Making a Welcome Stepping Stone

leonard2000

Total Time: One Hour

Yield: About 4 from one 40lb bag

Supplies:

• 40 lb concrete: Premixed or you can make your own.
• 1 ft small container to mix in
• 3 fl oz cooking oil
• 1 stepping stone mold that you will be using
• 1 gal clean water
• hoe or shovel to mix concrete
• paint or sealer - optional
• rags for clean up
• drop cloth to work on

Steps:

1. To mix concrete you need: Mix one part Portland cement two parts sharp sand. Add up to 1 part small gravel or pea gravel. Use less for smaller items. The amount of water will vary depending on your sand and your mix. Mixing your sand with the water first will get a lot of the air out.
2. You want your mix to be pourable, but not soupy. You can use premixed concrete and still follow these guidelines.
3. Prepare your mold. Your mold needs to be clean and dry. Using cooking oil and a brush or rag apply a thin coat to the mold. If it runs when you tilt the mold you have used too much. Wipe it down again, cooking oil works great and is very cheap.
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4. I like to slurry my molds before I fill as this will reduce bug holes in the cast. I mix up a slurry using only cement and sand and make it about like motor oil, I pour this mixture into the mold and move it around to coat the entire surface of the mold as this is where most of your air holes come from on the surface and not your mix. This is not something I have made up, pottery makers have been doing it for thousands of years though most people just don't know about it. All of my statues have been poured this way. I did not vibrate or hit them with a stick, though sometimes I will shake them if the mix is a little thick. If possible try to pour from one spot. Longer bench molds may require you to use two locations this will also help to improve your pour.
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5. Demolding and clean up. After 24 hours you can demold, but you still need to be careful as you can break or chip it. Gently turn the mold over being careful not to let the cast part fall out. Once it is out is the best time to clean it up. Take a 20 grit rub brick or an old broken piece of concrete and rub all of the edges smooth so it will not scratch anyone. There are many other things to learn and there are many other ways to do it. If you need more help drop me an email and I will do my best to help out. You can also add a hanger to the wet mix and hang these small stones.

 

 
6. Now you can paint and seal it if you like.

 
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likekinds
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 523 Posts

November 14, 20181 found this helpful

Very good article and nice workmanship. I plan to make a few of these come Spring. Hopefully, your offer to answer questions will still stand.

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Anonymous

November 14, 20180 found this helpful

Thanks, I will.

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leonard2000

May 10, 20190 found this helpful

It's al I do. I will be ready when you are.

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Anonymous

November 1, 20200 found this helpful

Very good directions. I may try this in the future
How did you cast the butterfly or WELCOME on the mold?
Thanks for sharing how to make these.

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Jess
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts

November 2, 20200 found this helpful

The butterfly and the words are part of the mold. I couldn't find the exact same one but here is a similar mold on eBay. I'd check with a craft supply store online to see if you can find one you like.

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www.ebay.com/.../402190775739?chn=ps

I'm not sure if Leonard is still active on our site but hopefully he will answer too.

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leonard2000

January 24, 20210 found this helpful

This mold can still be purchased at www.statuarymolds.com

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