The extraordinary "rock balancing art" inspired design has two halves stacked on its [almost] round point of support in precarious and seemingly improbable ways; however, thanks to the pin that makes the conceptual not only become reality but also sturdy.

A basalt stone slab placed on top.

A bowl (2) placed on top.

Two stacked bowls placed on top.

A pot (6) D42cm placed on top.

An Ochna integerrima tree blossoming placed on top.

Tea table (H60cm x D88cm) and four stools from abandoned teak logs placed on the patio.

Dining table (H70cm x D99cm)—the hardest revolved profile ever made.

Layering, compacting and leveling the sand base. It should be at least 10 centimeters in height. Placing the Stand onto this surface and leveling both horizontally and vertically. Ensure the gas bubble is centered precisely inside the marking circle of the level vial.

Significant amounts of damp sand will be compacted into a solid and hard dune as an internal formwork to create a hollow or shell-structured artwork. Determining the appropriate height and perimeter of the target artpiece to finalize the foundation of the core.

Trimming the block of sand into its final form by aiding the revolving of the template set with a trowel, trim off sand to clear its path. Rotate the template set back-and-forth to form the shape of the core, using a trowel to take excess sand out and shortage sand in.

The core’s construction phase is quite similar to sand sculpture, but on a smaller scale and considerably easier.

Compact, flatten the sandy base, then trim (or chamfer) any excess sand off the base, leaving a safe margin of about 5 – 10 cm around. This margin ensures that you won’t step your feet in, that you will need to go around the core during revolving progression.

Collect and shovel redundant sand back. Sweep the templates set in several rounds back-and-forth. Pick any loose sand off the core, particularly around the Post where out of template reachable range.

When you finish and are satisfied with a solid, hardy and smooth sand core, unscrew the sand template off the set. And brush off loose sand stuck on the concrete template and the Arm as well.

A layer of thick slurry could be placed on the base to reduce labor and the risk of shrinkage cracks in the topping/overlay. It just needs to be sanded off to reveal the smooth surface underneath.

Make sure that you use long and even spreads around the base to achieving a consistent and even thickness.

Revolve the concrete template back-and-forth to trim excess off its path.

Depending on the template, gently and carefully apply a layer from one third to a half of the designed thickness of mortar coating over the entire sand core with a gauging (or cross joint) trowel.

For vessel-shaped (or container) artpieces, e.g., planter/pot, bowl, table base/pedestal, etc., the critical position is around the open-end side; it tends to “stretch out”. Using a galvanized steel wire that is bent in the form of a circle and wrapped around as tightly as possible to the base coat.

For larger and taller workpieces, it is possible to use a layer of welded, galvanized steel wire mesh (so-called “rabbit wire”), which forms squares or parallelograms.

It will also be wrapped around the lateral (curved) surface.

Both of them must be laboriously tied on as tightly as possible using pliers with pieces of tie wire that are threaded through from the front surface and twisted or hooked together, then the knots will be pushed back beneath the surface. Alternatively, a large armature might be welded.

Make sure to revolve the template back-and-forth to check if there are any obstacles.

One more circular wire for sure... maybe!

The next layer should be applied as soon as possible after the base coat and reinforcement take place, within the working time (or before the initial setting) of the mix.

Apply an appropriate amount of mortar equivalent to the remaining thickness, and revolve the template to sweep the excessive material off into the designed profile.

Repeat this process to complete the full round. Feel free to adjust the water and/or admixture somewhat to achieve the proper workability. The mix should have enough plastic consistency to spread on the armature as well as the base coat and stay put without slumping down.

Decorative trim may easily sag and be hard to form, especially when you try to apply too much material and then overdo it (troweling and revolving). The key is patience; let it touch-dry for further proceedings.

Rendered artwork will reflect sand texture; the coarser the sand for the mixture, the rougher the surface, additional cement slurry (similar to microtopping or microcement) will produce an authentic stone surface that is smooth, dense, uniform, and fully formed, even with very fine features. This eliminates the need for sweaty sanding and polishing.

Scrape any concrete smears and stuck sand off the Arm and the template (both sides and edges), or the template could be un-screwed off the Arm for effective washout. Ensure there is not any dried concrete left on the edge of the template to guarantee a smooth finished surface.

Collect any spilt mortar for re-use or discard purposes.

Brush off any loose materials on the template and the entire rendered workpiece.

Starting from the flat top surface, pour a generous ribbon of the thick mix (like chili or mayonnaise sauce) around the outer surface.

Slowly revolve the concrete template with your non-dominant hand either clockwise or counter-clockwise, and be prepared with a brush on your dominant hand.

During the revolution, if you noticed any missing divots, you could re-fill them with the brush prior to revolving.

The mixture will be tightly spread by the template edge and ideally leave a smooth and even surface with detail features behind.

Scooping and placing more liberal of this fluid mix on the flat (top) surface and its sides and repeating the coating processes as in the first coat.

Under the influence of gravity, the slurry will have a tendency to slump down instead of flow along the template profile as desired. Once the slurry freely flows down, brush it up to prevent it from going off. In case it accumulates ahead of the template, brush it down.

Slightly dilute the mix with water to adjust the consistency to make a more fluid mix, then continue.

Be careful when you brush; brushing too hard could provoke loose sand dettached from the subbase, as it will be swirled around and leave significantly scratched lines. This is the most common mistake in slurrying.

The final coating layer and the very smooth and even surface of the artpiece will be achieved.

Several designs may require additional processing, e.g. cutting off segmented feet and patching these areas, slurry bonding separate feet, emboss stenciling, cutting and carving, or holes making for a planter/pot. All of which must be done as soon as possible after the slurrying takes place.

Don’t forget to un-screw the Post and pull it out. Slurry overflowed around the base could also be cut off by a palette knife and removed using a trowel for re-use or discard purposes.

A close-up of the patched feet with slurry mix.

Scraping patched areas when the concrete reaches its final setting and refining within days 2 – 3 prior to flipping up.

Fresh concrete must be protected against strong direct sun, wind and frost to prevent rapid moisture loss and maintain appropriate curing conditions by keeping the surface damp.

Normally, three days after the concrete artpiece was revolved, it could be taken out of the sand core for the right side up and performed the finishing or topping/overlay tasks.

A large amount of sand sticks into the inner surface, so it weighs up a lot more. Knowing your physical limitations and getting help when needed is a wise choice.

Using a trowel to scrape loose sand off the inner surface and rubbing with coarse abrasive materials, then spraying out with a garden hose.

Clean up edge, remove any material residue, and flatten the rim/lip (and inner surface if needed) with coarse diamond whetstone and/or pad.

After rough sanding, the surfaces may be required to fill imperfections and deflects, such as voids, pinholes, divots, crevices and level the uneven surface for further polishing with a higher sheen.

After that, the concrete artworks still need extra days, exactly 28 days in total, to be completely cured.

Then they could be painted, stained, or sealed to achieve a higher level of perfection.