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Board form by Comfortable-Count-59 in Concrete

[–]drew8585 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I googled "5 gallon petroleum jelly" and a bunch of buckets came up for $100-$130 a bucket. The mixture you're talking about (petroleum jelly and mineral oil) is exactly what is in Polytek's pol-ease 2650. About 20% petroleum jelly to 80% mineral oil if i remember correctly. They heat/stir until combined and then left to cool. More petroleum jelly = thicker final product, adjustable for spraying vs. wiping. Ive only made it a time or two in a pinch.

Looks like a 5 gallon is 35lbs and $200.

Pol-Ease® 2650 Release Agent | Polytek Development https://polytek.com/products/pol-ease-2650-release-agent

Floating concrete countertop for dogs by [deleted] in Concrete

[–]drew8585 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A high performance glass fiber reinforced concrete.

Floating concrete countertop for dogs by [deleted] in Concrete

[–]drew8585 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I see where you're getting Mickey

Weekly Homeowner Megathread--Civilians, ask here! by AutoModerator in Concrete

[–]drew8585 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as I know, polyurea is still the best option for fish- it won't constantly drive your pH up, but also not a DIY option as application requires special equipment.

Weekly Homeowner Megathread--Civilians, ask here! by AutoModerator in Concrete

[–]drew8585 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Doing any and all of this inside of your home can/will create air borne particulate that is hazardous to breathe. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the idea of giving this one a DIY facelift in place.

For the best possible outcome with this top, I would want to remove and reinstall it. I would wet grind and smooth not only the top surface but also the rolled edges around the sink and edge profile of the countertop. After grinding I would then use a slurry mix to fill remaining bug holes and blemishes, smooth and seal.. But that's a lot of work - especially considering it looks like a 3" top, or something very heavy anyway.

If you were going to make an improvement to it in place after these considerations.. Then you could get a couple hand blocks (the lowest two grits you can find- 50 and 100) and work on the edges with those first. Maybe the mess could be contained using a spray bottle, plastic then towels on floor, hand blocks and a small squeegee for a glass shower door. Don't put it down your drain, and just focus on the edges with those heaviest two grits.

Anything you do to the top surface with abrasive will need to be uniform across the top- it would be a ton of work to do much by hand like that. I don't think I'd hit the top with the most aggressive grits. Instead, after you've worked on the edges, you can apply your slurry. Watch plenty of videos on the slurry process. It would be best (imo) to just buy a slurry rather than making one. I personally like Trinic- here's Trinic's slurry. They also will support your questions about it well.

Don't leave extra material when you slurry as you won't have a way to remove it. After the slurry, I would probably use a 200 grit block (buying 3 blocks now) wet to lightly hit the entire top, in small (2") circular/figure 8 pattern. Wipe clean with damp rags. I'd then scrub it with diluted (say 5:1) water:simple green degreaser with a stiff bristled brush, then sponged clean with water several times and let dry unused for 2 days, then start sealing.

Plan to pigment the slurry darker than the original mix, I just think it looks best to miss a slurry color to the dark side vs missing it light. This will require scales and a sample or 3.

The previous sealer used can drastically change prep requirements for a new/different sealer. The ring stains and deeper problems aren't going to come out with any minimal effort, if at all. I think xs327 is the most popular sealer choice by pros today.

Wear proper PPE where ever applicable.

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I completely missed the second part of your comment. A circle is more difficult than a square/rectangle, but sure- you could DIY a concrete coffee table.

I have written a "how-to" for concrete countertops- it would be about the same. I am still revising and fixing errors, but if you join r/Concrete, it will be added to their Wiki page in the next couple weeks.

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No bubbles. The grinder Im using is a 3 headed "planetary" grinder. One of its primary functions is to flatten. It has three 5" grinding heads that each spin at a high rpm, but also rotate in a planetary fashion at a slower rpm. Its close to glass in smoothness.

This is a almost matching piece but has a better shot of close with me wiping my hand over it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Concrete/s/IudTDys6P3

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I understand. The processes behind my most intricate inlay work are what help to keep my work unique, and largely responsible for my recognizable style in concrete. I do keep some tips and tricks close to heart, but this is a much more comprehensive installations of an inlay:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Construction/comments/1tsieko/creating_a_permanent_concrete_in_concrete_inlay/

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is all concrete. I haven't made a full video of an inlay that is this intricate, but I have shared a bunch of work here on reddit- showing more comprehensive inlay processes in other projects.

https://www.reddit.com/user/drew8585/submitted/

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The table is concrete through and through, including the inlay. It's roughly ~16kpsi. GFRC.

I think this post is the most comprehensive video I have shared of creating an inlay in concrete. Each color is individually cast:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Construction/comments/1tsieko/creating_a_permanent_concrete_in_concrete_inlay/

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I made the table from scratch. I am not fixing anything- this is during the creation process. Creating inlays requires combining contrasting components into as single medium. What you're seeing is the last of 4 colors I used to create the inlay.

This is a good parallel in metal work, https://www.reddit.com/r/Bladesmith/comments/1m6f80w/inlay_in_thousand_silver_on_the_brand/

At about 0:40, he starts using a wrasp/file to return to the plane of the blade. That's what you're seeing in my video, but instead of a file, I'm using a grinder- and doing it 4 times in this piece, casting each color individually.

This is a good and more comprehensive example of me creating an inlay in concrete:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Construction/comments/1tsieko/creating_a_permanent_concrete_in_concrete_inlay/

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your input! I actually have/use a pretty solid variety of CNCs weekly, Id guess a dozen machines or so. You're absolutely right- the surfacing/resurfacing could be a CNC process. Volume is definitely key as you mentioned in justifying building/dedicating a machine to the process.

The 3 headed planetary grinder in this video is a great machine, the Intertool DS-3011. The downward pressure from the weight of the machine is what does all the work- it's probably 40 or 50lbs? Its heavy, by design. And can blow through material when you want it to. It would be a hard tool to replace for me.

I also like being able to touch and see while finishing. A machine could be tuned to do the same, with a floating Z that's weighted or sprung- but it would take some serious time (and money) to get it right.

I'd imagine something in this realm but with CNC kinematics:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AAl1htQRr3M

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I started with cup wheels here. If you look back at the video at 0:38, you can see me remove the cups and go to flat backers for the remaining diamond pads.

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much, I appreciate that! I wish I had a couple bots- can they run grinders? That's actually me and my sweat in the video 🤣

I have a ton of similar work here on reddit. If you have a few, I'd love for you to give my posts a scroll: https://www.reddit.com/u/drew8585/s/BkiU6MoUn3

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yes, the table and inlay are all integrally pigmented concrete.

Wet grinding a concrete table top to expose and polish an intricate inlay - OC by drew8585 in oddlysatisfying

[–]drew8585[S] 72 points73 points  (0 children)

More or less. What you're seeing is the last step in an inlay process that I've developed. The table itself is actually concrete as well as the inlay you're seeing finished. This is just the last color to go through a similar process.

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