To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Repairing cement statue

woody367

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 22, 2014
Messages
114
Location
Denver, NC
I have 2 cement statues of elephants that are 60 years old from my grandparents. The kid were playing on one and knocked it over and broke the trunk.I am looking to maybe make a mold to cast it where the old one broke. I figure to clear what ever is loose and some how place a mold over it? Not sure how to do this the right way and how to make a mold from the good statue. Any help would be great. I am attaching photos. Thanks
 

Attachments

  • 0413181639.jpg
    0413181639.jpg
    138.2 KB · Views: 116
  • 0413181640.jpg
    0413181640.jpg
    132.5 KB · Views: 132
  • 0413181640a.jpg
    0413181640a.jpg
    145.8 KB · Views: 111
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

rjn2649

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2018
Messages
886
Location
Il, A little west of Chicago
I'm not an expert in these things, but check abatron they make some wicked cool products for that type of thing, used for building restorations. How to do it, I have no clue was on a project a while back and a guy restored a bunch of busted out cement on a house. Looked real good when he was done.
 

gahrajmahal

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
2,551
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
You can make your mold with plain old auto body filler. First cover the good part with heavy cellophane wrap. You might need to use some spray adhesive to help with any details in the part. Clean that off the good elephant "master" once the bondo mold is removed.

Next mix up the bondo per the instructions and slather it over the area of the good one. Once it hardens, about 15 min - half hour, peel it off. You can add additional layers to make it thicker. The bondo will stick great to the hardened first coat. If because of the shape you find the mold is wrapped around the part gripping the "master" part use a hack saw to cut your mold into multiple pieces to get it off. More bondo can put it back together or just use the multiple pieces and tape.

When repairing the broken piece it will probably work better to put the bondo mold down so it forms a trough for the wet concrete. Lay the elephant on its side into the cement filled bondo mold. Once the concrete is dried you will probably have to work the rough concrete a bit on the repair with a file or sandpaper. You might want to use some sort of bonding agent between the old concrete and the new.

You might want to fixture the parts prior to the repair to hold it, using sand bags, wood blocks etc.

Photos of the job will be enjoyed once you are done. Good luck!
 

2oolhound

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
5,918
Location
BC Canada
I'd try to re-align the metal support after cleaning the rust off it and then just hand sculpt the trunk using the other statue as a visual guide. There are tons of products for this type of repair like Surecrete for example. Just keep building up layers and shaping with a palette knife and letting it dry between layers.

I'd try to salvage the end of the trunk by injecting epoxy into the cracks and tightening tie wire around until it dried or even just wrapping tape around it.

A mold sounds like too much work.

Here's some concrete repair product links -

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...3...0i131k1j0i131i46k1j46i131k1.0.il_6Be9gR-Y

I'll be gone for 2 weeks so won't be around for any follow up.
 
OP
W

woody367

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 22, 2014
Messages
114
Location
Denver, NC
I was just thinking of getting some fiberglass caste material for my sister who works in a orthopedic office and cast the truck the cut it off. I thought I could load with cement put over the rebar and tape close. Any good?
 

dutchgray

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
6,469
Location
Dorset. England.
I think I would make a mold from the good one and cast a couple new ones from it, the steel in them is rusting and they have cracks, they are both on borrowed time, concrete dosent last forever.
 

kbs2244

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
14,065
Where are you located?
I know a guy the does a lot of the replacement Art Deco building type stuff in the Chicago area.
But he needs something to copy from.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

DadsTools

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
1,852
We've done some cement lawn statuary repair before. But this one is a very tricky repair. Not sure the size we're dealing with here. The larger it is, the more difficult to make it look right because you have more surface area the eye can examine. What further compounds the challenge is that you have a pair, so the eye will compare the one against the other.

You don't say how much this is worth to you. If it's a 'spare no expense' send it to a professional. Research their skills and results first.

Your biggest challenge is the rebar. There's no way you can bend it back to the original shape without removing the entire broken trunk. Even then, metal stretches when bent, but you might get close enough.

Some have suggested making a mold. Seems natural to think of this, but this is a lot harder than it sounds, not just in getting the mold right, but in actually reproducing a replacement part for the broken areas. At best, I think you'd have to make a mold to reproduce the entire trunk and cut away what's left of the old. Even if you wrapped a partial mold around it, you're still dealing with the separated trunk tip and the bent rebar. Then you'll have to get the right filler in it and be able to hold it both in correct position and shape.

Your biggest advantage is that this is a MCM design that is stylized and so is lacking in minute anatomical detail. Reproducing the original lines is less of a problem.

I cannot fully determine from the photos whether the remaining unbroken portions are structurally sound themselves. Let's assume they are for now.

The other consideration is that you MUST have some basic skill at carving or sculpting. If you don't,but still concerned that it looks right when finished, you're simply not the person to do this repair.

Looks like the rebar is only bent out at the curve where it bends up at a radius. Cut it there. Then try to fit the separated section into the remaining groove in the intact half of the trunk. I'd be careful trying to bend the section to fit the groove. I'd probably continue cutting off pieces of that radius bend (the area where it appears to have been bent in the fall) until I can get the separated section with the trunk tip flush. Once I can get the separated part to fit together correctly to the main statue body, I'd glue it in place with JB Clear Weld epoxy. Now I have a good foundation on which to complete the repair.

For these kinds of fillers, we've tried a number of materials, including all the stuff recommended by many for such repairs. Of course, none of these arts/crafts folks are mechanics, and so don't have knowledge of what's available in that field! The best we have found are the rolls of radiator repair epoxy that's like a clay. You knead the two parts together per instructions, then start rebuilding the trunk with it. Use JB gas tank radiator repair putty #62020. We use JB for everything--no need to experiment with other brands, you KNOW JB will get the job done right! This filler will not shrink or warp as it hardens. One hour work time lets you sculpt and carve as you go. When hard, this patch is sandable. Again, no notes on the size so I don't know how much you'll need. It will also re-enforce the surrounding parts because it's stronger than the original concrete. You can try body filler, may be easier to sand when done, but it doesn't handle like modeling clay, where the JB does. Occasionally we've had to bore small holes in the remaining concrete to insert pegs that will help hold the JB in place when cured. Fill any remaining cracks and gaps with traditional JB Weld (including the cracks I see in the trunk tip) and sand to shape when cured. Repaint both statues with the same coating. Display the two separated on lawn, like one elephant on each end of a long flower bed to keep the eye from comparing them side by side. Buy the kids minibikes so they'll never think about riding elephant statues again.

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:

6PTsocket

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Messages
4,593
We've done some cement lawn statuary repair before. But this one is a very tricky repair. Not sure the size we're dealing with here. The larger it is, the more difficult to make it look right because you have more surface area the eye can examine. What further compounds the challenge is that you have a pair, so the eye will compare the one against the other.

You don't say how much this is worth to you. If it's a 'spare no expense' send it to a professional. Research their skills and results first.

Your biggest challenge is the rebar. There's no way you can bend it back to the original shape without removing the entire broken trunk. Even then, metal stretches when bent, but you might get close enough.

Some have suggested making a mold. Seems natural to think of this, but this is a lot harder than it sounds, not just in getting the mold right, but in actually reproducing a replacement part for the broken areas. At best, I think you'd have to make a mold to reproduce the entire trunk and cut away what's left of the old. Even if you wrapped a partial mold around it, you're still dealing with the separated trunk tip and the bent rebar. Then you'll have to get the right filler in it and be able to hold it both in correct position and shape.

Your biggest advantage is that this is a MCM design that is stylized and so is lacking in minute anatomical detail. Reproducing the original lines is less of a problem.

I cannot fully determine from the photos whether the remaining unbroken portions are structurally sound themselves. Let's assume they are for now.

The other consideration is that you MUST have some basic skill at carving or sculpting. If you don't,but still concerned that it looks right when finished, you're simply not the person to do this repair.

Looks like the rebar is only bent out at the curve where it bends up at a radius. Cut it there. Then try to fit the separated section into the remaining groove in the intact half of the trunk. I'd be careful trying to bend the section to fit the groove. I'd probably continue cutting off pieces of that radius bend (the area where it appears to have been bent in the fall) until I can get the separated section with the trunk tip flush. Once I can get the separated part to fit together correctly to the main statue body, I'd glue it in place with JB Clear Weld epoxy. Now I have a good foundation on which to complete the repair.

For these kinds of fillers, we've tried a number of materials, including all the stuff recommended by many for such repairs. Of course, none of these arts/crafts folks are mechanics, and so don't have knowledge of what's available in that field! The best we have found are the rolls of radiator repair epoxy that's like a clay. You knead the two parts together per instructions, then start rebuilding the trunk with it. Use JB gas tank radiator repair putty #62020. We use JB for everything--no need to experiment with other brands, you KNOW JB will get the job done right! This filler will not shrink or warp as it hardens. One hour work time lets you sculpt and carve as you go. When hard, this patch is sandable. Again, no notes on the size so I don't know how much you'll need. It will also re-enforce the surrounding parts because it's stronger than the original concrete. You can try body filler, may be easier to sand when done, but it doesn't handle like modeling clay, where the JB does. Occasionally we've had to bore small holes in the remaining concrete to insert pegs that will help hold the JB in place when cured. Fill any remaining cracks and gaps with traditional JB Weld (including the cracks I see in the trunk tip) and sand to shape when cured. Repaint both statues with the same coating. Display the two separated on lawn, like one elephant on each end of a long flower bed to keep the eye from comparing them side by side. Buy the kids minibikes so they'll never think about riding elephant statues again.

Hope this helps.
The JB weld "tootsie roll" stuff is substantially weaker than regular JB weld according to their published specs. I have used the regular 2 tube stuff as well as the "wood" and "plastic" putty. I think the main difference in those putties is the color. You can build up regular JB pretty thick. In fact thick layers of epoxy cure faster. I am not sure how far you can go with the putty but I don't imagine there would be that much stress on the trunk. Maybe regular JB inside for strength and the putty on top for contour.


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

rustyjames

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 28, 2008
Messages
1,077
Location
central nj
I've used Locktite PL Premium for small concrete repairs and it worked great. Glued a birdbath that was split in half. It even has a neutral color close to the concrete. It's a lot cheaper than JB Weld.
 

DadsTools

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
1,852
The JB weld "tootsie roll" stuff is substantially weaker than regular JB weld according to their published specs. I have used the regular 2 tube stuff as well as the "wood" and "plastic" putty. I think the main difference in those putties is the color. You can build up regular JB pretty thick. In fact thick layers of epoxy cure faster. I am not sure how far you can go with the putty but I don't imagine there would be that much stress on the trunk. Maybe regular JB inside for strength and the putty on top for contour.


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
My wife is an artist. For her, the biggest advantage of the radiator putty is that it can be worked, shaped and sculpted like clay and can be filed or sanded when hardened. One could build up other materials in layers and then shape when finished if they wanted to. It's just not the approach that comes to mind when one is shaping a figure as in this case.
 

DadsTools

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
1,852
I've used Locktite PL Premium for small concrete repairs and it worked great. Glued a birdbath that was split in half. It even has a neutral color close to the concrete. It's a lot cheaper than JB Weld.
Good stuff. Trouble is here that the OP is needing to replace portions of the figure that have been lost. A simple adhesive to join two existing parts together will probably not do the job here.
 

BillK

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Messages
9,382
Location
Beautiful Southern Maryland
Is the metal rod bent or just twisted to the side ? If it is just twisted can you move it back to its original position ? I would try to do that first and then maybe use some good concrete floor patch to build it up to the original form. Either way you will need to move the rod back to its original position. I dont know if I would just cut it off, it adds a lot of support to the trunk.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom