Funny you should mention that. My boss brought me a bucket of tempered glass--she didn't even know about Jo's geode but my co-workers have gotten in the habit of bringing me things that they think I can use.. You've given me some new ideas of ways to go with it. Looking forward to your pictures.

Deb

So sorry your column fell apart, but that is why I thought you may have to make it a solid column. The glass forms large empty spaces and if those spaces are between the outside and the inside space, it will weaken the structure. Did you sink rebar or anything else in for reinforcement? This will help too.
I can't wait to see the pictures!

Jo

Here is the result of the column attempt. I plan to refine the method and try again.
{{gwi:75371}}

That is pretty cool! I even like it broken! You can plant ferns in the top of them and have 3 planters all different sizes.

Jo

I poured another today and hope it will stay together. This time, I was more careful with glass quantity but still used an inner (3") pvc pipe. And I did feed the glass down a smaller tube to help keep the glass localized, like you suggested, Jo. This time I will leave the pipe. I have just been concerned about the weight of a solid column. I also like the fern suggestion- instant antiquity! I will also practice patience before moving this one. Ohmmmmmmm

I am keeping my finger's crossed for ya! Let us know..

Jo

How very ambitious! I agree that the broken column are great...some ferns will be just the right thing. Can't wait to see the next generation....

Debbie

I hope your second pour up stays together. Would you please share what you used for a mold?
Thanks for sharing.

The form was a concrete tube, there are different brands depending where you buy from. I have been peeling them after 24 hours because I like to be able to sand the lines left from the tube. The one I unmolded today looks like it will stay together- as long as I don't try to move it.

Curious, did your second column come out ok?

Jo

Thanks for asking. The second attempt worked but it is obvious the glass pockets are smaller. This column is 48". I put a 40" pipe in the center, capped it, and put mix over the top to make a solid top for a pot or something. The base is made out of an Xmas tree stand. The column in the background doesn't have glass pieces, is 60", and the pieces all have center holes to pipe water. This is the one I waited to unmold and couldn't sand the tube lines.
{{gwi:75372}}

I can't see the picture! Can you try again?

hmmmm......I had to right-click on the icon and it came up. I've been changing my browser so maybe I did something.? I also had to log back into gardenweb with my password. Jo- will you email if it doesn't come up?

It's GREAT! I really like it and the one behind it is quit impressive too. A xmas tree stand? Well, I know where I can get one of those, and it looks great on the column! Did you watch monster house? They used these columns made from fiberglass. Yours look much nicer.

Jo

I absolutely LOVE your columns! The xmas tree stand
made a perfect base!!! It looks awesome!!! I'll be
keeping my eyes open, for something like that!!!
Column's are on my list of things I'd like to make!!
Thanks for the inspiration!

Another method I have used to create a geode type sphere and column is by using dry ice and cement poured into a glass globe or sonnatube column. In the case of a globe I first duct taped the globe well to prevent breaking and cracking and then placed in a bucket cushioned with peat moss. Then I mixed up the cement mix with fibers and bonding agent added. Wearing heavy gloves I broke up the dry ice slab into smaller pieces (50 cent size) and layed them out on a board next to the globe. (Dry ice burns/freezes upon skin contact, thus the gloves.) Now proceed by alternately pouring in cement and then adding chunks of dry ice. I push the dry ice to the outside edge in contact with the glass globe. The dry ice freezes the surrounding cement pretty fast so you have to work rapidly. If I wanted to make a bubbly fountain out of this sphere I would insert a 1/2 inch greased pvc tube into the center of the mix while pouring cement. Keep turning the tube every 20 minutes or so and remove when the mix is set up (frozen) enough. The filled globe will bubble, boil and smoke for a while but that's okay, just walk away from it for a week because this dry ice method takes longer to harden than others. After it hardens, wearing gloves and goggles proceed to break up the glass globe with light hammer tapping and the results will show various cavities throughout the outside surface of the cement ball. Again after curing well I squeezed exterior Liquid Nails into the cavities and then pushed in the crystals or glass chips. Water cascading down the ball makes it sparkle even more. This same method could work well in making columns with cavities. As was previously suggested for columns I would leave the pvc pipe in the center of the column for reinforcement.

Interesting and creative idea...although your method seems more labor intensive than the glass shards. I have also been making the geodes in the glass balls but have not tried the tube in the middle. The Liquid Nails tip should also work for me. Thanks for the ideas and thorough explanations.

John, Dry ice? How did you ever figure that one out. If I could ever find a supplier of the stuff, I would try all kinds of experiments with it. Have you done anything else with the tufa with dry ice? What do the holes look like? You have any pictures? Does it stop the crete from curing? Does it leave "worm" holes?

Jo

Stangely enough Jo, I've seen dry ice sold in my Kroger grocery store.

We don't have too many needs for dry ice here in NY. All we get are stinkin' ice cubes! I will have to research this to find a supplier cause this sounds to interesting. Who uses dry ice in TX and why? I am just curious.
Jo

I get my dry ice from Wal-Mart. At our store it is kept in a freezer at the front of the store by the check out lines. It evaporates over a period of hours even in a freezer so you have to use it soon after you purchase it. I thought of this method on one of my sleepless nights of tufa thinking. The dry ice freezes the cement and then evaporates leaving the cavities where ice used to be. The cement thaws and hardens like normal cement just takes longer to cure. Remember the tongue sticking on the cold metal pole syndrome? Well that same thing happens if your skin touches the dry ice. Use gloves! An example of a "dry ice" ball I did is on my website (look about ten rows down on the right "Short Square columns") www.johnsgardencreations.com

John,
Facinating idea with that dry ice! I checked out your "dry ice" sphere as well, it looks great! Did you notice any effect on strength after curing? I'm curious because of the "don't cure under 50 degrees" rule. The actual short term freezing of the cement doesn't seem to affect the overall strength? (All your items are beautiful by the way)
Leigh

John- I looked again at your site. The dry ice ball is very unique and looks like a meteorite or something from the moon! A very different effect. Thanks for sharing.

I've had one or two dry ice spheres outside and had water running over them in the summer and they seem as solid and strong as regular cement balls. I think if I had put dry ice throughout the entire thickness of the sphere it would have been weaker much like gottatufa's column. Not being a chemist I'm not sure what the chemical reaction is. Since dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide rather than water it must be the difference. Regular ice would just melt and make the cement more watery.

John, that was mudmaker's lovely columns, to give credit where credit is due. Have you tried regular ice? I think the dry ice just makes spaces, but it looks like the release of the CO2 causes wormholing. I just love that idea and the sphere is very unique. No one would ever guess how it was made. It does look like an astroid or meteorite. That was one productive sleepless night you had there!

Jo

John, that sphere is really cool--got to try that.

Jo, I think we use it here to cool off the horse troughs--they get awfully thirsty tied up in the parking lots. I don't have any need for it though--I don't have a horse, I walk... :)

I guess I'll ask next time I'm in there. I figured it was for camping or hauling frozen food for long trips. I did a quick little search and found many, many uses for dry ice! It's also used to lure mosquitoes away from your outside guests or for quick freezing strawberries, etc. Gee, the things I learn from this forum!!

Here is a link that might be useful: The many uses of dry ice

Dry Ice...The miracle product. Wish I had some. I need to wedge a piece into my brain before it explodes from all this info. lol
Jo

John, where is your website?

John gave it to us above, it was in the message, but not highlighted. You could have copied it and pasted it in the address bar, or Here it is below.

Here is a link that might be useful: John's site

bump

At out local home hardware they used cement columns to make indoor columns, the lines that you could not sand out they filled with white silicon and turned them into grape vines. They used blobs of silicon for the grapes and made extra little branches going off the main spiral so that it would look more natural. Then they did a antiques paint effect on the whole thing. If one used exterior paintable silicon...

good idea

Now we filled tufa with dry ice for voids and sand and broken saftey glass. Now how about baking soda? Tango had talked about using baking soda on the inside of molds for an aged look. Wonder what would happen if you made voids of it.

Jo

Woo Hoo!!!!! My car windshield broke!
This is one for the you know you're addicted when....

Now if you said you purposely bashed your windshield, well then, THAT would be addicted and well...a little disturbing! lol

Well,mudmaker,hope your weather is warmer than ours!Yuo ain't that far away but its cold here today!
Anyhow,wondering what mix you used for your columns.I take it that it was somewhat loose,to go into the column.I've got an idea to make 24 inch columns,with PVC inside.Each 24 inch segment would have male/female ends to mate with the next piece(sounds awfully sexual here!)The PVC,if memory serves,has additional collars to create a female end.This way,easier pouring,easier transporting.
Cheers from the frigid wasteland of the Sunshine Coast!!

Rick, did you do it? If yes, was it a good idea?

My niece's husband is a fish exporter. He says that all fish stores have dry ice.

kobold-good morning and not yet.I've got stuff to get ready for the craft fairs coming up shortly.
DID make one column about 24 inches high with ready mix for our fountain display.I got lazy using this stuff and regret it muchly.WAYYYY too heavy for my use.I'm going to my standard mix of 1:1:2,cement ,sand and perlite,trying not to use large aggregates like gravel.I'll not have a chance until after Xmas to do it.The piece that I did do is going to become a sundial base,permanently placed someplace other than on my fountain location.Sheesh!Dumb is as dumb does,I guess!
Cheers from here