Publications
Time needed: 3 hours, excluding drying time
You will need
SHOPPING LIST
- Lafarge DuraBuild
- building sand
- water
- large silicone jelly mould and round plastic container (we used the lid of a plastic cake tin) to use as moulds
- 2 enamel bowls that fit comfortably into the moulds (the rim of the bowl should be as big as the top inside rim of the container)
- modelling clay (plasticine)
- food spray (to use as a release agent)
TOOLS
- mixing bucket
- rubber gloves
- trowel
- alphabet cookie cutters
- rolling pin
- stones
Get started...
1 For the water bowl Roll the modelling clay out until it’s about 6mm thick. Use the cookie cutters to cut out the letters of your dog’s name.
2 Place the clay letters on the inside of the round plastic container. Gently push them down; you don’t want to change their shape. Remember that the letters should be placed in reverse on the inside of the mould so they will read the right way around from the outside.
3 For the food bowl Cut the middle part of the jelly mould out with a craft knife and fill the hole with modelling clay. It’s best to do this on a piece of off-cut timber; it will make it easier to move the mould while the cement is still wet.
4 Mix the DuraBuild: 1 part cement to 3 parts sand. Mix the sand and cement first, then add water (about 2–3 parts, depending on how damp the sand is) and mix until it’s the consistency of cookie dough. You might need to prepare more than one mixture to fill both moulds.
5 Fill the jelly mould with the cement mixture until it’s almost full. Place the enamel bowl in the centre and push down. Fill the bowl with stones to weigh it down. Give it a bit of a shake to get rid of any air bubbles.
6 Use the non-stick food spray to spray the inside of the round container with the letters. Place the second enamel bowl in the round container, upside down, and fill it with cement mixture. Give it a gentle shake to get rid of any air bubbles. Set both moulds aside to dry for 24 to 48 hours.
7 Once the cement has dried, remove the bowls from the moulds. Carefully remove the modelling clay from the water bowl using a toothpick.
For more information, visit lafarge.co.za.
DuraBuild cement is available in select provinces.
