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rubarb leaf casting

17 years ago

You all are so cleaver I thought maybe someone on this sight knows how to do this, using a rubard leaf and a cement mixture you can either make a stepping stone or I have also seen a bird bath made with this method.

What are the steps?

I saw one made by a friend of a friend of a friend and was told to make bird bath to mound up sand. How do you place the leaf to get impression?

What to use for cement mixture?

What can it be painted with?

What kind of paint would be safe for birds?

I saw you could use the cement coloring, but how much would you need for 1 large leaf molding?

Your directions on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (7)

concretenprimroses
17 years ago
You need to go to the hypertufa forum for this project. Go to the bottom and do a search for leaf. Lots of different threads will show up.
Seelink below
kathy

Here is a link that might be useful: hypertufa forum
izzie
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you. I had no idea what hypertufa was, or even to look there..guess I do now.
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You may want to post this over on the Hypertufa Forum...they know a lot about leaf casting over there.
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The paint used was probably iridescent or pearlized acrylic paint. Don't know what happened to the link I posted above. I use a damp pile of sand in a shallow box. Some people lay a clear piece of plastic (dry cleaner bag) over the sand. Place leaf with the back of the leaf facing up on the sand mound. Shape sand the way you want the final shape of the leaf. Remember you are working in reverse, so if you want the tip of the leaf to point down the damp sand at the tip of the leaf has to point up. When you place the mix on the back of the leaf start in the middle, down the center vein, and pat the mix to move it toward the edge. Depending on the size of the leaf you can put down one layer, lay down a layer of mesh tape that they use for dry wall, then add another layer of QuikWall.
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I'm not sure that I envision what you're describing but I have a few leafcastings that sound like what you're looking for. I made them by accident when I was forming a leafcasting over a mound of sand. The sand mound wasn't neat around the edges, there was a thin layer of sand on the work surface around the sand pile. When I applied the mortar mix to the leaf some of it oozed over the edge onto the loose sand. When I unmolded the leaf I had a casting that looked like it had been carved out of stone, it has rough ragged edges. I like the look myself, I've intentionally made some since. I've also switched to using a coarser sand for leafcasting. It leaves a coarser, rougher edge. Is that the look you're trying to achieve? Good luck!
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Thank you for the nice comments. I've seen many of these on the forum recently. Aren't the leaves fun to make? Kat, below is a link that shows how to make them. If you click on the links on the bottom of that page, you can see how they can be painted in different colors. Hope you get the chance to make some! Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Rhubarb Castings
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grandmathyme
17 years ago
I made concrete (not hypertufa) leaves last year using Quikcrete purchased at Lowe's. I added a bottle of concrete fortifier, also sold at Lowe's.

I started by mounding a pile of sand (I used my granddaughter's sandbox), then I laid the leaf face down on the mound of sand and filled sand in around it, smoothing the leaf down so it doesn't have folds in it.

From there, I added handfuls of Quikcrete (mixed with water and the bonding agent/fortifier...using the whole bottle of fortifier). I layered handfuls of the concrete mixture on the back side of the leaf and patted it smooth with my hand (use gloves)...make it fairly thick so it is strong enough. Smooth the concrete out with your hands and shape it at the edges of the leaves.

Then just leave it sit at least overnight...maybe a little longer...cover it with a tarp or something if it's hot or rainy.

After it's had a chance to dry, carefully tip it over and let it dry a couple more days. You can brush off any extra sand around the edges with a whisk broom. The leaf will be stuck to the concrete, but as the concrete leaf dries, the real leaf will dry up and can be brushed off.

From there, you can stain it or paint it or just leave it concrete-color. You'll be amazed how easy it is. BTW, I also made some using the same technique with smaller leaves and plaster of paris. They turned out nicely, too.

Good luck!
wannadanc
17 years ago
Go to Garden Accoutrements over on Garden web - to the FAQ section and you will learn everything you need to know about leaf castings .....it is so much fun!!!!!
concretenprimroses
16 years ago
Izzie did you make a leaf? (By the way I re read my post and I didn't mean to sound so harsh! I just meant to tell you where there is info...)
kathy
luckygal
16 years ago
We made rhubarb leaf stepping stones many years ago. We used concrete, not hypertufa, and reinforced them with wire mesh.

Here's a link on how to make a leaf casting: http://www.gardensandcrafts.com/leafcastings.html

Here's a link with instructions for a leaf stepping stone. This is pretty much how we made ours.

Here is a link that might be useful: instructions for leaf stepping stones
izzie
Original Author
16 years ago
Concrete your post was fine..no I haven't gotten around tuit! I've just had too much house stuff to do. I bought the supplies I am hoping to get around tuit before winter.

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