My stubborn sand packing habit led to a messy lesson

I always packed sand molds loose, thinking it was quicker. Then a big mold crumbled right before pour, and I lost a whole pattern. A foreman told me to take time and pack it firm. Tried his way and the difference is night and day. Maybe it's just me, but that mistake taught me a lot.

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewb398d ago

Oh man, my own lazy concrete mix taught me a similar lesson the hard way.

holly_webb8d ago

Wow, @matthewb39, I was totally the same. I used to just eyeball the sand and cement, thinking close enough was fine. A patio set of mine ended up with chunky gravel patches and a weird crumbly spot where I used too much water. That failure totally changed how I measure everything now.

barbara915d ago

From what I've seen, being a little off with the mix doesn't always ruin a project. For small jobs, eyeballing it might work out just fine. Your mileage may vary, of course.