Flagstone
Project by Wayne Nicholson
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Wayne
sent us the finished photos of his flagstone walkway.
What
a fantastic job! When the grass grows back over the summer,
it will make the perfect living border to a perfect landscape
project.
As
a mold maker, you don't know how thrilled I am to see my vision
of what my molds were intended to do come to life.
As
this was a first time project for Wayne in using the kind of
molds I make, I have to say, his project reflects the great
detail and time he put into it.
Wayne
added his own personal touch to these stones with the addition
of colors and method. Something you cannot buy at a big box
store!
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Image
above of walkway between garage and house.
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Image
above showing cut stones meeting existing walkway. |
More
pictures at bottom of page.
In an email sent by Wayne on Feb. 24, 07 Wayne wrote:
Hi
Dan,
I just
finished my 4th set of molds. I have learned a couple things that might
be helpful to your future customers.
The
first thing is, that they work well and are easy to use. Even my first
set is pretty good. Now, to the important stuff. I started with two
50lb bags of Portland cement and four 50lb bags of sand (2 to 1 ratio).
I found that 1 1/2 bags of cement to 3 bags of sand will almost fill
one set of 4x4 molds. On the next set I added 4 scoops of small gravel
to each batch ( I mixed 1/2 bag of cement and one bag of sand at a time
in a wheel barrel as a batch}. A scoop is the amount I could scoop unto
both hands as I cupped them. This will fill a 4x4 set with just a little
left. So, one set of molds require 75lbs of cement and 150lbs of sand
and a little gravel.
Next
the release agent, I tried Pam first because it is quickest. I found
that if I put a good coating on it took 1 full 6 oz. can of Pam per
set of 4x4 molds. I used it for 2 sets but it could get pretty expensive
that way. Next I tried the canola oil. I poured a fair amount into one
of the molds and used a small piece of cloth to wipe the other molds.
This takes longer but works well and is much cheaper. Also the canola
oil seems to clean up easier.
Next
the dye. I think it would be pretty plain without some color. I decided
to use black dye. I decided to use your suggestion and not totally mix
the dye. This worked well After mixing the cement and sand I used the
little red cap from the Pam can to measure. I started with 1/2 cap full,
and sprinkled it on top then mixed it in a little. I mixed it as I walked
around the wheel barrel a couple times. Then I put it in the molds and
followed your directions. This came out well, kind of like marble. On
the next couple batches I tried a little more dye and finally settled
on about 2/3 of the red Pam cap. Since I am new at this I decided to
lay them out next to each other to see the difference. After three sets
I could see a difference in each batch even though I tried to use the
same procedure. However after I moved some around between sets they
looked pretty cool. I moved a few of the darker ones (a little more
dye) to the lighter ones and visa versa. It looks pretty neat. Oh one
thing, for the whole procedure I used THROW AWAY RUBBER GLOVES, that
way when handling the molds or using the dye I could just throw them
away. They are not to expensive and are worth it. Be careful of the
dye it will stick to almost anything.
Next,
marking the molds. I found on the first set of molds that it was difficult
to find the letters so that I could mark the molds. Some were covered
with cement some with oil. My solution was to take a small round file
and file a small dimple in the edge of each mold directly across from
each letter. This works excellent. Now I just scan the edge of the mold
for the dimple and wipe that small area to see the letter. Works great.
Other
hints, On my first set of molds I filled one at a time and moved them
to my lawn to dry. This took allot of time. Now what I do is use 2x4s
to make a quick table to work on. I use a small table in the middle
and 4 foot ladders on the ends. 3 on one side and 3 on the other side.
This gives me around 15 feet to put my molds on. I can set it up and
take it down in about 2 min. then a put the release agent on all 11
molds at once and can fill them one after another quickly. It took me
2 1/2 hours from the time I started to set up to the time I finished
cleaning my tools on the first molds. By the fourth set I had it down
to about 1 hour and 45 min. start to finish
I hope
some of this might be helpful to some of your future first timers like
me.
Oh,
I was wondering, if I somehow damage one of my molds is it possible
to purchase a replacement ?
Thanks
for a great product
Wayne
P.S. if you want I could send pictures
(Here
are Wayne's pictures re-sized for the web that he sent)
Four
sets laid out and mixed for walkway.
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Close-up
of single stone showing marble affect.
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One
set of 11 stones.
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Getting
setup for casting.
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Concrete
color sprinkled on batch before lightly mixing in.
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Showing
notch next to letter and letter scratched in back.
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In
response to Wayne's question about purchasing single molds for replacements:
Yes, single molds can be purchased to replace any damaged or worn out
molds. Simply write me and I am happy to work with customers to make
sure they get what they need to finish projects.
Thank
you Wayne for sharing the great photos and comments on your project!
Click
Here for a link back to Flagstone set
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