Concrete Lightbulb Wall Hook

Step 4 Start filling up the lightbulb with the mortar mix.

You are working on a time limit at this point as the mortar mix starts to set. If you can get it all done in thirty minutes or so it should be fine.

Put your lightbulb into a small plastic tub with the hole pointing upwards. When you are adding the mix there is always spillage and you don't want that all over your work area. I put a little bit of sand in the bottom so it will stay straight early on, once you add a few spoonfuls of the mortar mix it stands up straight on it's own.

Take a plastic spoon and scoop up a level amount of the wet mortar mix. Holding the end of the spoon over the hole in the lightbulb, use your finger on the other hand to push it down into the hole. Some will spill over the edges of the hole, that's ok. You made almost twice the volume of mortar mix as will go into the lightbulb.

After four or five spoonfuls into the lightbulb, you want to vibrate it so the mortar mix liquefies and spreads out evenly on the inside. Shake it back and forth to make it liquefy. If there is an air bubble visable on the side that just won't fill in no matter how you shake, tap it repeatedly with your fingertip. moves the the bubble up and the liquid towards the tapping.

Do these steps, a handful of scoops and then much shaking and taping to fill in the gaps and make it all liquid like until you reach half way up the neck of the bulb. At that point it's time to add the lag bolt.

Comments

[BrianJewett]

Instead of shaking it by hand, if you had enough sand in your plastic tub to cover the bulb half way or more, then holding it on an inverted jitterbug sander would probably make short work of removing the air bubbles.

[flyingpuppy]

I like this idea. Or I could put it on Mom's lap when she's sitting in her recliner and turn on the massage function.

[greggspen]

Have you tried using a comercial plasticizer additive to keep the mortar fluid and easier to deaerate while your filling the bulb?

[jomac_uk]

You can get the same effect with a little washing up liquid, which is often used as a poor mans plasticiser.

[Meragness]

deaerated concrete lightbulbs have no character.
everyone knows that

[thafunki1]

lol....funny !!

[gcai_fwb]

What about using a funnel or the equivalent of a piping bag (used in decorating cakes - I suggest you DON'T use your wife's (-: ) - a heavy duty plastic bag with a corner cut should do it. Where I live milk comes in bags which would do the trick. Fill the bag and squish it in.