Epoxying Stones to a Stone Slab?

[Mike Hennigan]

So I have this stone slab and a bunch of pieces of lace rock that I would like to epoxy to the stone slab for a saikei influenced forest planting. As well as epoxy tie down wires for the trees. I’ve never done anything quite like this. Which type of epoxy is going to be my best bet here? Is any of this a bad idea? What can I do to make sure this all goes according to plan?

 

[penumbra]

Scrape or sand some bare areas for the epoxy to adhere to. Personally I would use JB Weld, but any good epoxy will do. Keep in m ind that epoxy that sets slowly is stronger than one of the fast set epoxies. I have bonsai pots that were repaired with JB Weld at least 10 years ago.

 

[sorce]

I wouldn't like to see two different stones.

Unless striations and geology match.

Pics!

Sorce

 

[Mike Hennigan]

I wouldn't like to see two different stones.

Unless striations and geology match.

Pics!

Sorce

I thought about this a lot the last few days actually. The slab is flat, not exactly sure what stone it is, the lace rock is a different texture for sure. But the color of the slab and the lace rock is similar enough I think it will work to my liking. Both grey with hints of different reds. The thing is I want a long flat slab to build the composition on, good luck finding a really flat piece of lace rock. I will post some pics either later today or tomorrow of the slab and the stones. Part of my justification for using the two different stones is that in saikei it’s very traditional to have the composition in a bonsai pot or ceramic tray. I’m just viewing the slab as the container in the way. Maybe I can get An ID on the type of rock the slab is on rn I post pics. Even if it’s lime stone I think that’s ok since I’m planting dwarf thuja on it and thuja prefers a neutral pH.

 

[sorce]

lace

Nice...sounds good.

I was thinking even a Hagedorn like plastic slab may work...moss covered.

Then you can use the flat stone for something else!

But yeah....sounds good! Hell...thought ...
Is good!

Sorce

 

[Shibui]

Any epoxy will hold stone. I've used the liquid types but epoxy putty is better because it spans the gaps that will inevitably be present - Selleys Knead It Multipurpose is one that is available over here. Beware of leaving spaces where the epoxy will show.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Any epoxy will hold stone. I've used the liquid types but epoxy putty is better because it spans the gaps that will inevitably be present - Selleys Knead It Multipurpose is one that is available over here. Beware of leaving spaces where the epoxy will show.

Word! Hadn’t thought about that. Putty will be the way to go then I think.

 

[Bonsaicarpenter]

Putty would definitely fill the gaps well. I would recommend cleaning the surfaces to be bonded with acetone before glue up. The cleaner your surfaces are the better bond you will get with epoxy.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

+1 for epoxy putty.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Putty would definitely fill the gaps well. I would recommend cleaning the surfaces to be bonded with acetone before glue up. The cleaner your surfaces are the better bond you will get with epoxy.

Thanks, very helpful!

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Was busy today helping a friend move so couldn’t snap any pics til after dark. Here’s some night shots of the very tentative stone arrangements and some of the Primo dwarf Thuja. Interesting trees, foliage looks more like a hinoki. The “aerial” photo is at a weird angle, was trying not to block the light. I admit the the stones being different from the slab could be viewed as an issue but I still think it could look nice.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Guess I should have put something for scale lol

 

[Ali Raza]

@Mike Hennigan can't wait to see thuja in that beautiful landscape.

 

[penumbra]

I like it a lot.

 

[Hartinez]

Was busy today helping a friend move so couldn’t snap any pics til after dark. Here’s some night shots of the very tentative stone arrangements and some of the Primo dwarf Thuja. Interesting trees, foliage looks more like a hinoki. The “aerial” photo is at a weird angle, was trying not to block the light. I admit the the stones being different from the slab could be viewed as an issue but I still think it could look nice.
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I think it’ll look great. Especially when you’ve got substatrste muck and moss covering most of that slab. Pretty sweet thuja. That foliage looks tight!!!

 

[RKatzin]

As an alternative option you can build your composition with thin set. It is tile adhesive and it will bond stones permanently. It comes in white or gray. The white you can add cement coloring to to make it any color of the rainbow.
To attach wires use lead shot, the kind you use for weighting a fishing line. Fix the wire in the shot and jam it into a crack or crevice of the stone.

 

[Cable]

The last time I looked into this I found out that some of the cool kids were using E-6000 so that's what I've been planning to use for my builds.

 

[Bolero]

Your Penjing or Saikei Slab, Rocks and Thuja look very interesting, I'm curious to where you will be placing the Thuja, especially the large one...I think you have a challenge on your hands and

 

[rockm]

I'd have the same question about the Thuja. If you haven't gradually reduced the plants' root mass to a flatter profile than what is coming out of that tall pot, you will have to mound soil up and corresponding muck walls. That piled look is exactly what you want to avoid with a slab planting...It took me about five years of repeatedly aggressive reduction to get bulletproof amur maples' root pads thin enough to use on a slab. I've currently got them down to an inch thick or a bit more. Thuja is going to be crankier than Amur maple...

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Your Penjing or Saikei Slab, Rocks and Thuja look very interesting, I'm curious to where you will be placing the Thuja, especially the large one...I think you have a challenge on your hands and

And? I think you got cut off, would like to know what the rest of that sentence says lol. Not really understanding your question about where I’d be placing the thuja... on that beefy slab in the pictures? Lol. I think maybe you and possibly @rockm are not grasping the size of the rock and the sizes of the trees. It’s my fault, I didn’t put anything for scale or show the trees in the same photo as the slab.

Holding each size tree with my hand for scale. I have three of the larger ones and most are the smaller size.


They’re quite small. And the slab is 34 inches long. Almost 3 feet.