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GFRC / GRC in Australia
wakamole	04-17-2008 15:14:14
Member Posts: 24 Joined: 04-17-2008	I am looking to set up a small studio for a few one-off projects around my hose and in my friends places. Mostly counter tops in wet areas. I have no concrete experience but I have time, money and a desire to learn - I am prepared to cast a fair few stepping stones for the garden! I love the idea of GFRC. Any advice or resources and machinery (can I use a drill press/old industrial kitchen blender instead of a mixer? are the sprayers cement-specific, is vibration casting going to be less equipment intensive...etc...) Any tips and hints on using this mix will be greatly appreciated. I'm in Perth Australia and work offshore so I can't really fly to the USA for classes! My family sees me little enough as it is!

MC	04-17-2008 22:16:39
Member Posts: 723 Joined: 05-20-2007	I wish I had time and money!! Maybe desertdog will chime in..he knows alot about gfrc

wakamole	04-18-2008 00:00:06
Member Posts: 24 Joined: 04-17-2008	Thanks MC So many questions like: machinery - what is the bare minimum I need to do this on a super-small scale? What brands to avoid/seek in glass and machines? What should I look at if I want to go a bit more commercial? Can machines from other industries be used (ie fibreglass spraygun) Are second hand purchases possible? Can it be done by hand - vibration cast or something? What else can you do once you have the gear? Where is the info - I have SCOURED the whole internet (every single page it seems!) and there isn't much said...

Dr"J"	04-18-2008 07:18:56
Member Posts: 140 Joined: --	Bare Minimum.....Start with a wheelbarrow and a shovel. Mix your trial batches by hand in the wheelbarrow. Shovel your mix into your forms which are preferably on a table of some sort(level). When I started, I used a Hammerdrill with a chipping bit installed to vibrate the form bottom and edges. Then I would run a palm sander along the forms and lightly revibrate any edges that were going to be exposed. Simple and inexpensive but it did the trick. It's been 4 years now and I just bought myself a mixer. Start out slow and little and you will see from experience what you will need to buy. Silicone all your joints, use Pam for form release, don't cheap out on form material though. Melamine is good. Need the ability to cut straight lines when making forms, and form clamps are very handy. Tom Ralston has a very good and thorough book out on how to make countertops. Hope this helps.

Dr"J"	04-18-2008 07:19:07
Member Posts: 140 Joined: --	Bare Minimum.....Start with a wheelbarrow and a shovel. Mix your trial batches by hand in the wheelbarrow. Shovel your mix into your forms which are preferably on a table of some sort(level). When I started, I used a Hammerdrill with a chipping bit installed to vibrate the form bottom and edges. Then I would run a palm sander along the forms and lightly revibrate any edges that were going to be exposed. Simple and inexpensive but it did the trick. It's been 4 years now and I just bought myself a mixer. Start out slow and little and you will see from experience what you will need to buy. Silicone all your joints, use Pam for form release, don't cheap out on form material though. Melamine is good. Need the ability to cut straight lines when making forms, and form clamps are very handy. Tom Ralston has a very good and thorough book out on how to make countertops. Hope this helps.

wakamole	04-18-2008 16:08:16
Member Posts: 24 Joined: 04-17-2008	Nice one Dr J this is the stuff I'm looking for!

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