# starting rock formations



## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok we are starting the last step in forming rock formations. I do not know how this is going to turn out only time and luck will tell. We have researched and asked a ton of questions here on line We have applied the finished layer of cement and are trying the foil over the cement method to form a small texture to the cement. While we are waiting for that prosess to set up i,am doing this post and then i will go and use a acid spray to color the cement. I have no idea as to what exact color we will get just a rough idea. Will post later with pictures what we ended up with /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Here are a few pic after the acid has been applied. It still has to work a little more then i will spray it with ammonia and water to stop the action and clean off the acid. Then we will try to another batch and call it a day. My back,legs are not what they used to/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif be


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

How do i make the pictures larger so you can see the defintion and detail of the rocks. What i,am doing is not getting it.


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Pete, 

You want to both re-size, and compress the pictures. That way they will be below the 60KB limit for putting them into your post direct, which I believe is what you have done. 

They are well below that limit at the moment, so a re-sizer MAY do the trick, but a compressor (of your .jpg photo) will give you a greater size (within the 640 x 480 pixel limit) 

That will need a program like paint shop pro, and you can get old versions free from the following site 

http://www.oldapps.com/Paint_Shop_Pro.php 

That site is old app(lication)s. and is a very useful source of old versions of programs; I assume that you are using Windows! 

Personlally I use PSP 7, and it is nice a quick.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Peter thanks for the advise. I will try it this evening my wife and myself have just stopped for the day we got some more cement layed over the cement covered burlap. We are useing cement acid to add more color to the colored cement. The acid bring out colors that are almost like real rock formations i know i could not get the colors by painting or just using cement dies plus the colors are perment.When we are all done all i have to do is apply a water base sealer. Hope to post some pictures this evening using your method thanks again.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Well i now have my photo page all screwed up i cannot post any pictures. I have to wait till i can get my son to see what the *&^% i have done no more pictures for now!!


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## bryanj (Jan 2, 2008)

Very Nice Pete ! Would that be Muratic acid or another type ?


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

The product contains hydrochloric acid, chromic chloride,ferrous chloride and ferric chloride. The brand name is lithochrome chemstain classic the two colors i used were faded terracotta and dark walnut. It works different on different colors of cement the colors of cement we used were red, buff, gray,charcoal the acid works with the cement and all four colors different. We have done three sections of our layout and have seen different color changes at all three sections. Personally i,am sold on this product i have NO artistic talent and we like the look of real rock that you get from this product.If you have any more questions please ask. Time will tell how it lasts the clerks where i bought it said to put a water base sealer over it after awhile and it will last for years.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Pete get image resizer from Microsoft free download works good and is SIMPLE! The Regal


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

I will have to wait till monday when my son will be over to see what i did and fix it i will show him your post thanks regal.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

test pic


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Here are a few pic of our rock work


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## chuckger (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Pete, 

Your rock work looks good to me. 
I'm following this thread with interest as I will shortly start working on my RR, and will be doing cement/mesh scenery. Please keep posting picks of your progress. 

chuckger


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Chuck i found the web site for the cement acid just by luck www.chasephipps.com. go on the site and you will see the colors that they have. The main thing is the acid colors that you use will hot all look the same because the acid reacts different to the different colors of cement that you use even if you use just gray cement the acid will still produce different colors. I was told that the acid reacts to the color added to the cement and also to the amount of lime in the cement. The mixture that we used was one i got out of garden railroad magazine and the article was written by jack verducci. We used mortar mix and added lime,fireclay,portland cement since we have been using this formula i have been told that i did not need to use all of these ingredients but this is how we started out so we will finish this way. I,am sure there are easier mixtures. you can see that the acid produces a lot of different colors and please belive me i have NO artistic talent. Good luck if you try this method and post some pictures.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

we did some more cement work today the first pictures are the colored cement


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

next set of pictures are with the cemnet colored acid applied


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

In the pictures of the acid it still needs time to dry and cure after which the colors will change, they will ligthen up /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete

That is some very nice rock work that (you, oops, I knew that /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif) _you and your wife_ are producing there, looks to me like it's right up there with any other that I've seen. Keep up the good work, that acid coloring is really coming out nice and variation in the strata looks really great..


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks steve for the complement my wife and myself have put a lot of work into this project and we still have a ways to go will post more pictures later/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

We just finish our arch we tryed to fashion it to look like one of the arches at arches national monument park. I haved applied the cement acid and this time it will take a bit longer to dry. I have been misting the whole structure hoping that it will help it from cracking time will tell. Once it is dried i will post pictures of it dry for now it is still wet and dark looking it should ligthen up I HOPE/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Very interesting. I never heard of using acids to color cement before.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Ray the acids come in cuite a few different colors or i should say they produce cuite a few different colors it,s a lot easer than painting and the acid is suppose to be perment time will tell. You just spray it on and wait as it dries the colors appear. We still need to add a sealer


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete, 

Your project is coming along wonderfully! Great work! 

Best, 
TJ


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Ray cuite should be quite i did not read what i typed. We ran our forney for the first time through the arch as you can see it just fits actually i had to scrape off some cement and then redo it with the acid coloring/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Tj thanks for the complement my wife and myself have been putting in some hours trying to get this cement work finished. We still have the tunnel/mountain to do then clean up the mess and start another project.Will post pictures of tunnel/mountain work later.


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