+Sparrowhawk Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 check it out. Yeah, it's expensive, but if ya had the money to spare, hmmm. What do others think? Quote Link to comment
+Team Perks Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 I've seen them and, to be honest, it's usually pretty obvious that they're fake when you see them up close. Still, a good one for hiding a large cache in an unpopulated area... Quote Link to comment
+tirediron Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 check it out. Yeah, it's expensive, but if ya had the money to spare, hmmm. What do others think? Yeah, what 3-eyes said! They look okay on the webpage, but upclose, they look like a prop from the set of the original Star Trek. You can make something a lot better and mroe realistic with some concrete mix and creative spray-painting! Quote Link to comment
+Sparrowhawk Posted July 21, 2004 Author Share Posted July 21, 2004 Rats. Hmmm... time to look up hypertufa recipies... Quote Link to comment
+tirediron Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Rats. Hmmm... time to look up hypertufa recipies... A who-what recipe??? Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Found a cache under a very large one. Other than the fact that it was the only boulder in a pine grove, it looked pretty realistic. Quote Link to comment
+Spencersb Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 These are great, only you have to cover them with a whole lot of similarly sized REAL rocks, so they, like, blend in! Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Can't use them down here...you would pop the top and a whole nest of rattlers would be inside, not to mention the black widows and scorpions, all waiting for you... Quote Link to comment
Pipanella Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Rats. Hmmm... time to look up hypertufa recipies... A who-what recipe??? Hypertufa - See the planter sitting next to my cat, Jinx, in this picture? It's made of hypertufa. My mom made this one. Quote Link to comment
GeoFD Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 That rock is 1 months truck payment, but it probably gets better MPG. Quote Link to comment
+JMBella Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 (edited) 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 July 21, 2004 by JMBella Quote Link to comment
+wimseyguy Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Holy big ticket boulders cacheman! Does the cute brunette with the shovel come along to help hide them too? Pretty cool though. I once bought some hide-a-key rocks for micro caches. The packaging read- for outdoor use only! Quote Link to comment
+wife&mom Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 The link by the op has a smaller one at the right side of that page $99... our local home depot sells them for only $30. My son used one to hide his Rocky Road cache: people seem to like it based on the logs: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...c7-38c61b219e37 Quote Link to comment
+mtn-man Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Thirty bucks is much easier to swallow than one hundred. Might have to swing by the outdoor department at Home Depot at lunch! Quote Link to comment
+Silny Jako Bek Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 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. Quote Link to comment
+Kacky Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I have one of the fake deco boulders in my yard. My neighbors think it's a real rock. I considered putting it in the woods with a cache under it but I'm sure it would be stolen because the one I have cost about $75.00. Quote Link to comment
+Confucius' Cat Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment
+Mix Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I just get real rocks drill hold in a matrix with 5 mil gaps and then bash out the centre with a hammer. Looks real because it is. Quote Link to comment
markandlynn Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment
+Klatch Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment
+LDove Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 (edited) 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 August 22, 2006 by lonesumdove Quote Link to comment
Mushtang Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment
+Sparrowhawk Posted August 22, 2006 Author Share Posted August 22, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment
SGT Superman Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I thought the same thing when I first saw it, but I then looked at the name of the link and saw it said "storage rock" so I just searched the website for that and found what he was talking about. Quote Link to comment
+icefall5 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Broken link for me. Just brings me to the store, not the rock. Quote Link to comment
+icefall5 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Didn't see the above posts about it the fact it's a broken link. Sorry. Quote Link to comment
+Kewaneh & Shark Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 These Things Interestingly enough, as my wife & I were in the local Home Depot last Saturday, I saw one and thought..... mmmm..... cache container. They're much cheaper at Home Depot too. - Kewaneh Quote Link to comment
+Mystery Ink Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 We have a few of those dad was at work and the phone company was going to throw a bunch of them away so we grabbed a few. Someday when I find the right spot I will use them. Quote Link to comment
+Kacky Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment
+Slaptacular Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment
+WalruZ Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment
+ChicagoCanineCrew Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 Can't use them down here...you would pop the top and a whole nest of rattlers would be inside, not to mention the black widows and scorpions, all waiting for you... Sure ya can! Just make sure you list that there's a really unusual FTF prize... *insert evil laugh here* Quote Link to comment
+Red_Devil35 Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 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'. Quote Link to comment
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