Post by matt on Oct 10, 2020 21:56:22 GMT
No worries Neil, but molds are in a bit of a mess now!
Go back to page 2 of this thread to see a simpler mold for a single hole box. Below is the three hole box, which involved quite a bit more farting around (to put it mildly). The basic principle is to have a section of drain pipe (110mm diameter) in the middle of a wooden box, with the entrance hole formed by drilling a hole in the drainpipe and the box, and connecting with an appropriate sized plastic tube. I had some 28mm plastic tubes handy, but also have noticed a few other things come in a good size - e.g. Berocca vitamin tablets. I also wrapped the drainpipe in thick carboard (from a cardboard box), to make the cavity a little wider, and to make removing the pipe easier at the end. I used foam board to cap off the pipe (heavily taped to keep concrete out) and pour the box upside down, with an inch or so of concrete over the top/(bottom) of the capped pipe, which you can then smooth quite nicely. To get the box out of the mold, you then unscrew the top piece of wood (which was the bottom during the pour), slide out the drain pipe and unscrew the sides to release. Note that before pouring the concrete I sealed all edges with silicon and oiled everything (just vegetable oil). Came out easily enough. If that all sounds like a massive faff, that is because it is!
The 3 hole mold without the pipe or one of the mold sides:
3 hole mold with pipe. Note that the pipe is turned around so you can see the way the holes are drilled. It would be facing the other way, with 3x plastic pipes all connecting to the holes you see in the mold.
For your application a one hole mold would be much easier, especially if you need to make a lot of them!
I would recommend reading up on concrete mixing etc and practicing a bit. Don't use too much water, and vibrate or hit with a rubber mallet as you go - you'll still end up with bubbles on the surface but I don't think they are a big issue.
Here's the single hole mold from page 2. This is ready for concrete - hope this makes the explanation above a little clearer. 3 hole mold is basically a more complicated version of this. You'll have to decide how you want to make the lids. I inset the top sides of my boxes by about 1/2", and have made some 1/2" ply lids that fit snugly on top with cameras in - will post some pics of this when they are done.
Good luck!
Go back to page 2 of this thread to see a simpler mold for a single hole box. Below is the three hole box, which involved quite a bit more farting around (to put it mildly). The basic principle is to have a section of drain pipe (110mm diameter) in the middle of a wooden box, with the entrance hole formed by drilling a hole in the drainpipe and the box, and connecting with an appropriate sized plastic tube. I had some 28mm plastic tubes handy, but also have noticed a few other things come in a good size - e.g. Berocca vitamin tablets. I also wrapped the drainpipe in thick carboard (from a cardboard box), to make the cavity a little wider, and to make removing the pipe easier at the end. I used foam board to cap off the pipe (heavily taped to keep concrete out) and pour the box upside down, with an inch or so of concrete over the top/(bottom) of the capped pipe, which you can then smooth quite nicely. To get the box out of the mold, you then unscrew the top piece of wood (which was the bottom during the pour), slide out the drain pipe and unscrew the sides to release. Note that before pouring the concrete I sealed all edges with silicon and oiled everything (just vegetable oil). Came out easily enough. If that all sounds like a massive faff, that is because it is!
The 3 hole mold without the pipe or one of the mold sides:
3 hole mold with pipe. Note that the pipe is turned around so you can see the way the holes are drilled. It would be facing the other way, with 3x plastic pipes all connecting to the holes you see in the mold.
For your application a one hole mold would be much easier, especially if you need to make a lot of them!
I would recommend reading up on concrete mixing etc and practicing a bit. Don't use too much water, and vibrate or hit with a rubber mallet as you go - you'll still end up with bubbles on the surface but I don't think they are a big issue.
Here's the single hole mold from page 2. This is ready for concrete - hope this makes the explanation above a little clearer. 3 hole mold is basically a more complicated version of this. You'll have to decide how you want to make the lids. I inset the top sides of my boxes by about 1/2", and have made some 1/2" ply lids that fit snugly on top with cameras in - will post some pics of this when they are done.
Good luck!