Another interesting sculpture! Love it! I like the weight of it ...& the natural feel ... beads??? What do you do with beads? TFS! Jeanne S.

I'm wondering the same thing...beads? I like the look and feel of the whole thing, but I'm confused I think. Did you make the concrete shapes for this yourself??

I love it!

I think that the "beads" are individual casts from several molds. They look to me like a bundt cake pan and a jello mold. Can't quite figure some of them out but I be they are all rings that are "strung" on a central post for stability. What a fabulous idea!

Show us more NMgirl!

~~Mimi

Looks great! I hope if you are going higher with it that it has a center "pole" Otherwise whole thing could go over if kid ran bike into it or you have a NM earthquake....well you could!! Better safe than sorry especially if GKs come around, or neighbor kids!! Jan

Princess mimi is right.
I used a plastic bundt cake mold, I think it's meant for the microwave, a Tupperware jello mold, a deviled egg tray from Dollar Tree and the bottom of several take-out dishes. I know one of them is a Wendy's salad bowl. The roundish top piece was molded in the top of a pie cover. My Dad has a weakness for coconut meringue pie and every so often he'll bring one home form the grocery. He saved the top, said it looked like something I'd put concrete in just to see what I'd get. He was right. I have a stash of plastic to-go containers and covers that are just waiting to be used. BTW, sheet cake covers make great rectangular stepping stone molds. I've made a couple, I'll take photos and post.
There is a hefty piece of rebar going up the center.
I called them "beads" 'cuz I didn't know what else to call them. From a distance they have a beadlike look, to me anyway.

So, do you just make each mold with regular concrete mix?

Fantastic! What do you use to put them all together?

Looks great. I too am wondering......plain concrete mix or do you add perilite to make it lighter weight? Real creative to use those disposable containers.

VERY neat idea. It looks like a Concrete Totem! I love it. Thanks for all the tips on things to use for molds!

hugs, Karen

Too cold, huh? We're expecting up to 20 inches of snow by Wednesday. I recognized those deli tray lids right away! I have some in my stash too. My thought was to make stepping stones with fancy edges. I would then put them in the garden on top of my mulch. I love your concrete bead pole idea. Are they going to be colored or natural concrete gray?
Jeanne in the snowy midwest

I use plain old mortar mix, the same stuff I use to make my "millstones". I don't use concrete mix, the aggregate is too large.
I didn't add perlite. I wanted the pieces heavy because they are dry stacked, all that's holding them together is gravity and inertia. I also don't want them stuck together in case I want to move the pile or rearrange the pieces.
I did hammer a 4' length of rebar into the ground, it goes up the center of the pieces. I drilled a hole in the ones that needed it.
I'm leaving them the natural grey concrete color. I prefer it, I think the shape and texture show up better.
Concrete totem? I like that!

Those are great beads! I'm planning to make a concrete totem this year...unfortunately it is too cold right now and I'll have to wait a few MONTHS to get at it, dangit! Thanks for giving me some inspiration for the molds - I had a few already, but you gave me ideas for more :)

nmgirl...when you're pouring the pcs, do you put something down the middle to make a hole...I see you said you drilled some of them. DH & I poured some mushrooms today (in basement)...blizzard watch tonight & tomorrow & night...& also my "face rock." This Concrete Totem is a great idea! Love it! Jeanne S. (in the snowy midwest, too!) LOL!

I have piled up some of my pieces, but not so tall and I LOVE the pot on top. I have all the same molds, right down to the pie cover, tho I think mine was covering something else. The way that you repeated and combined is very artistic.
Kathy

I found this pic in my photobucket from this summer.
I'm going to try to stack them higher next summer. I think its so funny we both have the deli container as a mold.
Kathy
{{gwi:130420}}

Oooo, love it concretenprimroses!
Were these all made with plastic molds? Ah no, I see a little aluminum one in the background. I have the dickens of a time getting metal molds to release and that's with using mold release! How do you do it or is it a secret?

I'm off today to hunt for molds now!!!hee ho!

Plastic does release better. I spray the molds with Pam just before I put in the concrete.
Petroleum jelly is messy but it definitely works with metal molds. I used it the first time I ever did concrete in molds, and those particular molds are still greasy from it years later. Pam is so much easier. I get it at the discount store when I see it.
I have a couple of molds that have concrete permanently in them tho, lol.
Here is what is currently buried in one of my gardens. I didn't make the little bird, but I like it so much that I'd like to buy a mold to make them.
Kathy

{{gwi:130421}}

Very nice, I like the little birdie too. Have you ever tried molding concrete in one of those new silicone cake molds? They should release like a dream but they're so flimsy I wonder is they'd distort? You can find some neat designs in that stuff and they'd probably last quite awhile.
Re: molds with concrete
I have a few of those myself, they make great gate props.

With those silicone molds, what about using spray foam to build a supporting layer for them...a nice rigid support?

Wow Kathy, you have some cool molds! I love the two back to back on your bird totem that that form a flower petal ball...what was the mold for that??
nmgirl, I think with the flimsy silicone molds you could also surround them with damp sand to give some support.
You guys have me excited for spring so I can play with concrete again!!

The chrysanthemum shape is a metal cake mold a friend gave me for my birthday (for cement - she got us each one on sale somewhere). I love it. I'd like another cuz it takes a long time when I can only make one each time I make stuff.
Kathy

Very cool! I've always stayed away from using metal as a mold because I read somewhere that even with a release agent it was impossible to get the concrete out. Guess I shouldn't believe everything I read :). Makes me sad to think how many awesome potential molds I've left behind at the TS because they were metal...I'll be snapping them up now! TFS!
Sheryll

Be aware that you might wind up with a lot of concrete filled metal molds! Even petroleum jelly doesn't always work.

One of the things that I do is de-mold the next day (24 hours later or less). I think my 2 stuck molds may have been left longer. We are also a relatively cool climate and I make them in the shade. I have a feeling that the quicker curing because of heat in some places may make the concrete morelikely to stick to metal molds.

The one exception is when I filled a plastic bird bath with concrete and left it in all winter, but that was plastic, and I had to cut the stem off anyway because of the shape.

Have fun.
Kathy

I try to de-mold within 24 hours too but sometimes it doesn't work. Oh well.
I was at the thrift store to day and found some nice metal molds and though I'd give them a try again. Also found a large silicone bundt cake mold and brought that home for experimentation.
Now if it would just warm up.

I'm eager to hear how the silicone mold works out.
Kathy

Very cool! Around these parts they consider those to be "totems." One artsy place where I have taken some mosaic classes does concrete totems with pieces threaded on rebar stuck in the ground. I have always wanted to try it. Now I just have to collect some of those silicone bundt pans. lol!

Hopwfully this will repost...I', wondering if you gals use Hypertufa? Works great and is light and weather proof. I use old cake pans, etc. for stepping stones.

I 'tufa but I don't use 'tufa for the "beads". It's too porous and rough and I want a smooth finish for this project. But it does work in molds, I might have to give it a try next year.

I am still collecting molds...sheesh, but will do this in the spring with the cement mixer(Oh ya!!!) I bought for this kinda fun!heh heh!