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Now Here Is An Ultimate Geocaching Container!


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Rats.  Hmmm...  time to look up hypertufa recipies...

Ingredients:

 

Cement

Dry Portland cement

Sand

Builder's sand, traction sand, "sandbox" sand; can have relatively large stone particles mixed in (in fact, adds to the texture!)

Peat

Peat moss, sifted to remove larger lumps and foreign objects

Perlite

"Normal" garden variety perlite, sifted to remove larger lumps.

Vermiculite

Pure vermiculite. Many seed starters also contain some kind of compost and/or peat mixed in. This will not work!

Fibermesh

"Shredded" fiberglass fibers (to add strength)

Concrete Dye (optional)

 

All of the following mixtures are used the same way. Mix all of the dry ingredients well, and then slowly add water until you get a thick "mud pie" texture. Shape (pour into a mold) and let cure. Curing can take 1 to 2 months! Molds can be made several ways. One which I think would be fairly easy would be to make an inverted "bowl" shape in sand, and then line the sand with plastic (like a heavy garbage bag). After putting the wet hypertufa into the mold, cover it with the plastic and let it cure covered for a few days. Then uncover it for the remaining cure time. After it cures, you can rough it up with a wire brush, or cut it with a saw. Add drainholes as required using a screw driver or drill. If you want a rough finish, you may need to "melt" any exposed fiberglass using a propane torch or a candle.

Blends

 

BASIC

1 part cement, 1 part sand, 2 parts peat

VARIATION 1

1 part cement, 1.5 parts sand, 1.5 parts peat

VARIATION 2[1]

1 part cement, 1 part peat, 1 part perlite, 1 part fibermesh

VARIATION 3

1 part cement, 1 part peat, 1 part vermiculite

VARIATION 4

1 part cement, 1 part sand, 1 part peat

 

Here's another.

Edited by JMBella
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I have had good luck forming small fake rocks out of Sculpey clay. You form it around the cache container (e.g. altoids tin), then remove the container and bake the sculpey rock in the oven. You then paint it to blend in with the rocks in your area.

 

For larger rocks, I have used a number of substances, including hypertufa. My favorite is building a wire mesh form for the rock and covering it with the grey store-bought paper mache (spelling??) stuff in the bag. You just add water and slap it on the form. Once it dries, you have to spray it with a waterproofing spray (like what one might use on camping equipment). Again, you paint it to match the surroundings. I have had one like this out in the Arizona desert sun for over a year. Even during the monsoons, it has held up quite well.

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check it out. Yeah, it's expensive, but if ya had the money to spare, hmmm. What do others think?

 

Would be great to know what item you are referring to. I get a page full of garden decor items, none of which look like they could even remotely be used as a cache.

 

Perhaps the page changes from day to day? The "truck payment" comment woiuld indicate possibly the "copper fire pit"? It is the only expensive item on the page I saw.

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A good tip with a home made rock is after you have made one it looks all shiny and new.

Paint it with live yoghurt or "liquid manure" and leave it outside to obtain a crust of lichens ie accellerating the aging process.

A google for Geoff Hamilton's Rockless Rocks / Limestone Pavements should reveal a recipe and building technique.

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check it out. Yeah, it's expensive, but if ya had the money to spare, hmmm. What do others think?

 

Would be great to know what item you are referring to. I get a page full of garden decor items, none of which look like they could even remotely be used as a cache.

 

Perhaps the page changes from day to day? The "truck payment" comment woiuld indicate possibly the "copper fire pit"? It is the only expensive item on the page I saw.

I don't know which one was in the original post.

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A good tip with a home made rock is after you have made one it looks all shiny and new.

Paint it with live yoghurt or "liquid manure" and leave it outside to obtain a crust of lichens ie accellerating the aging process.

A google for Geoff Hamilton's Rockless Rocks / Limestone Pavements should reveal a recipe and building technique.

;) "paint with liquid manure"???? and I thought my hobby of geocaching was somewhat strange. Where exactly would I get THAT? Since I really don't have time to stand behind some unfortunate cow with a bellyache, I'll pass on that helpful suggestion - ECH! LMAO!

Edited by lonesumdove
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check it out. Yeah, it's expensive, but if ya had the money to spare, hmmm. What do others think?

 

Would be great to know what item you are referring to. I get a page full of garden decor items, none of which look like they could even remotely be used as a cache.

 

Perhaps the page changes from day to day? The "truck payment" comment woiuld indicate possibly the "copper fire pit"? It is the only expensive item on the page I saw.

The original post was in July of 2004, so the web page has changed since then.

 

Why do people dig up two year old posts and reply to them? It just confuses folks.

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check it out. Yeah, it's expensive, but if ya had the money to spare, hmmm. What do others think?

 

Would be great to know what item you are referring to. I get a page full of garden decor items, none of which look like they could even remotely be used as a cache.

 

Perhaps the page changes from day to day? The "truck payment" comment woiuld indicate possibly the "copper fire pit"? It is the only expensive item on the page I saw.

The original post was in July of 2004, so the web page has changed since then.

 

Why do people dig up two year old posts and reply to them? It just confuses folks.

 

The original page was of giant, hollow artificial rocks for sale.

 

Never trust a 2-year-old link.

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The original post was in July of 2004, so the web page has changed since then.

 

Why do people dig up two year old posts and reply to them? It just confuses folks.

Sorry I was doing a search on something else and spotted the post. Didn't look at the date. Besides, you probably needed someone to help you feel superior today. you're welcome.

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A good tip with a home made rock is after you have made one it looks all shiny and new.

Paint it with live yoghurt or "liquid manure" and leave it outside to obtain a crust of lichens ie accellerating the aging process.

A google for Geoff Hamilton's Rockless Rocks / Limestone Pavements should reveal a recipe and building technique.

:( "paint with liquid manure"???? and I thought my hobby of geocaching was somewhat strange. Where exactly would I get THAT? Since I really don't have time to stand behind some unfortunate cow with a bellyache, I'll pass on that helpful suggestion - ECH! LMAO!

Some people use the search option to find topics they are interested in. Sometimes they're new. Sometimes they're old. I'm not going to make a new post just because the topic has been around a while. Unfortunately this one had a link in it and it's no longer valid. A lot of new people get reprimanded for not doing searches before asking questions.

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Well, it's a worthwhile topic and I'll add my 2c.

 

A cement shell, painted or even not, can do a very effective job at hiding a cache from muggles. It might not fool geocachers, but for those problem areas, like suburban parks, where a regular cache seems to come up missing over and over, they can be an excellent solution.

 

They are not difficult to make. I recommend going with the quick set cement (don't bother with concrete mix). Prep the container by wrapping it in multiple layers of plastic grocery bags, enough to leave a 'void' around the container when done. The cement will not stick to these bags. Mix cement and shape as desired. If the walls are too thin the result will crack from handling. When dry, invert and the bags (and the container) come right out. What you have left is a shell that hides your rubbermaid/nutjar/whatever. Finishing helps, either flat spray paint, reject brownish house paint, any combo, glue and sand and dirt, etc.

 

BTW, tufa cracks too easily. Go with pure cement.

 

I have one of these in downtown san francisco, a very muggle-rich area 24/7. It has cracked once and required replacement, but never been muggled.

 

Oh, the big rocks? Tie an FC to the very inside top of one. :(

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check it out. Yeah, it's expensive, but if ya had the money to spare, hmmm. What do others think?

 

Would be great to know what item you are referring to. I get a page full of garden decor items, none of which look like they could even remotely be used as a cache.

 

Perhaps the page changes from day to day? The "truck payment" comment woiuld indicate possibly the "copper fire pit"? It is the only expensive item on the page I saw.

 

Left hand column, 'artificial rocks'.

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