Any size inflatable ball, Make sure the ball is fully inflated so there is no give Flower Pot big enough that when you set the ball in it that only about a quarter of the ball sets in the flower pot. You want to be able to set the ball in the pot and the ball does not fall out of the pot. This is important and so very helpful when working with a large ball You will need the following Couple of large Trash Bags Concrete Bonding agent.......Lowes, HD next to concrete dyes looks like Elmers glue. Bonding agent helps new mixture to stick to dried project. Use half water half bonding agent when you need extra hard hold or for really large projects Fiberglass drywall tape you can get this at lowes, home depo one roll last forever 1 sturdy plastic Flower Pot Do Not use Terra Cotta pot. I use a light mix works well 1 Part Portland Not concrete mix that you buy this has to be PORTLAND CEMENT 1 part peat moss 1 parts perlite 1 Part water This makes a lightweight but very strong project Vaseline Caution Do use gloves, Do use a mask when mixing as the dust is very fine and will get in your nose and mouth, use goggle over glasses trust me the dust will scratch your glasses 1 Make your hypertufa mix well and let it set 2 Place one opened trash bag in the flower pot so that the bottom of the bag is inside the pot let the rest fold over the sides. You will use the part of the bag that is hanging over to cover your Speer once done. 3 . Totally cover your ball with Vaseline be generous. Then rub what is on your hands into your hands really well. Your hands will thank you later 4 Locate the Air Valve on your ball, Place your ball in the flowerpot making sure that the air valve is at the bottom when ball is setting in the flower pot Getting started is the hardest part many people find it helpful to take a hand full of mixture and rub it all over the ball its helps the rest stick better Start applying your tuff to your ball. There are many different ways to start everyone has their own style. I usually start at the bottom and go all the way around the ball turning the flowerpot as needed and working my way up the ball. Trying covering your ball in equal amounts all the way around. The ball can get very heavy and will flip on you really quickly.. The bigger the ball the easier it will flip on you ******** It can be hard to get started DonÂt Give up Once your ball is totally covered and your feel itÂs held well then takes the part of the trash bag that is hanging over and brings it up over the project and cover. I then take the second trash bag open and cover the entire project again. Place in a safe place and let it set Now try really hard not to open the bags and look at your project for a week. Amount of time depends on weather After a week I then open the ball and depending on the size of my ball or what effects I want I will apply a second coat of mixture in a different color This is also where you pick up the project out of the flower pot and if the opening is larger then you want then you use the mixture with the bonding agent to fill in as much of this area as you want. Remember you will have to leave a large enough opening to deflate the ball and pull it out or not some people just cover the opening and leave the ball in. I always deflate the ball and pull it out. If you do not want an opening at this point you deflate the ball and pull out, take some very thin chicken wire and the tape, cover the opening and apply mixture on top and blend in with rest of hypertufa and you will have a hollow Speer. Depending on the size of your project closing the opening up you may want to take a two step approach. Patch in as much as possible leaving just enough room to deflate ball and pull it out let project dry for a couple of days in same fashion as above then deflate ball pull out then use chicken wire and tape cover remaining hole which should be no more then 3-4 inches across and cover with hypertufa Applying mixture really thick is not necessary I have many Speers that are no more then 1/2 in thick and they are very strong *******This part is important on the second coat or for closing openings instead of water in your mixture use half water and half concrete bonding agent. If project is really large also apply some of the fiberglass drywall tape to the Speer several strips from top of Speer to the bottom helps.. Do not apply a heavy second coat and DO NOT PRESS IT HARD OR YOU WILL CRACK FIRST COAT. The second coat is really just for special effects or to cover small areas you didnÂt apply enough of first time and is not necessary for Soccer ball, BB ball sized projects. . **** Remember the inside of your project will be very smooth you can always cut this Speer in half and use itÂs for future mold by simply lining it with a plastic bag. Once project has cured 2-3 weeks in a safe spot I then just unwrap them set them in the garden for several weeks and let nature take care of things 2 or 3 good rain storms and you can plant in them . If project is more than 1 inch thick some drill holes in the bottom will be needed for drainage If your mixture is to dry add a little bit of water and mix well continue to do this until you can squeeze a little water out of a handful If your mixture is to wet try laying your mixture on some newspaper for a few min and newspaper will absorb excess water or add more ingredites just remember to add equal parts of each . If your mixture continues to slide off your ball then it has to much water Happy Tuffing Ladies itÂs like being a little kid again and getting to play in the mud as long as you want. WARNING Tuffing is fun and will draw neighborhood kids by the dozen, so work in a secure place or be willing to answer lots of questions. This whole process is very confusing to children they just canÂt understand an adult playing in the mud like that and having a good time.

>The 1:1:1:1 mix with sand, perlite and vermiculite is pretty heavy - I thought it would be lighter than that. Demaris, Believe me. A traditional concrete mixture in the same sized mold would be considerably heavier than your tufa mix. Make yourself some test pieces with the same mold (margarine tub, etc.) and different recipes from the FAQ and be sure to make a "Quikcrete" sample for comparison. Not only will you get an idea of how much lighter tufa is compared to regular old concrete, but you will discover that the less sand you use, the lighter your end product will be. Also this will give you the means for object lessons when people question your sanity in moving away from tradional concrete applications and recipes. Drop a true concrete sample in their hands then a 1:2 perlite or vermiculite sample in their hands. Object lessons are quite effective. Your samples will also give you an idea of how well your recipes turn out in the long run so you can tweak them for your area/humidity/heat. The samples are also great for experimenting with stains, paint, etc. Congrats on a great geodic-looking ball. Good job. Jo

I used a round gourd to cover with tufa for my pumpkin. However, my first attempt had a major flaw. After I applied the tufa, the gourd absorbed all the water and expanded quite a bit, cracking the uncured tufa. My second try was to drill a hole in the bottom of the gourd, fully soak it for several hours, them apply the tufa. The gourd, this time, shrunk away from the tufa as it cured, and I was successful in making my pumpkin. Learn as you go. I made a nice sphere using a basketball. I left a small hole near the inflation area, deflated it, removed it, (after it had set up real hard!) and patched the hole. This was a good way for me to do it. The firm basketball works great, but don't work in the sun, it will expand, and cause problems, and don't forget, deflate and leave in or remove it later. .

No cursing here! As mentioned,I took Mymud,and waferred(?)the mesh between coats of it,using two 16 inch steel bowls.I waited 48 hours and just got them apart.First bowl came out OK;but,for the second,outer bowl, I had to hammer the living h--l out of it first with rubber mallet,then with hammer,then it came out.Oh,I also repeatedly dropped the steel bowl on the floor to get to release the concrete/And they came out,with NO cracking at all!Average thickness is around 1/4 of an inch!Unfriggin' believeable.I didn't quite have enough mud to completely do the inside surface,but,it looks good for the future,The outside came out of the mold looking like I'd been polishing it for a while.It shines! So,what does this do for me?Well,makes for lighter fountain bases,that's for sure.I'll probably put an additional coat on the inside for colour,to make sure the mesh,seen vaguely,is completely obscured. Damn,I'm good.And all thanks to you,Laura,for turning me on...to the product! Cheers from here