Casting in hypertufa is fun and not at all difficult. Hypertufa is a mixture of Portland cement, sand and peat moss. If you want you can replace the sand with perlite, it makes the pots and trays a lot lighter as perlite weighs almost nothing. Tufan takes a little longer to harden than ordinary concrete.
When casting bigger things it is a good idea to reinforce the castings. In my first attempt, I used chicken wire but I found it difficult to fill the hypertufan in the mold when the chicken wire was there. Then I bought a woven glass fiber cloth, which I unraveled. I cut the fibres into 3-5 cm pieces. One handful of this mixed in each batch hypertufa seems just right. This reinforce and holds the Tufa together without problems.
A concrete mixer is very useful and makes the casting so much easier. I bought the smallest one I could find and It is just the right size for my needs.
When casting larger pots and trays, I use buckets of different sizes ordinary cardboard boxes and plastic tubs as molds.
Love it, You are very creative. I also loved the thread spool holder. You are blessed with so many talents.
I want to thank you for the files you shared . Im from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico.
what is the mixture for creating the stepping stones? How much of each mix? Is it equal parts of sand, cement and peat moss???
For the stepping stones I only use ready-to-use concrete mix. When casting with hypertufa I usually mix 1 part cement, 1,5 part peat and 1,5 part sand/perlite.
Hi Monica, what do you do to unmold the planters? I tried and got sticked to the plastic… Had to break it and my planter broke… 🙁
You have to choose containers that do not have vertical sides. If it sticks, try to rinse warm water on the plastic. It’s also good to be two when unmolding, sometimes it can be really tricky.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I’ve seen this product, but thought it would be too difficult to work with. Your post has changed my mind.
Thanks again,
EllieV