Embedded Cross in Paper Concrete

I was working with different formulas of paper concrete when I made this. If you look close, you will see the comics in the concrete. The different colors of print are still visible. I only lightly shredded the paper.

The concrete is almost a half inch thick and formed with shredded newspaper, Portland cement, and water. The ratio of wet paper to cement was close to one to two. It was dry enough to remove from the mold and work with after a day. It cured at about the same rate as normal concrete.

To embed the Cross, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and secured it to the glass. The concrete was placed on top of that. The next day I removed the concrete and a void was left in the shape of the Cross. I took a chisel and removed extra material from the void. This left a rough textured surface similar to what a concrete wall would look like after chiseling into it. The longer the paper concrete cures, the harder it gets. Any chiseling should be done sooner rather than later.

To get the rectangle shape and embed the Cross in the paper concrete we used the frame as the mold. With the glass in the frame we placed the concrete onto the back side of the glass. The picture backing was out of the frame. Some masking tape is used as a release and to protect the frame. The tape seals around the glass to keep the paper concrete in. The tape covered the frame and just the edge of the glass. We used very little release on the glass. If you put thick oil on it, it will stain the concrete. By filling the whole frame, including the rabbet, I was left with the same dimensions of the glass that was originally in the frame. The mix was fairly dry and there was little shrinkage and no cracks.

A little adhesive holds the Cross in the concrete and a little more holds the concrete into the frame. The thickness of the concrete exceeds the depth of the rabbet by a small bit. If I were to make another, I would place a wire loop into the concrete when it was wet. This wire would be enough support to hang the paper concrete and frame on the wall. The paper concrete is fairly light, but does weigh more than a sheet of glass and a picture. I would not rely on the frame to hold up paper concrete. A wire loop set in the paper concrete would have no problem supporting the whole project.