Jump to content

What release agent for concrete mold?


Cliff

Recommended Posts

I'm finishing a wood mold for drain tiles.

 

I got this idea that the reason you gotta dig to the bottom and below of the foundation for whatever building you are trying to protect from flooding is simply because if you don't then you won't trap more than a small percentage of the water.

 

Digging that deep is a problem because I can't then drain the water off without undertaking a huge trenching project and That's not an option. It is just me and my shovel.

 

So to get around that I figure that something like this outta' do it

 

 

ning-draintile-3216-1.jpg?width=750

The mold for that is almost 2 feet across the top and the tiles will be 18" long. I'll bed them in rubber tire mulch to prevent frost heaving from being an issue, mortar them together, bury them so the tops are about 5" under the surface, and mulch over top with rubber tire mulch.

 

My thinking is that they will be wide enough to trap the roof run off and that's all the water I'm concerned about. Precipitation is not my problem until the roof's magnify it and dump it where it enters the building.

 

So I'm at that point where I'm thinking about what to do to ensure the mold is releasing easy enough that I don't wreck the one mold I have before I'm done making all the tiles I'll need.

 

Some of you might recall my prior trenching project. It worked but only so so. I got water in the house but last few rainstorms dumped as much as 6" of water in a couple days one storm lasted a whole 24 hours and dumped 4". My trench worked, but I suspect that much of what I trapped, was the result of a poly liner in my trench and I know that won't last long.

 

EREGO it's try try again.

 

So to the assembled brainiac trust I pose the question:

 

What is a good mold release for concrete molding in wood forms?

 

Things that have occurred to me are:

 

BLO.

 

Motor Oil

 

Exterior gloss paint and paste wax

 

I'm kind of leaning toward motor oil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Half used Transmission fluid, half used oil. About equal parts, applied either as a spray, or just an old paint roller and a 5 gal. bucket.

BTDT, had a jacket that reeked of the stuff. Took awhile to getting used to the smell of Form Oil in the morning. Back then, it was also the smell of MONEY! Over six years as a concrete form carpenter....

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been doing this sort of thing for a long time and don't trust oils anymore, what I do is use duct tape and plastic.
It's cheap and easy.

As for just the shovel and you, I just finished a foundation job, part of it 9 feet deep, just a shovel and me.


Besides my primitive woodworking people refer to me as a Rock Monster. Really enjoy working with rock and wood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the subject of form oil: do NOT get any on whatever steel is in the form, like rebar. Oil up a side of the form, add the bars, and then add the other side, already oiled up. 

Small forms to medium forms.....Use a palm sander on the outside of the forms, to vibrate any air pockets out of the mix. One could just use a hammer, but it hard on the forms. 

 

Used to place about 75' to 100' a day. whether it was 3' high frost walls, or 10' tall walls. Still had to hit the footage that day.

 

Sidney, Ohio has a new Middle School building near the Shelby County Fair grounds. About a third of the foundation work was mine.

 

Done a few "roadways" too. Ever hear of "Tilt up Wall"? We'd pour a flat slab first, form up for the walls by laying the walls on the slab( any saw cuts in the slab need filled) place one layer, add blue foam boards on top of the concrete layer. Pins through the foam boards were to lock the next layer in place. More rebar, some lift fittings, and place the inside of the wall pour. Wait a week or two, 300 Ton crane to lift the walls off the slab, and stand them up on the foundation. iron-workers were there to bolt the walls to the gray iron framework. The one up at Kalida, OH I worked on, twice. They liked it so well, we had to come back and expand the site by 150' out.

 

Maybe mark has seen a "Step Footer"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Used huh/  I got a gallon of used diesel oil from my wife's ancient Benz she had some years back. Stuff's filthy. Just been looking for the just perfect pristine body of fresh water surrounded by leftist greeniacks into which I might dump it, to sort of bring the cosmic karma back into balance.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...