Marcolo, hahaha! "contractor". "neck up"! As a medical professional, I thoroughly appreciate that one! Mine, whom I actually think is pretty good, called and asked me to bring him the cabinet layout the other day, so they could start the install. Sure, I have nothing better to do, I finished my morning surgery, run to print it out, and deliver it up there. Never mind that I'd emailed it to all of them a month ago! At this point, I will do whatever it takes to get it done in time. We're already 2 months behind.

Down............

Accelerator - Ingredient added to increase hydration, shorten set and cure times. admix - Admixture. admixture - Generic term for non-bulk material added to 'tufa; also an abbreviation for acrylic bonding admixture, which increases strength while reducing moisture absorption in 'tufa. aggregate - Any dry bulk material added to 'tufa other than portland cement and sand. air entraining agent - ingredient added to 'tufa mix which captures miniature air bubbles during the mixing process, reducing the harmful effects of freeze-thaw cycles. alginate - One-time use mold-making material used primarily for body casting. armiture - "Skeleton" or support struture for a large 'tufa project. Bug holes - Small holes in castings caused by air bubbles. BRB - Be right back. BTW - By the way. Casting - End product of molding process. cement - See portland cement. chicken wire - A light galvanized wire fencing usually made with relatively large-sized hexagonal mesh. Can be layered around an armiture to hold 'tufa and strengthen structure. closed-cell foam - Hard, nonabsorbent foam. compressive strength - Ability of 'tufa to to withstand downward force or to sustain a heavy weight. concrete - A mix of portland cement, sand and water. The standard construction recipe calls for one part portland cement to three parts sand/rocks. concrete admix - See admixture. cure - Pprocess by which 'tufa hardens; dependent on sufficient hydration and temperature. DH - Dear Husband. DWT - Drywall tape. Efflorescence - Salts which leach out of 'tufa during the curing process. Faux bois - Imitation wood (French). form - Mold used for the setting an outside shape. Grot - Abbreviation for grotesque, which is a gargoyle which does not serve the purpose of a rainspout. Our grots serve as planters but have the same unusual attributes of a gargoyle. green - Uncured. GW - Garden Web. HWM - Hardware mesh, cloth. Used to reinforce larger 'tufa projects. hydration - Chemical reaction between water and portland cement. IMHO - In my honest opinion LOL - Laughing out loud. Model - Original piece (usually of artwork) used to make a mold. Mold - A rigid structure used to hold green 'tufa into a fixed position until it sets. See also postive mold, negative mold, mother mold. mortar - Variation of concrete used in masonry; does not contain rough aggregate. mother mold - Outer, often rough mold made of the back of a mold. Used to secure the mold during the casting process when it is made of fragile or flexible material. moulage - Reusable mold-making material used primarily for body casting. Negative mold - Casting of a model which is made to create a positive mold. Used when original model is fragile and requires the use of nondurable molding material. nylon fibers - Added to 'tufa add strength and cohesion. OMG - oh my gawd/garsh. Paper pulp - Shredded paper soaked in water and agitated; used in papercrete. papercrete - Variation of 'tufa consisting of paper pulp, portland cement and sand. perlite - Volcanic glass superheated to form a lightweight aggregate which can be used in 'tufa. Has a high moisture content. plasticizer - Ingredient added to 'tufa mix to increase workability. pop - Plaster of Paris. portland cement - Powdery substance produced by burning a mixture of clay and limestone at a high temperature. A primary ingredient in 'tufa. positive mold - A concave mold which prevents the escape of molding material during the molding process. 'puter - computer (Cajun). Rebar - Steel bars usually used in concrete to provide reinforcement. Can be used to make an armiture in 'tufa projects. 'rete - Concrete. ROTFLOL - Rolling on the floor, laughing out loud. Sand casting - Process of manipulating sand to create a mold, then filling the mold with 'tufa. silicon dioxide - Added to 'tufa mix increases density and water resistence via a chemical reaction. slurry - Paste made with portland cement and water. set - The initial hardening of 'tufa before it has fully cured. sn - Screen name. Spike - Gardenweb web master and ruler of the GW Universe. Tensile strength - Ability of 'tufa to resist stretching without breaking. 'tufa - Abbreviation for hypertufa. tufa - Naturally occurring soft or porus rock formed by water deposits. Tufa rock is artifically reproduced with hypertufa. Undercut - Portion of model which has sharp recesses which could prevent a mold to be separated from the model, or a casting to be separated from the mold. WIP - Work in progress.

Dog in Elk. Dog in Elk Put down your coffee and grab some tissues. I have tears of laughter streaming down my face. (And a little KT history lesson, there)