Where to get white Portland Cement?
bobn4burton
17 years ago
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klinger
17 years agoDebZone8
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Portland Cement? Which one?
Comments (6)Oh thank You guys so much! No Kiddin'! I was planning on going with the "plastic" thinking that was what everyone was using! That is what was holding me "up" too, just waiting to find out what to use. The recipe I was planning on using was the "little of everything" recipe. I wanted kindof a really old looking type first. They are so beautiful, a replication of the past. The recipe calls for 2 parts portland cement, 2 parts perlite, 1 1/2 peatmoss, 1/2 sand, and some concrete fibers. I have downloaded many, and I have written yours down! Yours sound awesome and waaay less ingredients! Thank You Both soo much! You have no idea how much you have helped me. I have been scared and excited both to get started!! I know I won't be able to quit, because everyone does such beautiful work!! I will let you all know how it goes, gonna try this weekend!! Glo...See Moreportland with lime?
Comments (6)I think Sue meant efflorescence. It's also called "bloom" and it's salts in the mix or from your water, coming to the surface. Are you using city or well water? As Sue said it can be washed off, you just have to keep at it. As far as staining it all depends on the product you are using. Some can be done very soon after demolding and others you have to wait. Just read the directions....See MoreWhite cement discussion
Comments (12)Plopplop --- I'll jump in here too. I used to routinely use white Portland for sculpting and what I call "micro-clumps" are both a consistent and aggrevating problem. Yes...Houston, Texas tends to be a little on the humid side ( as in 140% humidity, year 'round), but I've bought two different brand-name products from high-volume commercial distributors who turn their inventory quickly...and it's still a problem. Especially with any mix that employs integral or surface applied oxide colors. The annoying little white clumps show up on the surface uncombined with the integral color. ARRRGHH! I spent a month or so running controlled tests before I could confirm the source of the problem...and it definitely is the white Portland. I've just about given up on it as it seems to be insurmountable by any of my mixing methods. So...if anyone has a fix for this...please let us know what it is. Otherwise, I'm sticking with my (very) light gray. Tango...See MoreWhat are the signs of bad portland?
Comments (7)I'm a bit concerned about the way you are curing your pieces. Phrases like "is still damp inside" and "pieces which dried in the sun" suggest a misunderstanding. Concrete, and hypertufa too, does not set by drying. It sets by a process of crystallisation called hydration, and this only occurs when they piece remains wet. Allowing a piece to dry out, and particularly in the sun, will cause it to develop a hard but very brittle crust. Drying it through completely will produce something that crumbles to dust. Curing is done by keeping a piece wet for at least a week, ideally for a month. The cement which should have thoroughly coated all the aggregates when it was mixed will very slowly crystallise and hold everything together. These crystals require water to form. When the cement is allowed to dry out, the crystals stop forming. Even if you wet it again there are breaks in the crystals that weaken the result. Crystals form quickly at higher temperatures but may develop as small separate crystals that weaken the structure. The strongest results form at lower temperatures where the cement can set slowly without flaws. A month at 50F is a very practical way to achieve a strong result....See Morerhonda2006
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