Thursday, October 6, 2011

Making a profit by casting your own concrete statuary.

To start I need to admit to anyone reading this that I have never blogged before. In fact when it comes to computers and the internet as a whole I am not very educated.

However I do know a lot about the ornamental concrete business. I was raised in the family biz that was started in 1970. We manufactured concrete statuary on a large scale and sold it both wholesale and retail. During the 80's our business was actually one of the largest of it's kind in North America.

Of course over the years things changed as they always do. Family members moved away, some retired or became ill, and some went on to other business ventures. So the original family business was officially closed down in 2007.

However I still make a living doing the exact same thing, only now I do it from home with just my family instead of a large factory with employees. And I am here to say that you can do it too! In fact it is much easier than you might think.

My goal is to use this blog to pass on the info I have about casting concrete statuary. I have actually helped several people who had never made a statue before start their own small business. And while I admit that I still learn new tips or techniques to this day, I can help you learn a new hobby or possibly a new money making business through this blog.  So lets begin.

Getting Started
The first thing you need to do is get the few supplies that are required. I will go into more detail on each item later but for now here is a short list of what you will need. ( And please keep in mind that I am writing this assuming that you have never done this before.)

You will first need a space to work. A table in your garage or small workshed should suffice to begin. You will need an area that is indoors or free from the elements.

Next you will need molds from which to cast your statues. There are many kinds of molds available including rubber, aluminum, plastic, fiberglass and more. I prefer latex rubber molds  but each kind has positives. Keep in mind that the molds will be the main cost for you when starting out. Molds are not cheap, but you can find some deals if you look around. Auction site Ebay is a good place to start. I have actually been selling my own mold designs on Ebay for a few years and have also recently started selling them on Etsy.com If you want to check them out just look for my business name which is JRCMolddesigns.

Now you need to be able to mix your cement. You do NOT need a cement mixer for this, even if you are mixing a large amount of cement at a time. You simply need a large drill with a mixing paddle and either a large bucket or other large container to mix in.

Basic supplies to make your mix are portland cement which you can find at your local hardware stores. Then you will need sand and some gravel. Obviously it is cheaper to purchase sand and gravel by the truck load but if you are just getting started I suggest just buying it by the bag.

There are a few other small things you will need here and there which I will get to in later posts but the above is basically what you will need to get started.

In short, other than the molds themselves you can find everything you will need with a trip to Lowes or Home depot.

My next post will be about the differnt types of molds and what each ones pros and cons are. Check back for more.

Thanks, Paul

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