# Im so freaking Confused about fake rock building please post.



## Brien (Aug 27, 2009)

Can someone post a very descriptive step by step how to build fake rocks I mean like 1, 2, 3, etc. and where to buy everything you need. Explain everything like you are teaching a 9 year old please include everything in your post. I will love who ever posts thanks and dont send me to that other forum its confusing I want to shoot myself reading all that lol.


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

I'm sure you'll get some sort of tutorial for this but the thing is, it's not an exact science. There is really no "one" recipe, everyone who makes them does so a little differently, often with different products. People are still experimenting, trying to find the best way.

Start by gluing together Styrofoam into large chunks with silicon and cutting away anything that doesn't look like a rock. Get good at that first. It's messy and a bit discouraging at first, but find some threads where they have made rocks you like, and copy those shapes and styles. Don't be afraid of making deep gouges as they fill in with cement rather easily.

Good Luck


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## davecalk (Dec 17, 2008)

brien said:


> Can someone post a very descriptive step by step how to build fake rocks I mean like 1, 2, 3, etc. and where to buy everything you need. Explain everything like you are teaching a 9 year old please include everything in your post. I will love who ever posts thanks and dont send me to that other forum its confusing I want to shoot myself reading all that lol.


I started a journal that is a lot more detailed than just making fake rocks, but it does a step by step of the process that I have used. I haven't finished it yet, but it is a starting point. It was posted back at a time when dendroboard was having problems and it would lose some of the pictures, but it has most of the thumbnail photos.

Here's a sample of some of the fake rock I have made











Here is the Link to Colored foam rock making

Dave


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## weta (Mar 2, 2008)

^^ I couldn't see any of the pics in the post above..
but I can give a 1,2,3 of how I made a background with the old epoxy and sand method-

1: carve the foam








I used a small knife and finished with sandpaper

2: I painted the foam to make it easier to coat with epoxy

3: grind dry silt and clay to a fine powder and mix with fine black sand








ratio is about 40:20:40ish depends on how dark you want it to turn out

3: paint a thin coat of epoxy on the foam, then dust it with the sand/soil mix








its important to keep adding more mix as the epoxy soaks to the surface.
a heater will make it dry much faster









4: after a couple of coats, wash off the loose sand and dirt
































the benefits of this method is you only have to carve the foam, you don't have to carve/shape cement or grout. Plus it can take less than a day from start to finish.

nothing against the grout method though. and there are a lot of great fake rocks made from cement too.


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## JayzunBoget (Mar 7, 2008)

Weta; where did you get the foam piece that you started with?


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## MeiKVR6 (Sep 16, 2008)

Weta - What type of sand/silt/clay/epoxy did you use - and where did you find them?

That came out really nicely for a 1-day project!!!!


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

weta said:


> the benefits of this method is you only have to carve the foam, you don't have to carve/shape cement or grout. Plus it can take less than a day from start to finish..


That IS an advantage....nice.


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## weta (Mar 2, 2008)

JayzunBoget said:


> Weta; where did you get the foam piece that you started with?


I used closed-cell urethane foam that was leftover from a boat build. You can buy sheets of similar stuff thats used for roof insulation.



MeiKVR6 said:


> Weta - What type of sand/silt/clay/epoxy did you use - and where did you find them?
> 
> That came out really nicely for a 1-day project!!!!


The epoxy was the stuff used for fiberglassing, Also leftover from a boat build.
I just took clay and dirt from the yard, and I got the black sand from a beach. I don't know how important it is to have black sand, I guess lighter sand would come out as a lighter coloured rock? the main thing is it should be very fine.
Btw that was far from a 1-day project, but the coating of the foam only took a few hours. With a heater a coat epoxy is dry in half an hour.
The finished surface feels just like stone, but its very thin so its extremely lightweight.


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## Taron (Sep 23, 2009)

Hey Brien Just hire me lol.......I was thinking that cave with some underwater stuff....you know some pimp stuff. Just kidding cant wait for the 19th


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## Brien (Aug 27, 2009)

Yea I think it would be tight to have like a river that leads into a underwater cave and I have all that epiweb stuff too but it takes time to grow in


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## davecalk (Dec 17, 2008)

weta said:


> ^^ I couldn't see any of the pics in the post above.


Are you logged in or just viewing as a guest? You need to be logged in and not just viewing as a guest to see the above photos.



> but I can give a 1,2,3 of how I made a background with the old epoxy and sand method-
> the benefits of this method is you only have to carve the foam, you don't have to carve/shape cement or grout. Plus it can take less than a day from start to finish.


You did a real nice job shaping and sculpting your rock.


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## eddy planer (Sep 22, 2009)

weta said:


> ^^ I couldn't see any of the pics in the post above..
> but I can give a 1,2,3 of how I made a background with the old epoxy and sand method-
> 
> 1: carve the foam
> ...




Can I use Nippon epoxy or this http://www.nipponpaint.com.sg/downloads/TDS_Aqua Bodelac.pdf
for this paludarium project?

Please advice


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## weta (Mar 2, 2008)

davecalk said:


> Are you logged in or just viewing as a guest? You need to be logged in and not just viewing as a guest to see the above photos.


I couldnt see the pics in mozilla but I can see them with chrome. What happened with the build? Im especially interested in the buffing pads.


eddy planer said:


> Can I use Nippon epoxy or this http://www.nipponpaint.com.sg/downloads/TDS_Aqua Bodelac.pdf
> for this paludarium project?
> 
> Please advice


Sorry but Im no expert. I used the materials I used because I already had them from a project not related to fake rock making.


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## Swords (Mar 4, 2009)

Weta this is a fantastic tutorial - thanks for sharing!

I'm in the US and doing something similar after seeing your excellent post. I will post the supplies I'm using for people who are living over here: 

I'm using the 2" thick Pink Panther insulation sheets from home Depot/Lowes, They will cut it down from 4' x 8' if you ask.

Gorilla Glue instead of epoxy HD sells GG in a 18 and 24 oz bottle get one of these big boys if you want to do a lot of rock 

The sand I got is colored silica sand called "Scenic Sand" and is sold in 1 lb bags at Michael's and Joann Fabrics craft stores in the School Projects aisle. Look for the Diorama project section. Buy the colors that match the type of rock you want to make. I bought black, white, tan, rust brown/red, mustard yellow. From these you can mix the colors to come up with almost any kind of rock, just get on google and look at reference images so you get the right colors. If the store you go to doesn't have the "Scenic Sand" you can also get colored silica sand in the candle section of the craft store because I guess people fill glass jars with colored sand just to look at?? lol It's more expensive in the candle section even though it's the same stuff.

Now when you have your materials just follow Weta's tutorial!


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## Shenanigans (Sep 24, 2009)

Would that method hold up for wet environments? I was thinking about making fake rocks for a waterfall/stream feature. I would just be afraid of the water washing off the sand. Any thoughts? Looks great by the way!


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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

Zoopoxies - POLYGEM, Inc.

This company sells epxoy meant for aquarium and exhibit displays, its the same stuff used in zoos and aqauriums around the US.


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