Concrete Lighting

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Concrete-lighting/

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Concrete lightingby mkcflusa on June 4, 2012

Table of Contents

Concrete lighting ..............................................................................................................

Intro: Concrete lighting ......................................................................................................

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Intro: Concrete lightingConcrete is a really cool material to work with and it is not very complicated if you are well prepared.

Design:

- I designed the light in SketchUp. This way it gives you a great idea of how it looks in 3D. It is important that it is possible to get the shape out of the mold you make. the more advanced a your design, the harder it can be to get it out of the mold undamaged. Also, think about the weight. You want to use as little concrete as possiblebut the thinner you go, the harder it is to make the mold. I would not suggest going under 1-1/2" in wall thickness.

- I printed the drawing out with measurements and got started on making the mold from plywood and 2x4's.

The mold was made so almost all parts and sides could be taken apart.

Varnish/lacquer:

- Then all the parts were given a few thick coats of varnish/lacquer. This gives a smooth surface that can handle the water and one that will protect the mold.

Wiring and Inner mold:

It is important to plan for the wiring.

There are several ways of running the wire and below, I try to explain various ways which can be combined to suit your design. For this lamp design, I have done it twdifferent ways. The first time, I used 2" PVC pipe from the bulb area leading into a 6" pipe for the main cavity area. The second time, I used Styrofoam from bulb arealeading into a tapered Cardboard box which is explained below. Using the Cardboard box, I was able to create a larger cavity and use a little less concrete, but both wworked fine.

Styrofoam: You can use Styrofoam in places where you want the cavities. Cut the Styrofoam to the shape you need to feed the wire and install the bulb. Where needethe Styrofoam can be hot-melt glued to the mold to hold it in place, as it will break free easily once the concrete has cured. However in some areas, you have to put thStyrofoam in as you pour in the concrete and hold it down so it stays in place. You also have to keep in mind that you have to pick the Styrofoam piece by piece to geout which can take some time or use Acetone as suggested in comments.

Inner mold: (see photo #8) You can make an inner mold to make the lamp more hollow and weigh less. However it is challenging to make an even wall thickness andgoing under 1-1/2" might be risky. Working with both an inner and outer mold is more demanding and probably not something you want to try the very first time.The ideal shape for an inner mold is tapered, so it is possible to pull i t out once the concrete has cured. A simple way to do it, is to make one from Cardboard and covwith duct-tape. Because of the low weight the concrete will push the Cardboard box up as you fill the mold with concrete. It is therefore a good idea to put a contractobag inside the box and gradually fill it with sand as you pour the concrete. This way the box will stay in place. Keep in mind where you want the passages inside thelamp. The inner mold box needs to touch your conduit or Styrofoam pieces that leads to the bulb.

PVC: You can use PVC pipe as conduit for the wire and cast around the pipe. This is an easy way to do it, but it depends on the design. Also keep in mind that you wmore than likely not be able to get the PVC out again.

Cast wire: The easiest way to do it is to cast the wire into the concrete. You will not be able to change the wire, but it is pretty well protected. Again, it's a matter ofpreference, design and weight.

Mold prep-release:

Before you pour concrete you need to coat all the mold sides. You can use pretty much any type of oil.

Concrete and pouring:

-I have used Sakrete and QuikCrete with equal results. For my light, I used about 1 x 80lbs bag. A cement mixer is really convenient and it allows you to get the rightconsistency. You want the mix to be medium, not too wet and not too dry. It all depends on how advanced the mold is. the more complicated the wetter you want it.

- Make sure to go slow when you start to pour the concrete. Use a small bucket or similar. Use your hands to tap and move the concrete around to make sure it gets athe way out in the corners. Also, if you need to use Styrofoam, make sure it stays in the place you want it to when you pour.

-As you work your way up with the concrete use a Oscillating sander or similar, to vibrate the concrete. The vibration makes the concrete move and helps filling invoids/air pockets that might be trapped. You might notice that the concrete sinks a bit, which is a sign that a void was filled up.

-When the mold is filled up, put a piece of plastic to cover it up for a day. You want the concrete to cure slowly, the stronger it gets. I usually try to leave the mold on fo3 days before trying to take i t off.

De-molding:

-It is exciting, but go slow. Try to start with the simplest sides first. Back sides or flat surface sides. This will give you an idea of how the concrete has cured. Maybe yo

need to let it cure a bit longer. It will be easy to tell.

- Some sides might need some more force, so have a rubber mallet handy and tap lightly to get the sides to release.

- The Styrofoam can be taken out by breaking it apart using a screwdriver or similar. If you are adventurous you might be able to burn it.

- The concrete is still wet, so you can let it dry some more or get started on installing a bulb or run the wiring.

Good luck!


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Comments

25 comments Add Comment

hannahchristie says: Mar 6, 2013. 4:09 PM REPAs a professional lighting designer i say well done! That's a very attractive looking bollard youve designed there!

glassnblr says: Oct 28, 2012. 7:34 PM REPI have used clear plastic tubing in the concrete pour to run wire.You can usually pull the tubing out of the set concrete to reuse for your next project.Alsofound an easy way to run your wire through bends and turns.Tie one end of a string to the wire you want to pull,stuff the rest of string into the little tunnel anput a shop vac over the opening and blow the string through.Grab the string and pull and there is your wire.
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oviraptor says: Aug 26, 2012. 1:43 PM REPGoggle Sketchup, just goggle it, it is free.

fuddle says: Jun 18, 2012. 11:31 AM REPPLEASE DO NOT USE OIL! This is a terrible idea- it will ruin your molds and damage your casts.Use TALCUM POWDER! This is common for industrial metal foundries and pre-cast concrete manufacturers.See it in use here:MyFordBoy Metalcasting:youtube(dot)com/watch?v=ZwceOhq0uDs.

fuddle

says: Jul 31, 2012. 6:37 AM REP

Some other talc alternatives:bentonite clayground roofing tiles (terracota)soapbeeswax

lonepiper says: Jun 29, 2012. 10:57 PM REPI was wondering of the Sketchup file is available anyplace.

expatty says: Jun 23, 2012. 6:38 AM REPReally cool, I used to work with ferro-cement years ago and have been thinking about getting back in to it.

We used to play about with the finishings quite a bit. One of them was to make up a fairly watery sand/cement mix, get a car sponge and wash the surfaceafter it comes out of the mould the little surface holes are filled and it makes a lovely smooth surface.

greygoose says: Jun 14, 2012. 12:33 AM REPcheck this :http://www.viabizzuno.com/index.php?page=prodotto&CampoMercato=Mercato230&idGruppo=781

iOskr says: Jun 12, 2012. 1:43 PM REPAwesome!!!

Slabysz says: Jun 11, 2012. 7:17 AM REPI could be wrong, but I was told that wires should be sealed in concrete. It will dissolve the insulation. Not a big deal in low volt., but I'd be inclined to usePVC conduit anyhow.

mart! says: Jun 11, 2012. 6:17 AM REPGreat design!!!when i did concrete countertops, i used an old electric motor screwed underneath my work table. i replaced the little grub screw holding the pulley on themotor's shaft with a much longer bolt which it made it off-center - the entire thing shake like crazy when turned on. i'd just turn it on for about a minute(depending on thinkness of pour etc) to vibrate the concrete and it worked perfectly.

just make sure your table is strong enough :D

bstott says: Jun 10, 2012. 2:17 PM REPThe styrofoam may be remove with a power washer? I do not remember: lacquer thinner may dissolve it?

mnpazan says: Jun 10, 2012. 8:36 PM REPYes, lacquer thinner will dissolve it. If the styrofoam is smooth enough though it might just peel off. It should if it's been cut with a hot tool instead oftorn/crumbled/sawn/rasped. The plastic itself won't bond with concrete, but if the foam is porous or if it has lots of crannies (like torn bead foam) thatmight lock it in place mechanically.

I suspect a power washer wouldn't work too well.

The fun part of using solvents (acetone or lacquer thinner) is that it'l slurry/liquefy the foam then evaporate, leaving a thin film of polystyrene plastic onthe concrete, possibly even impregnating and sealing the surface. Dunno weather that would be desirable though, or if so how good i t would be longterm.

samchamb says: Jun 10, 2012. 9:08 AM REPvery nice , I am a big fan of down lighting for out side use . As the light is diffuse and low down so cuts down on light pollution . A lot of out side lighting is svery badly designed and leaves you starring at the source and casts lots of shadows . I use small led fittings and cut them in to switch and junction boxes .I will try the above design on my next lamp .
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solserenade says: Jun 10, 2012. 5:32 PM REPIndeed! Thank you for promoting an "anti-light pollution" idea! Very attractive, and practical; Nice job.

Fik says: Jun 10, 2012. 2:08 PM REPThis goes riht now to my future house /Ideas folder

crowsfromgod says: Jun 10, 2012. 11:30 AM REPVery cool design!! Very minimal/modern, and well thought out in regards to fabrication and molds. The cavity provides a nice area to stub up conduit or

junction wires.

This is one the best DIY light fixtures I've ever seen.

kreak403 says: Jun 10, 2012. 9:52 AM REPSimple, yet effective. Very nice! I will be visiting this ible again.

nygma2004 says: Jun 6, 2012. 6:28 AM REPVery nice. I like the design and the use of material. Would you share the SketchUp here or in a PM?

bpfh says: Jun 6, 2012. 4:45 AM REPUse acetone to remove the polystyrene. It just melts away and removes the stuff from all the nooks and crannies, whatever the shape of your polystyrenefiller - if it gets touched by acetone, it will dissove into a tiny amount of plastic sludge !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KkYjRk4qcU

EhBmicrobio says: Jun 5, 2012. 11:56 PM REPvery nice

Creativeman says: Jun 5, 2012. 4:16 PM REPOutstanding! Would like more details re: use of styrofoam, is the light hollow all the way up or only in the bottom portion, and what type of light is that? Howis it secured in the final form? Thanks for posting.

strange_f says: Jun 3, 2012. 11:08 PM REPLove it.

Gravity Boy says: Jun 3, 2012. 10:19 PM REPVery nice lighting effect and well done instructable. I can only imagine the delight of such a wonderfully executed design and build when you switched it oneven liked the photography in your instructable, nice work.

technosasquatch says: Jun 3, 2012. 8:22 PM REPcool light
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