At the end of part 1 of this series, I mentioned:

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Recent Gil Namur Articles: