<p>You will want a concrete with very fine to no aggregate. Aggregate is the solid bits of inert matter in the mix, typically gravel or stone. Here you will want it to be silica sand. Afraid if you are doing concrete there is no getting away from some unhealthy materials here, but you have the safety gear and once it the material is set it will be non-toxic (unless you start drilling/grinding into it).</p>
<p>The smoothness is primarily dependent on the mold/form you are using. The smoother the interior of the form the smoother your surface; you may be able to avoid a lot of work polishing the final piece if you start with a good mold and proper release agent. Your supplier should be able to match a release agent with the concrete you get.</p>
<p>Attachments and such will need to be figured out beforehand and can be incorporated into the concrete forms so they get molded into the piece. Otherwise you would need bolt anchors to be hammerdrilled into the concrete later; messy.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-07T17:54:59.463Z
2024-12-07T17:54:59.463Z
rebusB
<p>I am interested in incorporating concrete casting as a material into a series of sculptures. Here are my parameters:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The concrete will mainly be used as a framing element for wall works, so rectangular shapes with a couple smooth curves between different points of elevation. Dimensions will be something like 3' L x 2' H by 2-3&quot; D at an absolute maximum, and can be smaller / thinner depending on the piece.</p>
</li>
<li><p>I want to achieve a smooth polished concrete finish on these elements, high brutalist is the aesthetic! So something I am able to
wet sand or otherwise polish until it is smooth and shiny.</p>
</li>
<li><p>I will need to embed threaded inserts and other pieces of hardware into the concrete to attach other sculptural elements</p>
</li>
<li><p>Something as non-toxic as possible, preferably that I can work with with my bare hands without getting a chemical burn, and also without
silica dust if possible. I am able to take basic safety precautions
like a respirator and rubber gloves, but would like to avoid toxic
elements as much as possible for a material process I plan to reuse.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>How can I go about sourcing a sculpting concrete that meets these requirements? Very new to all this! Are there any brands that have worked well for y'all or any specific parameters I should be looking for?</p>
<p>Also very much appreciate any process advice to achieve these results in  relation to the concrete I source.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-15T15:25:55.697Z
A friend of mine at the academy made large concrete sculptures, consisting of relatively slender bars. I believe he used a regular (fine) concrete mortar for this, bought from a hardware store. Have you tried that yet?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-09T16:27:07.027Z
There's a YouTube video by Yobanka Art that provides a no-bake recipe for cold porcelain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNgS4yNwOSc

There's another YouTube video by chezlin that provides a no-bake recipe for cold porcelain that needs to be microwaved when you create it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSI3KNPcLNc

Both seem to be non-toxic
Little Girl
<material-selection><concrete><material-sourcing>
Good Concrete Material for Small Scale Sculpture Casting?
Emmett Palaima
# Good Concrete Material for Small Scale Sculpture Casting?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-01-10)

I am interested in incorporating concrete casting as a material into a series of sculptures. Here are my parameters:

1. The concrete will mainly be used as a framing element for wall works, so rectangular shapes with a couple smooth curves between different points of elevation. Dimensions will be something like 3' L x 2' H by 2-3" D at an absolute maximum, and can be smaller / thinner depending on the piece.
2. I want to achieve a smooth polished concrete finish on these elements, high brutalist is the aesthetic! So something I am able to
   wet sand or otherwise polish until it is smooth and shiny.
3. I will need to embed threaded inserts and other pieces of hardware into the concrete to attach other sculptural elements
4. Something as non-toxic as possible, preferably that I can work with with my bare hands without getting a chemical burn, and also without
   silica dust if possible. I am able to take basic safety precautions
   like a respirator and rubber gloves, but would like to avoid toxic
   elements as much as possible for a material process I plan to reuse.

How can I go about sourcing a sculpting concrete that meets these requirements? Very new to all this! Are there any brands that have worked well for y'all or any specific parameters I should be looking for?

Also very much appreciate any process advice to achieve these results in relation to the concrete I source.

**Tags:** material-selection, concrete, material-sourcing

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: A friend of mine at the academy made large concrete sculptures, consisting of relatively slender bars. I believe he used a regular (fine) concrete mortar for this, bought from a hardware store. Have you tried that yet?  
> **username_2**: There's a YouTube video by Yobanka Art that provides a no-bake recipe for cold porcelain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNgS4yNwOSc  There's another YouTube video by chezlin that provides a no-bake recipe for cold porcelain that needs to be microwaved when you create it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSI3KNPcLNc  Both seem to be non-toxic  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-12-07. Score: 0

You will want a concrete with very fine to no aggregate. Aggregate is the solid bits of inert matter in the mix, typically gravel or stone. Here you will want it to be silica sand. Afraid if you are doing concrete there is no getting away from some unhealthy materials here, but you have the safety gear and once it the material is set it will be non-toxic (unless you start drilling/grinding into it).

The smoothness is primarily dependent on the mold/form you are using. The smoother the interior of the form the smoother your surface; you may be able to avoid a lot of work polishing the final piece if you start with a good mold and proper release agent. Your supplier should be able to match a release agent with the concrete you get.

Attachments and such will need to be figured out beforehand and can be incorporated into the concrete forms so they get molded into the piece. Otherwise you would need bolt anchors to be hammerdrilled into the concrete later; messy.


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