) and put the items in that, mist them really good, put a wet towel over them, put the lid on the cooler - and they stay nice and moist and you don't have to worry about misting so much! I've also read that you can just leave the item immersed in a bucket of water, too!

maybe klinger will chime in here....she's got a lot of experience at this.

I'll agree with what lyndalu said. Usually I'll try and wait several weeks for a good hard cure, a month is better. Your concrete will be fairly hard at six days though. Keeping your concrete wet or damp and giving it time will give you a good hard final product. It should be safe enough to try and pry off your glass, if the cement crumbles then wet it with some admix, or watered down white glue and add some new cement to it to smooth it out.Hope this helps,
Cindy

Thanks so much, guys. I did keep a wet paper towel on top of it, wetted it down a couple of times, and the whole thing was inside the leather until I cut the leather off (which was only a couple of days, admittedly.) I think it'll be ok. It's not like it's going to be walked on like a stepping stone, and they may not even put it outside. When they get it. When I get it done. Whenever :)