Hello Remi,
I will do my best in this post to answer your questions the best I am able. I actually only read a few questions and most of it seems like you have made up your mind about doing this a certain way, so I don't want to block your creativity or ideas of how you think you should do something...
This being a natural building forum within a
permaculture site, I am reluctant to go into great detail on the means, methods and material modalities of this subject here, no more than I would promote pesticides, pressure treatment lumber, or industrial farming practices. I would be glad to have you contact me at my email address provided below anytime or on LinkedIn as the subject of "artificial stone, wood, or masonry" is a huge one in parts of my professional work, that encompasses everything from zoo, aquarium/vivarium and pool enclosures and to greenhouses/aquaponics I have worked on, to climbing walls and historic conservation material application.
Could you elaborate on the toxins that leach in time from the fake rocks ? Cause i plan to make these walls inside a greenhouse with lots of plants.
Fake rock is almost always around water...water is probably one of the most common and hard working solvents in the world. Whatever a rock is made of (natural or otherwise) needs to be inert in format as much as possible. Limestone, which is basically calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in its untouched form, is one of the most reactive stone species there is around water...OPC is a very weak and poorly fashioned form of limestone. Many of the methods, such as the types based on OPC and re-bar as Vertical Artisans (et al) practice do not have the long term durability of withstanding this most common of solvents. Add to this uric acids, tannic acids, and other biologically based enzymatic solutions and you get a cocktail that can melt both steel and stone very effectively.
Next is the issue of toxins and environmental impact. Making artificial stone is a practice that will expose the facilitator to many different chemicals, some harmless for the most part, other not at all. Personal risk (bad working habits and carelessness) are but one issue. The industry behind OPC is one of the largest polluters on the planet and anything I can do to prevent and avoid using those materials I will do, as compared to other industries...such as polymer sciences only pale in level of environmental degradation and human damage.
I did start to make a few test models and i use a few chemicals besides cement, like synthetic resins for adhesion, a dust like release agent for the molds (maybe it's just talcum powder ?) and plasticizer for the mortar. But these are just a few chemicals that all builders use when constructing a house or just laying down tiles in a bathroom.
And this is not a topic for a natural building forum even a little bit in my view, so if we are to go into great detail of how to mix different chemicals safely, or the industry pros and cons of method, I would feel better doing that in a more "industrial forum" dedicated to crafting artificial stone.
I don't promote the chemicals found in the average house, and I assure you
there isn't just a few of them, and many are way more toxic in all there different states of use than are most epoxies and even many of the polystyrene if worked with properly, and I would add that both the later materials are for all practical matters, inert when cured. There inert nature is both pro and con. They do not react to water or other biological solvents, but also last a very long time in nature, so there use must be very restricted to specific targeted needs and applications because of this durability.
Most of what is in these videos you cant find anywhere online since they explain every detail and little secrets of this artwork. I've watched every video on you-tube, some many times over and i still dont know many things about this line of work.
Well, I will leave that as a subjective view. I teach this subject and have read most of the
books on it so whether on line or in text, the information is out there and 98% doesn't cost more than going to a good library in a major
city and/or corresponding with the Artisans that do this work, which is why I made the offer to help with...
I would also add that just watching videos (assuming they are even good ones) is actually the least productive of methods sometimes, compared to corresponding with folks that do the work (like at Polygem, Zoos/Aquarium enclousure designers, etc) and/or reading books on the subject while experimenting with the methods. Videos are great...when they are great videos...most are not.
You linked to Zoopoxy, but they use way more chemicals then Vertical artisans, like polyurethane and polystyrene which are known carcinogens.
More...
...I believe that is perhaps subjective if taking the entirety of both industries. I would agree that one employs more complex formulations than the other, yet as for "carbon foot print" and industry impact to the environment, I know which one does more damage.
The end product is the goal here more than anything and OPC/re-bar and related materials in one cannot be safely used in zoos any more, as they moved away from this practice a long time ago for many of there applications, or they encapsulated the OPC/stainless steel armatures in the resins to "try" and protect it from damage and breakdown. Now most forgo the OPC and just use the polymers alone, as these are completely nontoxic and inert when cured, unlike OPC and related materials which stay very reactive until they erode completely.
Concrete is way more natural then the plastic materials most eco friendly people use. Sure the production of it has a big carbon footprint but that doesn't mean we should all build our houses out of styrofoam. I am neither rich nor famous but i think these kinds of things are works of art that everyone should enjoy in their backyard. And if you like DIY like me they shouldn't cost to much.
I will leave that as a "subjective view," as in my
experience over 40 plus years of working in these different industries I find that to be completely inaccurate, or at minimum, debatable academically on many levels.
Simply put I know folks that have died working with OPC materials, I have seen streams poisoned directly by these OPC productions plants scattered around the country and globe, but have never seen a single death or injury in anyone that I know that works in polymer sciences and arts...unless they work in the modern boat/car body industry that has a horrid reputation for unsafe practices with isomers and related highly toxic compounds related to the more inert and much safer polymers. Whether OPC or Chemicals...both are equally toxic on some levels, yet the industry for one is poorly regulated and often overlooked or "considered" to be harmless...
So by all means do enjoy this art form (safely!!) and consciously both for yourself and the environment in the back
yard and the planet...Feel free to email me should you want more detail on this industry...
Regards,
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