Hebel masonry is lightweight aerated concrete used mainly in the building industry.
It’s soft and easy to carve, making it popular for garden sculptures. I’ve been experimenting with some off-cuts, which means my ornaments are quite small.
(Click images below to enlarge)
The down-side of small, fine work with Hebel is that largish holes sometimes appear like air bubbles. When they appear in a critical place I’ve found it necessary to fill them. The best result I’ve had is with a wood-working glue to fill the hole, allow it to dry, then glue Hebel ‘dust’ from my carvings to smooth the surface. This is then finely sanded.
One experiment I’m quite excited about is varying the texture in places. Hebel stone is quite rough and on my small birds, I felt a textural contrast was needed to highlight some features. I’ve used a gyprock filler product, mixed with water, to smooth over areas, which in effect fills the tiny holes. When dry, this sands back smoothly and is almost the same colour as the stone. When finished, I apply a sealant over the piece.
I’ve really enjoyed the learning processes, and surprised myself by how much I enjoy carving! I’m sure I’ll be adding some new projects to this post in the future.
It’s VERY different to crafting with paper!
Heather, your creativity never ceases to amaze me, nor your willingness to experiment and learn. You’re an inspiration.
Thank you Marlene! Your own areas of creativity are an inspiration to me. You showed those drawing talents as a child, while I was just making cardboard doll houses!