November, 1909 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
427 
tr. to cach side of mould for recess 
4! 
ihe _ 
= 1 
plug L high 
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Ib ‘Tapered Hes | f | “ 
xe 
| ” 73 
|! Lon euch side 
| to claw of : 
L lap for sides 
A’ 
A Of thts 
B 
2 Rods 
Fig. 3—Mbold for base block 
of pedestal of pedestal 
placed as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. These will 
add greatly to its strength, and will prevent it from crack- 
ing in case the foundation, upon which the pedestal is placed, 
is not perfectly true and level. If by any chance the casts 
should be injured, in removing them from the molds, they 
should be well wet down with water and pointed up with a 
mortar made of 1 part white Portland cement and 1 part of 
marble dust mixed with enough water to produce a fairly 
thick paste. 
After having pointed up the various parts of the pedestal 
they should be allowed to stand for a short time, and then 
all of the pieces should be well soaked with water occa- 
sionally every day for at least ten days. This wetting down 
is known as the curing process, and it should be well attended 
to, as the hardness and durability of the product produced 
depend largely upon the care taken in properly curing the 
casts. 
After the pieces have become thoroughly hardened or 
cured they can be assembled or set up in position, as shown 
in Figs. 1 and 2. The surfaces of the parts which are to be 
joined together should be sprinkled with water, and covered 
with a thin layer of cement mortar composed of 1 part of 
white Portland cement and 1 part of marble dust. ‘They 
should be placed on each other, and worked around with a 
twisting motion until bedded in place. The surplus cement 
which is forced out at the joints should then be smoothed 
SLA- 
Fig. 6—Details of parts C and B of mold for shaft of pedestal 
SN 
aa 
Fig. 4—Mold for top or cap 
Fig. 5—Detail of sides of main part of shaft 
mold for pedestal 
off, and the pieces allowed to set, without being disturbed, 
for from one to two days, in which time they will be firmly 
secured in place. 
By using the mixture of white Portland cement and marble 
chips or screenings, as stated above, the effect produced will 
resemble that of white marble. If one prefers the gray color 
of ordinary Portland cement, the mixture used should then 
be composed of 1 part Portland cement to 2 parts of good 
clean sand and 2 parts of trap rock screenings or pebbles 
not to exceed % inch in size. If a sun-dial is to be placed 
on the pedestal, it need not be cemented in place. They are 
usually made of brass or bronze, and their weight is sufficient 
to hold them down. When placing a sun-dial, always see 
that its vane points to the north and that the pedestal is 
placed in the full rays of the sun. It would also be well 
to prepare a good solid foundation for the pedestal to rest 
on, for if this is not done it is apt to settle as the ground 
becomes soft in the spring time. In fact, all heavy garden 
furniture should be provided with good solid foundations. 
These foundations should be from 2 to 3 feet deep, and in 
size should correspond to the size of the base of the piece 
which is to rest upon them. To prepare a foundation of 
this kind, all that is necessary is to dig a hole of the desired 
size and depth and to fill it with a mixture of 1 part Portland 
cement, 3 parts of sand, and 5 parts of broken stone or 
gravel. Add enough water to this to 
make it of the consistency of a thick 
pasty mass. Tamp it down well and 
level it off and allow it to set or 
harden for twenty-four hours, in 
which time the piece can be placed in 
position on it. 
In undertaking the manufacture of 
the various garden ornaments of con- 
crete described in this series of arti- 
cles, the amateur should be prepared, 
not only to proceed with the utmost 
care, but to exercise the utmost pa- 
tience and discretion. The work is 
in no sense difficult, as must, I think, 
be apparent to any one who has fol- 
lowed the articles to this point; but 
it is exacting and precise, and the 
temptation to hasten and to forward 
the work unduly is sometimes apt to 
be very keen. This temptation, for 
such it is, should be promptly resisted, 
since such a procedure is very apt to 
lead to indifferent work, which, in the 
rE 
Fig. 7—Showing wood 
mold for pedestal shaft 
assembled and in posi- 
tion to pour 
