This is for the weekend warriors

To all weekend warriors out there

To best serve you, we have some general and simple instructions on preparing your molds for casting and finishing your bricks. Remember the possibilities are endless. We suggest to none-business owners, you should purchase at least five molds; this will limit your casting to two castings of five per circle. For a small business we suggest a at least 20 molds per type and diameter.

Preparing your molds

For first use, we suggest spraying a light mist of vegetable oil in each mold. For second use, wash thoroughly let dry, then mist with oil.

Preparing to cast your brick

To cast ten bricks, in a plastic trough, mix one 80lb bag of ready mix concrete.

Add water as you turn over the mix until pliable, final mix should not be poured but troweled or scooped out, (too much water will result in a weak brick).

For additional strength, we recommend adding two cups of High Strength Portland Cement to each 80lb bag of ready mix concrete.

Scoop your mix into the mold then shake gently from side to side taping the mold with a rubber mallet as much as you can. The shaking and taping is to limit air bubbles from forming on the finish side of the brick.

To ensure consistent brick height, fill each mold to the same level on a level surface. Let cure minimum 24 hours before demolding.

Please remember, concrete don't dry to become solid, it is a chemical process activated by water and require a minimum of 7-28 days to fully cure.

De-mold 24 hours later

Now you're ready to de-mold, in an area level and flat pick up the mold at the extended interlocking key side. Shake gently then drag laterally and upwards to the key side as the brick emerge. There! The birth of your first brick.

Prepare to Dress or Finish    

The following set of instructions is to achieve the antique finish as shown in our gallery, but remember the possibilities are endless.

After seven days your brick should be dry and slightly dusty to the touch, this is good and means your brick is ready to be dress. With a dry, cheap four inch paint brush dust off your creation.

Next, paint the entire brick white, let dry.

Spray a semi-transparent concrete glaze on the entire surface, let set for about a minute then with a dry rag wipe the glaze off the raised surfaces leaving the glaze only in the grooves.

Let dry specific to the glaze you chose.

After the glaze is completely dry, you now need to seal your piece of art with an exterior sealant for concrete, let dry for 24 hours.
These molds are made from strong flexible plastic and with proper cleaning and care can easily recover its cost. Remember these molds will degrade faster if stored in the sun, after casting, please, wash thoroughly then store in a dark dry place.

That's it, you're done!!!.

After you have cast and dressed ten bricks, go see how easy it is to install at this link .

Check out my latest design of a DIY CNC Using Autodesk Fusion 360, at the link below

https://gallery.autodesk.com/fusion360/projects/four-axes-cnc-and-table

Thank You for reading through this, for professional instruction on antiquing or faux painting please refer to the web.