Life’s a choice between love and fear… no matter what road we travel. The children’s fable – The Three Little Pigs – demonstrates an old story, in a brave new world.

Once upon a time, there were three business investors: Mr. A, Mr. B and Mr. C.

Mr. A was part of exploiting the world’s resources for his mining bosses – giving almost nothing back to nature, or the world’s peoples who owned them.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care. It was considered justified because of the relentless need for dwindling resources.

And, it wasn’t that Mr. A lacked depth of understanding, within himself. But, over time, the birds of deceitfulness caused by sublime riches came calling… snatching away any seeds of goodness he might have sown.

Does working for a piggish operation, make you piggish, as well?

Mr. B
Farmers are motivated to run their farms in the most efficient and sustainable way possible – to succeed as a business, and because it’s the right thing to do.

In fact, being a 4-H Agri member is to pledge their head, heart, hands and health to positively impact their club, community, country, and the world.

Growing up in a rural area, Mr. B understood. However, he was one of those who refused to give new ways a try – even if it was a win/win for everybody. Yet, although his God-given seeds of life were planted in good ground, they were soon choked out by his weeds of worry and doubt. Sad. He could have helped so many more.

So, taking more than he gave, means both Mr. A and Mr. B had a lot in common: living a sticks and stones existence that was unnecessarily vulnerable.

Mr. C, however, practiced responsible economic and personal growth. He could have acted “piggish”; but, following his mother’s advice, he chose not to.

For example, with his construction business, he built energy efficient homes at fair prices that would last. Words like ‘strategic planner’, ‘philanthropic’, ‘hard worker’ and ‘trustworthiness’, were used to describe him. And, as word got out, his business grew abundantly

“He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop”
Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny) by Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Watch on YouTube

But in time – like all economic cycles – inflation made its presence known.

But, Mr. C’s housing development did not completely collapse as did the businesses of Mr. A and Mr. B. because of his reputation for quality and reasonable prices, people invested whatever money they had into Mr. C’s properties.

But wait… there’s more!

Mr. C, being a smart business person, also helped keep the economic recession at bay for other businesses, too. They all worked together during these tough times and profited – making wolf soup out of their losses – proving that by helping others you help yourself… just like his mother told him.

It was said of him that, not only did he understand the importance of good soil, but he had his seeds of gratitude growing within his heart, which he shared with others. The real deal!

“And we are so amazed, we’re crippled and we’re dazed
A gardener like that one no one can replace”

And, naturally, they lived happy ever after.

That’s the way I figure it. – FP

Photo Credit

Image by Christel from Pixabay

First published at fredparry.ca

Guest Author Bio
Fred Parry

Fred Parry lives in Southern Ontario. He is a lover of people and a collector of stories, music, wisdom, and grandchildren. His raison d’etre? “I’m one of those people who believe that if my work serves the common good, it will last; if not, it will die with me. I still believe that’s true.” Fred spent ten years as a columnist for Metroland Media Group – a division of the publishing conglomerate Torstar Corporation.

His book, ‘The Music In Me’ (2013) Friesen Press is also available via Indigo / Chapters.

Blog / Website: www.fredparry.ca

And, no matter how vibrant the colour of truths I discovered, there were always areas of gray. Still, there were also universal truths to which we can all relate – in various religions, poetry, songs, and inspirational treatises presented to the world by artists and learned men and women, all down through the ages. Unfortunately, they often disagreed among themselves. No one’s perfect; but, their message may be fine for you. So, why bother trying to understand? Because, in the end, isn’t it up to you… me?

Personally, I found the bible had a better metric to answer this dilemma: “Even if I know all mysteries and all knowledge… without love I’m nothing… a noisy cymbal!” Then I learned something else. As jazz saxophonist great, Charlie Parker, said, “If you don’t live it, it won’t come out your horn.” What… you mean I have to actually be this stuff?

Beatles leader, John Lennon, concluded… the message of the Beatles was about learning to swim and then swim… not putting it on teachers…. you’re on your own. Yet, love is still patient and kind… does not keep a record of wrong. That’s not what’s been coming out my pandemic horn, lately.

“Well it’s alright, remember to live and let live
Well it’s alright, the best you can do is forgive”
~ End of the Line by The Traveling Wilburys

However, we’re never sorry tomorrow, for doing what’s right today; we can all read the writing on the wall. Like Simon and Garfunkel sang it, “Like a bridge over trouble waters, I will lay me down.”

This is no ordinary time. We still see people who are suffering; or, people being reminded that they’re not as equal as the rest of us. So, what can we do?

Lennon reiterated that the Beatles story is all about producing your own dream. I think that that’s reassuring during these Covid-19 times – where the future is so uncertain – causing many to become depressed and fearful. But, the Beatles message is exactly that: just accept it’s unknown… then anything is possible. People can’t provide it for us. We have to do it ourselves.

A famous author said he had been a professional jazz musician, then a sportswriter before having his first book accepted… ‘as one door closes.’ As anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Let’s keep open to every opportunity.

Be well!

Photo Credit
Photo is public domain
First published at Fred Parry

Turning my horse
and pulling a sword God gave me
I, on horseback, ran into it
as it, with its dark foreboding message
surrounded me
it was after me
it wanted desperately to take me
it wanted me and I felt it clinging tightly
running in it, the dark, so dark

But I saw the blue sky in front of me
and further still the ocean of my youth
riding harder
whispering to my horse, move with me
we ran, and the evil
moved out of my way
as if it could not defy my will
as I lifted my sword
and screamed at death
GOD WILL SAVE ME

Photo Credits

Photo by Mike Birdy

Quite a few friends and readers have e-mailed me and asked for more information on how I made the pot shown at the end of the second article in this series, A Thinner Mix. I have made a lot of progress since then. Here is an example of some new planters/pots I have made.

Large, medium and small concrete planters. The large one (back left) came out of a bigger mold, but I did not pour the sides as high.

Making The Molds

To make the molds, I used a variety of containers, and drilled a hole in the center of them.

TIP: Be as accurate as possible finding center as this will ensure that the concrete planters have an even wall thickness.

This first one, my medium-sized mold, uses a Paderno melamine mixing bowl for the outside, and an old plastic light dome for the inside. The dome gives a beautiful rounded interior to the finished product (see images at the end of this post). I found it in a second-hand store. I have been looking for more in different sizes but they are really hard to find and new ones are REALLY expensive!

Paderno melamine mixing bowl and an old plastic light dome.

This smaller concrete pot mold is made from 2 Paderno mixing bowls.

2 Padero mixing bowls

Note the bottom of the smaller red one, above. The bottoms of these bowls have a ridge as you can see in the blue one below. These ridges leave an unfinished look to the inside of the bowl. I used an orbital sander with 60 grit to remove the ridge from the red one. Then I worked up to a 220 grit to get it nice and smooth. I then gave it 3 coats of carnauba wax.

Another way to do this is with Bondo automotive body filler. This next image shows a plastic pot which is perfect for the inside half of my extra large mold. I used Bondo on it, then sanded with 220 to get it super smooth. Then I gave it 3 coats of carnauba wax.

TIP: Note that I am using melamine and plastic pots for the molds. Stainless steel also works – BUT these molds do not release nearly as well and will dent easily.

The Spacer

The spacer is a very important part of your mold. It will form the drainage hole for the concrete planter and also hold the 2 halves of the mold together, like this.

The parts below are a 5/16 bolt, 2 washers, a copper plumbing fitting (3/4″ OD) and 2 smaller pieces of plastic tubing cut to the same height as the copper fitting. In the second picture, you can see that the tubing has been placed inside the copper fitting. This gives me a nice snug fit for the bolt and also, when it is tightened up, the plastic tubing helps make a seal that the concrete can not leak through. I use a copper fitting only because it makes for a nice detail in the concrete planter as you will see in the images at the end of this post.

Here is the outside part of the mold with the bolt through it and the spacer in place.

TIP: If you do not want the copper detail, you can make a simpler spacer out of a rubber stopper which you can easily find at brew-it-yourself wine/beer supply shops or at any place that sells stoppers for test tubes.

Here is the assembled unit. Note the nice symmetry – even spacing between the mold halves.

The steps on how to make a concrete planter mold

Once you have all of your parts made, all you need to do is:

1. Wax the outside of the inside part of the mold.
2. Wax the inside of the outside part of the mold.
3. Spray some release agent on the outside of the inside part of the mold.
4. Spray some release agent on the inside of the outside part of the mold.
5. Assemble the mold as shown above. Take your time here, being sure to get as even a spacing as possible between the 2 mold halves.
6. Pour your concrete as shown in the graphic above. You will need a thin mix for this!
7. Allow to set for up to 24 hours (unless you are using the Kast Krete mix I discussed in A Thinner Mix.)
8. Unbolt the mold.
9. Gently pry on the inside part of the mold. It should slide out pretty easily.
10. Now flip the outside half of the mold upside down and lay it flat on a towel, or a piece of Styrofoam. Using a rubber hammer, gently tap on the top and sides until the concrete planter releases and drops out. If it is not coming out, turn it over and gently apply outward pressure on the side of the mold. Work your way around the mold. You will see a very small gap start to develop between the mold and the concrete. Now turn it upside down and again tap on the top and sides. Just be patient. It will pop out – unless you forgot your release agent!
11. Optional: I always sand the top edge of the planters. Some folks like to leave them rough. Experiment and see what works best for you. I talk a bit about sanding in this post.

Notes:

For steps 1 and 2, I use a spray-on car wax. It just makes the mold more slippery and easier to release the concrete (especially if you forgot to apply the release agent, which I have done several times … DOH!). Every 4 or 5 times I use the molds, I give them a coat of carnauba wax to seal them up and cover over tiny scratches that come from cleaning them after each use. I use Trewax clear paste wax for this.

For steps 3 and 4, I use Smooth-ON Universal Mold Release. It’s a great product and easy to use. I have also used mineral oil which works very well. Pam also works but I find it leaves a food odor on the finished product. It does wear off over time though.

For step 6, I typically use Starpatch Concrete Products Kast Krete because it can be mixed to a pancake batter-like consistency. Very easy to pour. But I have also used Starpatch’s Countertop Mix and Quikrete’s Countertop Mix.  Both are harder to pour in that small space. BUT – Starpatch sells something called a flow kit. When I add this to their Countertop mix, the mix becomes MUCH more fluid and easy to pour. ALSO – there is a new product out there called ShapeCrete. It’s available in the USA from Home Depot but not here in Canada yet. Looks great! Do a YouTube search for shapecrete and you will find many cool videos. I am really looking forward to trying it when it becomes available up here.

TIP: A great thing about these molds is how flexible they are. If you want lower sides (a shallower concrete container) pour in less concrete. If you want higher sides, pour in more. Have fun experimenting.

The Results

Here is a concrete planter made with Kast Krete. You can see the copper detail in the drain hole.

Here are 6 more images for you to look at of concrete planters and bowls using the molds described in this post. The rougher ones were made with Countertop mix. Click any image to see the large version.

I hope that you have found this information of use and that it will be helpful to you making your own concrete creations. If you have ideas you would like to share, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear about what you are doing with concrete!

Read more in this series:

Part 7 – Concrete Creations: Water Feature Ideas

Part 9 – Concrete Creations: Rubber Molds! – coming soon!

Photo Credits

All photos by Gil Namur – All Rights Reserved

Holidays

There are times of the year where we reflect on our meaning, our purpose and our growth. The New Year tends to be that time, and as the holidays begin I wonder if people are really thinking about these things.

Yesterday, a driver who, for whatever reason was in a hurry, honked furiously behind me as I was about to turn a right. In a fit of rage he passed me on the wrong side of the road and sped off in his Christmas rush. Time was apparently of the essence.

I am not sure if people are even enjoying time as they should do any longer.

As a mother, teacher, writer and small-business owner, I know that time can be one of my biggest rewards, and with the holidays arriving I am already feeling blessed to have it. A question that I often get asked is how do I make time to do all the things I do. There is no simple answer. But I hate to bullshit anyone, so I will admit that sometimes I too have felt burnout. However, unlike that enraged holiday shopper I have learned to recognize the signs and will pull into quiet to rest my mind, body and soul. There are simple things I do in my busy life to accomplish this rest, and if they help you, then borrow them. I don’t mind.

1. I find a period to do nothing but sit outside for at least ten minutes, or to take a walk. I wake up earlier, which seems busier but in reality gives me quiet mind time. A sort of meditation.

2. I have established regular routines of simply sitting and writing a list of things to do. This practice organizes my mind and doesn’t allow it to become cluttered with excess.

3. I write out how I am feeling.

4. I try to maintain my eating habits, which – let’s face it – isn’t easy at this time of the year, but I recognize signs of unhealthy habits and keep them in check – as much as possible, of course.

5. I give myself love. I take a bath with candles and enjoy simple rest. I go to the spa, and if this isn’t feasible, I create my own spa day – all products to do your own spa day can be purchased. You simply close your door and treat yourself to the aromas of creams and scented candles.

6. I congratulate myself out loud for successes; sometimes people  are just not so giving with praise, so praise yourself: if external validation matters to you, saying it out loud helps.

7. Forgive yourself if you fail, even small failures during the day like forgetting your keys at home. Remember to say, “I am sorry, Self, but, hey, I am human too.”

8. Find a space. Never underestimate the value of space in your life and how you fill it. This can be a physical space or a mental space. But the more clutter there is the more scattered your thoughts may be. Take the time to decorate the spaces you work in and live in. Buy a plant for the office or arrange your house with the things that make you smile. In my house there is a space which I simply see every day when I walk in; it has a guitar, books, dried roses and my grandmother’s old sewing machine. When I sit in this space I feel instantly relaxed. Create your own space and go to it when you need reminders of what you love.

9. Foster your spirituality. Stay in touch with your inner life, using whatever metaphor you believe in. Find harmony with your emotions so that the balance of good energy outweighs the negative energies we all face daily. There are times where emotions get the best of all of us and in my life when they get the better of me, the good things stop happening. Channeling them toward my inner life or my belief in my version of God helps me cope daily. God for me is not a religious dogma but a part of my life that is calming and gives me peace. But I respect all faiths as it is our own journey in this world and we have no right to proclaim it for others.

10. Lastly, hope, hope, hope and hope some more. Believe in the possible, and when you cannot look at what you do have in your life, try not to look at what you don’t. When I have failed at seeing those things, then I have lost them. Don’t focus on bigger all the time; sometimes bigger is what you already have.

I don’t know how to help the man in a hurry to shop for his holiday gifts, but I hope this article inspires at least one of you to recognize what is valuable – life.

Image Credit

Photo by Melinda Cochrane. All right reserved.

“What’s this you ask? This will be used for a water feature – which I will show you in the next post in this series very soon.”

So as promised, here are some pics of the concrete water feature idea I had in mind, and a few others. This is a picture of the foam cavity in part of my configurable concrete mold. It’s being held down to the silicone cookie sheet with a bolt at the top of which is a .75″ (outside diameter) copper plumbing fitting which will be embedded in the concrete. It’s a perfect snug fit for the .625″ (inside diameter) plastic tubing that gets hooked up to the water pump. The concrete is poured to the top edge of that fitting.

Concrete Fountain Top Feature – Foam Cavity

Here is the piece after coming out of the mold.

Concrete Fountain Top Feature – Out of mold

Here it is again after cutting away the foam and a bit of light sanding.

Note: The mix I used was a bit too liquid. See the sanded off lower corners? I had to do that because they were a bit crumbly due to the watery mix. Concrete is interesting and temperamental. Too much water, and the mix takes longer to cure. I took it out a bit to soon. Too much time between making things, and one forgets … well at least I do!

Concrete Fountain Top Feature

Here it is in action. I used a large round tub to experiment with. This piece would look nice in one or two larger square concrete bases.

Concrete Fountain Top Feature – In Action

Here is the same piece but I added a small spherical bubbler I had made last year to see what it would look like.

Concrete Fountain Top Feature – With Small Bubbler

This is a concrete millstone I made using a bucket.

Concrete Millstone

And this is a large spherical bubbler I made using two thin plastic 1/2 spheres that used to be covers for ceiling lights.

Large Concrete Bubbler

Here is what the inside looks like. Click on this image for a larger image. I love the way it looks! Like a moon’s cratered surface. I’d love to be able to get the outside to look the same. Something to work on.

Large Concrete Bubbler – Inside

Note the copper fitting embedded in the center. Again, a perfect fit for the plastic tubing that connects to the water pump.

Large Concrete Bubbler – Detail

And here is a picture of the small and large bubblers side by side. The small bubbler is solid concrete whereas the larger one, as you saw above, is hollow making for a much lighter bubbler, or perhaps a bowl!

Small and Large Concrete Bubblers

When I have built some large basses for these, I will post some images with details on how I made the basses. I hope that these pictures will get your creative juices flowing and I also hope that you will share what you come up with. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

Read more in this series:

Part 6 – Concrete Creations: Making Styrofoam Cavities

Part 8 – Concrete Creations: Concrete Planters

Photo Credits

All photos by Gil Namur – All Rights Reserved

As I explained in Concrete Creations: A Configurable Mold, when I pour concrete shapes I will often use a Styrofoam block to form the cavity. Cutting Styrofoam cleanly is not easy. I did some looking around in YouTube and found some amazing videos by folks who make parts for model airplanes and rockets using hot wire cutters. Based on a few designs I saw, I made a hot wire cutter with a few modifications of my own. It does indeed cut like a hot knife through butter!

This one will also cut 45 degree angles and should make it through 3 inch thick foam no problem. For now, I am using a 12 Volt 1 Amp power supply and a 15 gauge guitar string for the wire. The wire gets to just over 600 degrees which is needed to cut the Styrofoam. I will soon be switching to a 5 Volt 25 Amp computer power supply and Nichrome wire (Bare Nickel Chromium Resistance Wire) which will give me more consistent heat and somewhere in the neighborhood of 730 degrees.

Introducing – My Styrofoam Hot Wire Cutter. Wait till you see my next concrete pours! I can now get REALLY creative with foam cavities!

Introducing – My Styrofoam Hot Wire Cutter.

Now that’s a straight cut!

Cutting angles by tilting the arm that holds the wire.

What’s this you ask? This will be used for a water feature – which I will show you in the next post in this series very soon. This was my first attempt at a cut. The next ones will be even better as I learned quite a bit doing this one.

If you find this interesting and want to build one for yourself, be sure to check out this video: 
How to make a Hot Wire Cutter for foam or polystyrene

Also … as I was looking around for ways to sand foam and especially for ways to fill in little indentations (concrete translates the smallest of indents), I came across an AMAZING article written by David Neat called Shaping Styrofoam. You really need to check out his work!

Read more in this series:

Part 5 – Concrete Creations: Christmas Presents!

Part 7 – Concrete Creations: Water Features Ideas!

Photo Credits

All photos by Gil Namur – All Rights Reserved

Here’s what I made and how…

4-Candle Concrete Tea Light Holders

I had made some simple tea light holders which I showed you in part 3 of this series.  I wanted to make something a little more elegant.  I made 4 of these.

4-candle concrete tea light holder

To make these, I used the configurable mold and four 2-inch round anti-vibration pads I purchased from Princess Auto.  They sell them in bags of 4 for around $15.00.  Here is a picture of how I did it.  The picture shows the set up with only 2 sides of the configurable mold in place.  The pads are passed through 4 holes in the silicone rubber sheet and plywood then bolted down tight.  Just add the other 2 sides, clamp them down (as per Concrete Creations: A Configurable Mold) and you are ready to go!

Tea Light Mold

Here is a picture of the anti-vibration pads.  They come with a stud, a nut and a lock washer.  Just remember to spray a bit of release agent on the pads.  They come out pretty easy with a bit of jiggling/rocking.

2-inch round anti-vibration pad

Concrete Flower Floater

I made this one for Collie…my wife!  I used a large glass gardening bowl that I purchased from Michaels.  It is meant to be filled with water to float large flowers, like Camellias.  This one was a bit tricky because I needed to press the glass bowl tight to the silicone sheet, but I came up with a solution that worked very well.  If you are wondering how big this is, it is 9 inches square, 4 inches tall and the hole is 6 inches across.

Concrete flower floater with glass dish inset

Alas, I did not take pictures of the mold for this.  However, the image below should help you understand how I did it.  The white bowl substitutes for the glass bowl.  I made a clamp with a bolt through the middle that presses the bowl down tight to the silicone sheet.  The bolt has a piece of plastic tubing around it so it will easily pull out of the cured concrete, otherwise the threads would get stuck in there.  The green masking tape is placed around the tube for a pouring reference.  In this case, the bottom thickness is 1/2 an inch.  Again, I am only showing 2 sides of the configurable mold so you get a good look at how this comes together.  Just add the other 2 sides, clamp it down and pour your concrete.

Mold for concrete floater and candle

Square Candle Holders / Flower Floaters

Using the same technique as the flower floater, I made a few square candle holders.  The candles (which also came from Michaels) are in glass jars and are pressed down into the silicone sheet the same way as shown above.  When the candles have been used up, you could pour a new candle into the glass jar or clean it out and use it as a smaller floater.  One tip if you decide to try this…the concrete gets pretty hot as it cures and will melt the sides of the candle just enough that the candle will slip down onto the silicone.  So, when you take it apart, flip the whole thing upside down first so the candle does not pop out and make a mess.  You can then gently press the candle back down into the glass container.

Here is a picture of the type of candle I used.

At the time of writing this, I did not have a picture of the finished product, as I did not take one.  But, I will go visit the friend I gave one to and take a pic and then add it in here when I have it.

Snowman Fridge Magnets and Ornaments

While shopping at Home Hardware, I happened upon a really cool silicone mold for making snowman ice-cubes. It was only $5.00 and I just HAD to have it. 

Snowman silicone mold

 Here is what comes out of that mold…little concrete snowmen!

Little concrete snowmen

I made 8 fridge magnets by gluing neodymium disc (super strong!) magnets onto the back of the snowmen.  I used PC-11 paste epoxy to glue the magnets to the concrete.  If you have never used PC-11, it is an amazing product!

Concrete snowman fridge magnet

For the tree ornaments, I bent little hooks and then glued 2 snowmen back to back.  Next time I do this, I think Colleen will be painting them up just a little bit to add a splash of color to them.

Making your own presents is very rewarding.  All of these gifts were well received and fun to make and give!

I hope this post will give you some ideas on different ways to use concrete.  If you make something, PLEASE come back and share it with us!

Next up, in part 6, I will write about my configurable pillar mold!  See you then

Read more in this series:

Part 4 – Concrete Creations: A Configurable Mold!

Part 6 – Concrete Creations: Making Styrofoam Cavities

Photo Credits

All photos by Gil Namur – All Rights Reserved

“While the mold for the bonsai pot is not that hard to make, there is quite a bit of prep work (screwing and un-screwing, caulking, gluing foam etc.) and as it is made of melamine (MDF) I know it won’t last long. Maybe two or three uses maximum, then I need to make a new one. And, for every shape you want to make, you need to create a new mold. There must be a better way … and there is … and yes … I will share that too!”

As promised, what follows is the solution I came up with. A configurable mold! Here is an example of what I have been able to build using it.

Rectangular Concrete Pot

I have taken a lot of pictures to illustrate how it works. I hope they will be of benefit to you if you want to build concrete pots or concrete troughs. I have captioned all of the images so you can read this as a slide show if you like. Just click on the image below and use the pause button which you will see at the top right of the image.

The mold consists of 4 L-shaped pieces made from plywood and covered with a smooth laminate. These can be slid into any number of square or rectangular shapes limited only by the length of the pieces.

Once you have the shape you want, you simply clamp the pieces together like this.The stronger the clamps, the better the seal you will get where they join.

First Pot!

My first use of this mold was to make a square(ish) pot with no drainage holes that could be used to float flowers.

Here is an example of the mold which is clamped down to the silicone cookie sheet. In this image you can see the concrete has been poured into the mold. A block of foam (not shown) will act as the cavity. This is better illustrated in the next section, on a trough I built.

Once the concrete has set, simply un-clamp the sides to free the concrete from the mold. You can see that there is a tiny bit of leaking on the bottom edge of the mold (on the silicone sheet) but this is paper thin and easily removed with an Exacto knife.

Here is a close-up of the leaking. As I say, it’s paper thin and does not cause any problems.

Here is the piece flipped over, revealing the foam block and the 2 screws which held it down through the silicone cookie sheet.

In this picture, the foam block has been cut away and the edges ‘gently’ sanded to remove the burs. The inside will also get a gentle sanding to remove the blue foam residue.

Here is that same pot, filled with water and floating some camelias.

A Trough

My second pour was to make a rectangular trough, again with no holes and thinner walls. This one was built as a gift for my daughters friend, Jess and she gave me the dimensions she wanted.

Again, the mold is clamped together and clamped down, and this time you can see the foam block which will form the cavity.

After the concrete has set, the mold is un-clamped. Again, you can see a bit of leaking, but as before, it’s paper thin.

Flipped over to reveal the foam, which will be removed.

The finished product. Jess is quite happy with it!

A Bonsai Pot

My third use of the mold was to make a bonsai pot. It’s very similar to the ones I made in part 1 and part 2 but as you will see, it is greatly refined. This piece was built as a gift for my daughter Robin and to her specifications. One major difference with this one is that rather than using foam for the cavity, I used a block of wood which was made by laminating 2 old pieces of oak and then asking my most excellent friend Garry C. to cut it and plane it in his workshop. I then gave it four coats of paint. Also, because this pot needs drainage holes and feet, a few more bits and pieces are required.

Here are the parts I used: 2 plastic chair leg caps, 2 washers, 2 bolts, 2 wing nuts, the wood plug that Garry made and a piece of wood with the corners cut off to form the feet.

Here is a view of the whole thing assembled and bolted down through the silicone cookie sheet and the plywood below.

A view from the side. You can see the plastic leg caps between the plug and the top. The edge of the top piece has 2 wraps of electrician’s tape to protect the edge and also to help form a tighter seal inside the configurable mold.

The configurable mold has now been placed around it, clamped together and clamped down to the silicone cookie sheet. Note that I used different clamps this time to clamp it down. These clamps worked really well for this pot! NOTE: The concrete will be poured through the triangular holes on the corners.

As you can see, the pour was a bit messy! Here, 2 of the sides are removed to expose the freshly born pot.

Flipped over to reveal the wood plug and the bolts that held it down. Note the paper-thin leak on the right edge of the electrical tape. Again, this just gets nipped off with an Exacto knife.

Here is the pot with the plug and top piece (well I guess it was actually the bottom piece) removed. It just needs a very gentle sanding.

And here is the finished product. Smooth as silk… well, almost!

I am very happy with the performance of the configurable mold and the pots that have come out of it.

What’s next?

I will be building another pot just like the bonsai pot above for my niece Sarah. Then, I will be trying out some different shapes using a new batch of ‘tan’ colored Kast Krete. As well, the lads at Starpatch Concrete Products sent me a waterproofing additive to try out. I am also designing an indoor fountain and then want to build a large outdoor fountain/bird bath. And, some table lamps!

Once I have made these,  I will write a follow-up post with some images and share any other tricks I learn along the way. There are still a few refinements I want to make to the whole process

I hope that you have enjoyed this series of posts. If you make something, PLEASE pop by and share it with us. I’d love to see what you come up with!

Read more in this series:

Part 3 – Concrete Creations: upside-down or right-side-up?

Part 5 – Concrete Creations: Christmas Presents!

Photo Credits

All photos by Gil Namur – All Rights Reserved

What I learned from watching this video was that he pours upside-down. As an experiment, I decided to take one of my Tupperware containers and modify it so I could make a tea light. Here is the finished product. The top, while bubbly (more on that later) is smooth and required no sanding. The bottom required a light sanding  but no one sees the bottom of pots, or tea lights, so that really does not matter.

Here is how I did it. I used an IKEA container, some plastic tea light candle shells and some nuts, washers and bolts.

I drilled holes in the top of the container and also through the plastic shells then bolted that all together like this.

Next I cut a hole in the bottom of the container and then snapped the lid back on like this.

I applied a release agent (mineral oil) to all the surfaces and then poured the concrete into the mold. When it was cured, I removed it all from the mold, gave the bottom a light sanding and placed some candles in the holes. Here is another image of the finished product.

Not bad for an experiment! The groove around the top is formed by the connecting point of the lid and the bottom of the mold. While it’s interesting, I wanted to try again and end up with a smooth side wall. How to do it?

I decided to try a silicone cookie sheet. Yep … you read that right. I used the same bits and pieces and the bottom part of the IKEA container and a piece of plywood. I drilled holes in the plywood and into the silicone cookie sheet.

I then threaded the plastic shells through the cookie sheet and plywood. Then I used the wing nuts to tighten them down to the cookie sheet … like this. This makes for a very tight fit that the concrete can not penetrate.

The bottom of the container was then centered over the 3 plastic shells and clamped down using a clamp I created out of some scraps of oak, a few bolts and more wing-nuts. Here is what that looks like.

The concrete is then poured into the mold and allowed to set.

Here is the final product. Smooth walls and top … but still bubbles, which it turns out, folks like anyway! LOL 

Here is a side-by-side of the first and second attempts.

Having completed this test, I decided to try using this idea to create the same concrete pot I showed you in the previous post. I used the same IKEA containers that I used to create that pot. This time, the smaller one was bolted through the silicon and plywood and the larger one placed on top and clamped down (basically, the same as the tea lights shown above).

Here is the result:Lovely, if I may say so myself! Note the smooth edges, walls and lack of bubbles.

Getting rid of the bubbles was simple enough. I mixed the concrete, and then before I poured it I tapped the bucket on the floor about 20 times, then tapped the sides of the bucket. I then let it sit for about 3 minutes. You can see the air releasing from the surface when you do this. After I poured it, I tapped away on the sides of the mold and also used a rubber mallet to tap on the plywood all around the mold. Lots of air bubbles were released. A simpler way would be to buy a concrete vibrator.

What I learned and what I want to learn

• Silicone sheets are a great solution and lend themselves to all types of molds.
• Spend a bit more time on the mix and tapping to get rid of air bubbles.
• Tupperware and IKEA containers are very, very versatile.

For example, meet Ying and Yang! Solid domes. Paperweights? A bubbler for an indoor water feature (if they had a hole through the center)?  They are quite zen, actually. Folks love to touch them! I’m NOT making that up either …

What’s next?

In the next post, I will show you the next version of my mold, which produces some beautiful rectangular concrete pots. See you then!

Read more in this series:

Part 2 – Concrete Creations: A Thinner Mix

Part 4 – Concrete Creations: A Configurable Mold!

Photo Credits

All photos by Gil Namur – All Rights Reserved