Marker for Beloved Pet's Grave

Rhonda S
by Rhonda S
$15
4 Hours
Easy
Beautiful markers are available for purchase, but I wanted something "one of a kind" for a beloved One-of-a-Kind Boston Terrier.

We lost our beloved Boston terrier Bugsy in December. He now rests in the lower garden. I have wanted for some time to place a marker for him. We had plans to improve the old grape arbor and turn it into a pergola, very near his grave. We finally got the concrete poured, the legs extended and a shade installed, so I worked on the marker.
Flying disc is basis of shape.
I bought QUICKRETE brand Vinyl concrete patch for another project, and had plenty left for this one.  20 pound bucket is about $8.00.  I had purchased a can of Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty powder  for this project, then learned that it is NOT for outdoor use, so I had to decide whether to recast with a concrete based product or try to seal and coat the disc.  Marine spar varnish was about the same price as the Quickcrete, so I went that way.  If your project is going to be inside and sealed or painted, the Durham’s Water Putting gives a beautiful finish.  Concrete, by its nature, is rougher.
I picked up three of inexpensive flying discs.( cheaper, lighter weight than Frisbee brand)  (I got three, one yellow, one blue, and one green, because I liked the colors.)
I used Paint on my computer (any program you are comfortable with that will allow you to flip an image horizontally will work.)  I picked a font I thought looked right, and resized everything to fit the disc., then printed it out to test fit over the outside of the disc.  A little tweaking the size and placement, then I reversed the image.  When you make a cast, the inside is exactly like the mold, but reversed.  To make it legible, the mold (the writing on the disc) has to look backwards when it is prepared.
Here it is reversed, and cut to size for placement.


I wanted to the final stepping stone to look as if it had been carved, so I needed to make the image I printed three dimensional.  I decided to use hot glue to make the image I wanted, drawing directly on the inside of the disc. I realized that I wouldn’t have a good way to transfer the image to the inside of the blue disc I had washed and dried, so I switched to the yellow disc.  I had to scrape the paint off the outside of the disc with a razor.  THEN to transfer the image, I knew that I needed a light box.  I saw AFTER I was done that an easy light box is a phone light inside an upside-down clear plastic box.  I didn’t think of that, so I taped the image to the outside of the disc and then used masking tape to tape the whole thing to a window on a door facing the back yard.  It wasn’t perfectly visible, but gave me a good guide to write on with the hot glue. 


    I used hot glue to "write" the backward letters. I messed up in a couple of places and had to scrape the letters off and try a second time. 
This is the water putty version. It turned out well, but it is not waterproof, so I did the process again, but with a concrete product.
  I mixed up the Quickcrete vinyl concrete patcher according to package direction.  It should be smooth, but thick like peanut butter.  You can make it thinner and easier to work, but the final product will not be as durable. If you go with the water putty, mixing takes longer than you might expect it to, so stir really really well to get rid of lumps.  There are several You-tube videos on using the product. 
I used WD40 to coat the mold to make release easier.  Vegetable oil or motor oil will work and may have fewer bubbles.  Do not use a release agent for water putty.  It will prevent curing.
   I used an inexpensive putty knife to work material around the letters, and then just scooped the material into the mold I had prepared.  I didn’t know the volume I was going to need, so I just mixed up more and added until it was full. I tapped or shook it as I was filling and after I got it filled more or less level with the top of the mold.  TAP and TAP and TAP the filled mold to work the bubbles out. I should have been more patient and worked longer at this step, and flaws in the final product are the result.
I didn’t  scrape and level the full disc with a straight edge, but just used the putty knife.  You could, however, if you want a super level back.  (In concrete work, this is called screeding the surface.  This step can be done with any straight edge.)
It took a couple of hours for the material in the disc to harden. I left it alone 24 hours, but overnight would likely have been enough.  


Then I unmolded it carefully, working slowly to pry the mold away from the “stone.”  I was worried I might crack it if I pried too hard on it before it was fully cured.  If you do use the Water Putty for an indoor project, skip the release agent like I used with for a concrete mold because the instructions for the Durham’s water putty product say specifically that oil might keep the surface from hardening properly.  A silicone baking pan might not have been so difficult to release, but I didn’t have one.   
I used a Drummel tool to clean up little places where there was more material than intended because my hot glue letters had a void I didn’t notice.
I made two additional stones to accompany the memorial, one with a small heart and the other smooth.
Future enhancements: 
I  have been concerned that the disc would not be strong enough to take actual wear, and it will be placed in a position where we won’t walk on it intentionally, but other pets and children may step on it once in a while, so I expect to mount it with construction adhesive onto a round concrete garden stone. I will purchased at a garden center.  I tried it out on the square paver I had on hand, but didn’t like the look as well.  For now, I simply made sure it was well seated in the sand in the desert garden.
A note – on my first casting with the water putty, I noticed a large empty space that wasn’t so apparent in the mold, so in the final concrete mold, I drew a paw print in hot glue on the disc.  That’s missing from most of the photos. 
 A tip someone here at Hometalk suggested when I asked for inspiration for this project: Put a painted stone in a cold oven, turn on the heat to 250.  Let it heat for 30 minutes at temperature, then turn the oven off and let the stone cool in place. This step of heating bonds the paint to the stone. I plan to use paint markers to darken the letters soon.  My hand is not as steady as someone else’s might be, so I’m a little hesitant to do something I can not undo. In the final photo, I filled the cavities with sand so they would show up for the photo, but I haven't left them that way. I want a 3 dimensional look.
NOTE ABOUT TIME - preparing the disc - about an hour. mixing material and filling mold and cleaning tools- about an hour. Unmolding and cleaning up - about an hour. Enhancements will take additional time not counted here.
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Total cost of new purchases for this project $15.
Quickcrete brand vinyl concrete patcher, $8 for a 20 pound bucket, more than enough for this and other projects
Cheap toy flying discs - $ 1 each.
Garden center round concrete garden stone will be less than $4.- $12 if I buy three.
 
Materials or tools on hand:  Estimated cost if I had to purchase new – $40 to $60
Hot glue gun and glue stick
Paint markers
Construction adhesive
Paper to make design on computer
Craft paper (or newspaper) to mask work surface
Masking tape,
Razor blades,
Disposable stir stick,
Empty container to mix concrete in.
Dremel Tool (about $30 by itself)
Sand paper (optional to smooth surface)
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3 of 7 comments
  • Anonymous Anonymous on Jul 31, 2017

    Be aware that if you bury your dog in your yard, you must bury him/her very deep. We moved into a new home and our puppy dug up about 4 full dog skeletons. She played with and ate the bones, and we rushed around digging up graves and trying to get the bones out of her mouth for weeks. Please bury your dog 6 feet under, like a human, unless you plan to take the whole grave with you when you move.

    • Rhonda S Rhonda S on Jul 31, 2017
      Thank you for the note. This is a good reminder for any and all who make this choice. We are confident that Bugsy is secure. Part of his grave site is under the pergola's new concrete pad, and we did indeed put him quite deep since we have a German Shepard who will dig when he is bored. Niether of our two remaining dogs have shown an interest in 7 months, but it must have been unnerving for you to have your pup find such "treasures." We did have the option of having the veterinarian handle disposal of the remains, but our son asked us to "bring him home," since one of his jobs was doing exactly that, and he wanted something more gentle for the old gentleman. Those who are concerned that they may not be able to put a pet deep enough may wish to put up much larger stones as markers or take the veterinarian option. Thank you for the note.
  • Anonymous Anonymous on Aug 01, 2017

    Thanks for your response. It's hard to leave them at the vet --I totally understand that. Sounds like you did it just right! We were definitely horrified to think our dog was digging up other people's pets. We live in Florida where the soil is sandy and somewhat unstable. So they may have risen to the surface.

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