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Making A Hypertufa Trough

Published Tuesday, August 26, 2008 by bloggerblognet37044 | E-mail this post

The shape of the hypertufa trough depends on the mold chosen. The choice of the mold depends on the types of plants to be nurtured. Mold making gives two options. The first option consists of covering the exterior (of the mold) with the hypertufa mixture; whereas the second option involves covering of interior. The trough's final size depends on any of these two options. The second option reduces the trough's size. The mold choices acceptable for this project include cardboard boxes, dish pans made up of plastic, plastic planters/containers, styrofoam ice-chests, and 'plastic kitty litter pans'. The materials for making your own molds include wood, large Styrofoam sheets, polystyrene foam (for insulation of houses), etc.

Reusable form: The reusable form can be made by butting the 'precut rigid foam section's' edges, holding them together with 'metal cooking skewers', bamboo, or huge nails; and then wrapping the outer part with duct tape. This will help ensure stability. This four-sided form is recommended to be put on a plywood piece for a detachable base.

Making a hypertufa trough: If you intend to cover the exterior with the hypertufa mixture then turn the mold upside down on your work surface. Then start building the mixture up from the bottom working your way up the sides. You should constantly be patting and pressing on it to make sure that there are no air bubbles and everything will adhere together. The "tufa's" thickness is recommended to be around 1 inches. If you wish to cover the mold's interior with 'tufa', it should be kept in upright position. Pretty much opposite from the exterior method you will build the bottom of the container first and then work your way up the walls. Try to keep an even thickness for the walls and base and don't forget to make sure the corners are thick enough as well. The base should be kept as smooth and flat as you can.

You can use a 'bamboo barbecue' skewer, or a similar thin object for poking through the hypertufa allowing you to check the thickness of the walls. This will help in maintaining the uniform thickness (1 ") of the entire project. For a smoother surface wet your fingers and smooth it to the desired texture. Make sure that you put drainage holes in the bottom of the trough. You can use a dowel rod or pipe to make this easier and give a uniform size for the holes.

Hypertufa is a fun and easy way to create your own garden art. If you would like to learn more about Hypertufa then check out this blog at http://hypertufadirections.blogspot.com/

Blogger BlogNet13779

Making A Hypertufa Trough

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