This was my first try at building with real stone. Actually, it hasn’t even cured yet, but I liked the way it turned out.

This will be the part that supports the wheel.

It starts with a form. In this case, it’s the pink styrofoam insulation.  I cut it to the shape I want, add some plugs for windows and doors and I’m ready to go.

Then I cut the stone.  I use Ceramic Tile Nippers.  The raw stone is about four inches square and needs to be cut down a bit.

After the stone is in place, I add the “rebar” and cut it to fit. The rebar in this case is hardware cloth. I still need to cut door and window openings.

Here’s a couple of walls.  The one on the right has had more time to cure.  The mortar is pretty dark when you first de-mold and a lot of cement has to be scraped off.

I decided to build a super-form to hold the ends straight while I poured a side. I also added some additional bracing to reduce any flexing.

And this is how it looks coming out of the mold. It actually dried a bit longer than I wanted to this time.

I had to knock out the plugs with a hammer.  The real problem is that the plugs tend to float and too much concrete gets under them.

So, a bit of cleanup is necessary!

I use some old dental picks to scrape off the cement.  Most of the time it just flakes off, but I do have to spend a bit of time with some stubborn pieces, so I get a lot of powder.

I finish it off with a wet toothbrush.

Here it is after the scrub and rinse from the toothbrush.

I’ll let it cure a few days before I do the final wall.