Project by Bryan Mose’. Bryan Mose' began making his butterfly baths after hearing of a South Pacific custom associating butterflies with visits from deceased loved ones. In the end, this high-energy mosaic man who looks for any excuse to "accidentally" break some dishes creates an elaborate bath that is "completely over the top." Materials: 12" terra cotta flat-sided flower pot
12-1/4" terra cotta Rosen pot
15" terra cotta saucer
2 glass orbs
15 broken ceramic tiles
marbles
Dolorian gray Hydroment sanded tile grout
Hydroment acrylic grout additive
bucket for mixing
Weldbond adhesive
ceramic tile adhesive
hammer
cloth napkin
tile nippers
small spatula
coarse sandpaper
black latex paint
2-1/2" paintbrush
StoneTech impregnator pro grout sealer
latex gloves
cellophane tape
lazy Susan
permanent black marker
bamboo skewers
safety glasses
cotton rags
bubble wrap
small mixing bowl
several 1 lb. bags of beans or similar Steps: 1. Turn the bowl upside down and place the Rosen pot upside down in the center. Outline the center with a marker where the bowl will later attach to the base. 2. Sand the area where the flowerpot and the Rosen pot will attach. Turn the flowerpot upside down and glue the top rim of the Rosen pot to the bottom of the flowerpot. Let dry for 72 hours or until glue is very dry. Test to make sure you have a good bond. 3. Sand entire surface of all terra cotta, base and bowl. Wipe off dust. 4. Turn upside down and paint inside of flowerpot on the sides. Tile the inside bottom. (See step #9 for breaking tile instructions.) Let dry for 24 hours. 5. Rough up the undersides of the orbs. Tip base on its side, steady with bags of beans, and glue orb to center of base with
Weldbond. Use cellophane tape to secure in place. Set aside to dry. Let dry for 72 hours or until glue is very dry. 6. Find the middle of the bowl and place the center orb for reference. Do not glue in place yet. Using ceramic tile adhesive, start gluing marbles around the center orb in circles, creating a starburst pattern. Sand and "butter" each marble with adhesive and put into place. Alternate blues and greens. Note: Each marble must be sanded on the side that gets this adhesive applied to it for it to stick. Sand a bunch of marbles at once, then glue them on. Working on a lazy Susan will make this easier because you will be able to rotate the piece and pick it up without touching it to move it and accidentally moving freshly glued pieces. 7. Mosaic the rim too. Let the inside of the bowl dry for 24 hours, then flip it over and bubble wrap the covered mixing bowl. Mosaic up to the center circle that you outlined with a marker earlier. 8. Once the orb is on the base and the glue has cured, carefully remove all of the cellophane tape. 9. Glue marbles around the orb on the base. Work in circles, creating a starburst pattern. Let dry for 24 hours. 10. Start filling in spaces with broken tile and more marbles. Wear safety glasses when breaking tile! Break into small pieces. Put several tiles in a cloth napkin, upside down, cover with napkin and strike with hammer. If the hammer strikes the front of the tile, it will scar the porcelain. Use the tile nippers to shape pieces. Make more small pieces than large ones. Place them with approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inch channels around each piece. Apply with ceramic tile adhesive. "Butter" each piece with ceramic tile adhesive and press to terra cotta and apply. Let dry for 72 hours. 11. To grout: Wear latex gloves. Mix grout in a bucket according to directions. Use Hydroment sanded grout and Hydroment acrylic grout. This makes grout much harder when it dries than mixing with water. Since the butterfly bath will be outside, that is very important. Mix to consistency of thick cake icing. Grout base first. Force grout into channels with hands. Once the grout has started to set up, gently start removing with paintbrush, top to bottom. Use wet cotton rags to clean grout off of all the surfaces of the broken tile and marbles. Use the bamboo skewers to scrape off any grout from around the mosaic pieces. 12. Turn the base upside down and create a lip on the bottom of the base by working the grout between your thumbs. Also grout the tile on the bottom of the pot on the inside. 13. Grout the bowl. Start on the bottom, turn over and rest on a small mixing bowl with bubble wrap in between the two pieces. After you grout the bottom (leaving the center as clean as possible), flip over and grout the top and the side. Again, leave the center where the orb will attach as clean as possible. Let grout cure for 48 hours. 14. After the grout has cured, if you need to mix up a small amount and go back over any places, do so. Let grout cure for 48 hours. 15. To blackwash: Thin black latex paint with water by about half. Brush over entire surface of the base and buff off. Do the same to the bowl. Repeat for desired results. Let dry for 48 hours. 16. Now you can seal the grout. Brush grout sealer over the entire surface of base and bowl. Let penetrate and wipe off excess. Follow directions on sealer container. Repeat four or five times to get a very good seal. 17. Now the bath can be glued together. Glue the base to the bowl with Weldbond. Also glue in the center orb to the bowl. Let dry for 72 hours. 18. Grout, blackwash and seal the seams around the bottom of the bowl and around the center orb. Let cure for 72 hours before filling with water. Cover or bring indoors in winter. Do not let water freeze in bowl as it could crack. Every couple of years, give it a new coat of grout sealer to keep it repelling water properly. E-mail: butterflybaths@aol.com
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