[Ferro List] Polished

[Christopher Glasspool]

Sarah,
Grinding and polishing can be tedious, long, and dangerous work (see Silicosis), and one trick to lessen or avoid this work is to cast your project with the most flawless mold possible. If it is flat, then using a glass or smooth plastic liner will lessen the work. If it a three dimensional artifact then get a book on casting, as it is beyond an email to describe, but basically it entails a plaster or clay impression of what artifact you want and then painted with shellac, though different methods exist. Since you are asking on a ferrocement site, I'm assuming you want a fc method for the under structure. You will probably want the laminated method of ferrocement - pushing the mortar into the mold, and the mesh into the mortar, or alternatively using a fibered mortar, and reduced or no mesh. Using small a aggregate that is sugar and dust sized, at least for the skin will help in the reduction of grinding and polishing, and maybe fill your decorative
 requirement...limestone dust, or whatever you can find that fits your need. Using a pozzolan in the mix will help with the fineness, and in other regards, as will an acrylic admixture. Even a colored acrylic if that's where you want to go.
If your mold and slurry is fine enough, you may want to forego sanding, grinding and polishing, and go to a finish. Beeswax will buff to a sheen, but many concrete products out there, from urethanes, silanes, acrylics, and oils. Other finishes to consider are the stains, reactive stains, and acid stains, also are the mineral pigments that could be added to the mix, or added topically. 
- chris


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