Tuesday, July 24, 2007

[papercreters] Hello. Introduction, and couple of questions.

First I would like to say hello.

I've been working with concrete in a "decorative" since for some
time now, things such as counter tops, tables, lamps, shelving, ect.
So I am not new to the techniques and procedures of normal concrete
and many variations of standard mixes. I've heard of papercrete for
a while now and finally got around to mixing and casting some today.
Made mixes of cement and paper; cement, paper, and sand; and cement,
paper, sand, and gravel. I also made castings of dyed and natural
color. I have a few questions though. In reading what I could find
online it seems as if everyone is mixing a batch and letting it air
cure, where as I'm accustomed to wrapping a casting in plastic and
keeping it moist for several weeks- as this continues the hydration
process and makes for a stronger piece. Is there any reason why it
seems nobody does this with papercrete? I also wanted to know if
anyone has successfully polished papercrete? I realize that it is
fibrous and will not polish in the same manner as sand and stone
mixtures, but I'm thinking with an epoxy surface sealer it might be
possible to produce a nice polish on it and have a unique finish.
The mixes that I added dye to look very good so far, lots of color
variation from clumps of paper absorbing different amounts of the
color that give it a nice effect. Anyway, right now these are the
only things I can think of that I was wanting to ask about. Maybe
someone can help me out with some answers, suggestions, or farther
knowledge.

-Daniel
TheSilentChamber



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