First Batch of Atlas Stones.. Day 1

[Zone50BugNerd]

@Northjerseyoutdoorsman and @not on the rug, poured the first two stones today, 45lb and 70lb.  Pretty simple process following Slater’s instructions.  First impressions are my mix is a bit wet, but not horrible.  Second is that weight is going to be lower on the 70lb stone (we’ll see).  Got the excess off, spun the buckets to hopefully get them smoothed out, and I used our massage gun to vibrate the bubbles out.  I’ll let them sit here until sundown, then carefully move them into the garage (it’s only 3 feet away) where they can initially cure the next 3 days.  Hoping to crack the molds by 1pm this Monday , I’ll be working from home so I’ll have the time.  I’ll post back here how they came out.  

[Rusty]

Very cool!    Now we need a W&W Strongman competition!   

[Northjerseyoutdoorsman]

Nice 👍 

[not on the rug]

Nice! Looking good.

I talked to my buddy and he has a mold for a 240lb stone which he believes is at his friend's house.  He's going to try to track it down.  Basically you can go up to 240lbs, or add different inserts to the stone to bring the weight down.  I'll keep you guys posted.

Edited March 1 by not on the rug

[Zone50BugNerd]

Broke the mold an hour early today.  Figured the 60 degree weather yesterday it was ok.  Overall, I like em’.  As suspected, my mix was too wet and there was a lot of settling, but not horrible for my first attempt; lessons learned for the next batch.  Smaller stone weighed in at 39.4, and the larger came in at 64.8.  Next batch I’ll mix drier for sure, and as they settle and water displaces, I’ll add more mix until they level out to compensate.  I’ll give them a few more days out of the mold to cure in the garage, then these will be gifted to my trainer.  On to the next batch while the sun is out.  

[not on the rug]

They look great. 

So, are they unevenly weighted due to the settling? If so, how noticeable is it?

I wonder if you could google the process or check out some YouTube videos for tips from guys who have made them already. 

Edited March 4 by not on the rug

[Rusty]

They look heavy.   

[Zone50BugNerd]

4 minutes ago, not on the rug said:

So, are they unevenly weighted due to the settling?

The 10” stone is supposed to be 45lb, and the 12” 70lb.  They are level, weight feels distributed pretty evenly, they are just short of their objective weight.  I knew I was going to be short when I poured them as I had at least 10lbs of mix left.  I mixed too wet and watched water pool on top as they cured, this was as the mix was settling in the molds.  So, next batch I’ll mix closer to the bags instructions and not go so wet and that should correct the issue.  They are super smooth and feel good in the hands and forearms though.  

[Zone50BugNerd]

3 minutes ago, Rusty said:

They look heavy.   

Phil said he’d come over and help me put them back in my garage.  🤣🤣🤣

[Lunatic]

36 minutes ago, Zone50BugNerd said:

Broke the mold an hour early today.  Figured the 60 degree weather yesterday it was ok.  Overall, I like em’.  As suspected, my mix was too wet and there was a lot of settling, but not horrible for my first attempt; lessons learned for the next batch.  Smaller stone weighed in at 39.4, and the larger came in at 64.8.  Next batch I’ll mix drier for sure, and as they settle and water displaces, I’ll add more mix until they level out to compensate.  I’ll give them a few more days out of the mold to cure in the garage, then these will be gifted to my trainer.  On to the next batch while the sun is out.  

Also, the less water you add the stronger the mix will be. The only problem with a “dry” mix is you can end up with voids. We use vibrators to eliminate the problem, you can just tap on the mold. 

[Zone50BugNerd]

5 minutes ago, Lunatic said:

Also, the less water you add the stronger the mix will be. The only problem with a “dry” mix is you can end up with voids. We use vibrators to eliminate the problem, you can just tap on the mold. 

Sweet!  You just validated what I was thinking.  This last batch I did reinforce the mix with fiberglass fibers, and used our massage gun to vibrate the bubbles out, worked pretty slick once I back the pressure down.  Would it make sense to pour the next batch in say 1/3 increments and vibrate in between the thirds?  

[not on the rug]

51 minutes ago, Zone50BugNerd said:

Sweet!  You just validated what I was thinking.  This last batch I did reinforce the mix with fiberglass fibers, and used our massage gun to vibrate the bubbles out, worked pretty slick once I back the pressure down.  Would it make sense to pour the next batch in say 1/3 increments and vibrate in between the thirds?  

I was told by a few people to be wary of fiberglass fibers.  Some folks are super sensitive to fiberglass on the skin and you're literally going to have your bare arms and possible bare torso on them in order to pick them up. 

Try these instead: https://www.slaterstrength.com/collections/stone-mold-accessories/products/stone-strengthening-fibers-bulk

[Nomad]

Are you making those for your kids?😃

Seem pretty light. Is that kilos or pounds?

Edited March 4 by Nomad

[Zone50BugNerd]

18 minutes ago, Nomad said:

Are you making those for your kids?😃

Seem pretty light. Is that kilos or pounds?

Sadly these are my training wheels dude.  They are light, in pounds, but by design while I keep training.  These will be for distance and mobility exercises, not just a 10-30 meter carry.  

Edited March 4 by Zone50BugNerd

[Zone50BugNerd]

31 minutes ago, not on the rug said:

was told by a few people to be wary of fiberglass fibers. 

These are the exact fibers and instructions I followed, the molds are from Slater too.  It’s literally a pinch of fibers for the whole lot.  Just finished mixing and poured the second batch and this time I went much drier and they set up almost perfectly.   I would guess this batch is going to be pretty close to spot on with weight. I mixed about 120 pounds and have maybe 2-3 pounds left over.