Sloped drive/ gates job.

[Onoff]

Taking you a bit off track here @zoothorn but in the States they're quite big on using "expanding foam" for their fence posts. Available here too now, this is just one make, Sika do similar. Lots of YouTube vids on it. Interesting if nothing else though I'd never use it on a gate post that's subect to probably higher loads than a fence post.

 

https://www.newventureproducts.co.uk/osmo-natural-finishes/424-osmo-post-fix

[zoothorn]

3 hours ago, PeterW said:

You don’t need frost proofer in the mix in August !! Just add it all, Chuck the water in and leave it for 24 hours. 

Haha no I know theres no frost now.. but my point is, if I put a chug of the stuff in me cabin pads concrete mix last july.. shouldn't there be some in this regardless of time of year? Both are just concrete post foundations. I mean id just expect it to be ground up like bonemeal or summink.. if im not told to add a slug in me water bucket that is.

 

Anyway moot point now, Ill get to grips with this concrete idea, sometime.

 

 

 

[zoothorn]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

Taking you a bit off track here @zoothorn but in the States they're quite big on using "expanding foam" for their fence posts. Available here too now, this is just one make, Sika do similar. Lots of YouTube vids on it. Interesting if nothing else though I'd never use it on a gate post that's subect to probably higher loads than a fence post.

 

https://www.newventureproducts.co.uk/osmo-natural-finishes/424-osmo-post-fix

I sawthis on one youtube clip 'header', which i ignored to watch as it sounded utterly daft. Thats weird. But damn convenient.

[zoothorn]

Heres my current result.. i aimed to have another 2" of concrete in, so Im a bit shy at 29" depth. Nearly hard. Great.

 

Should i do a mix of cement/ sand/ water ( mortar.. i think) to add on to here to get me up 2", round off the top a bit for rain drain away?

 

I can pinch a bucket of hardcore from a pile ive seen (not telling you where) i could pick out the stones & just use the finer gravelly numnums for aggregate-?

Edited August 27, 2021 by zoothorn

[joe90]

6 hours ago, zoothorn said:

to add on to here to get me up 2"

Yes, posts rot at ground level mostly, so ramp the concrete up the post slightly so water will run away from the post.

[zoothorn]

50 minutes ago, joe90 said:

Yes, posts rot at ground level mostly, so ramp the concrete up the post slightly so water will run away from the post.

Understood John, had this in mind.. but Im still not sure, Im sorry to say, what concrete is after using the postcrete stuff.

 

IE. I have cement & sand. Can I make some form of concrete, from these, adding something/ or not needing to add anything at all?

 

Its a ridiculously naiive q I realise, but Im just not on board now after my postcrete mini fiasco.

[Ferdinand]

8 hours ago, zoothorn said:

Heres my current result.. i aimed to have another 2" of concrete in, so Im a bit shy at 29" depth. Nearly hard. Great.

 

Should i do a mix of cement/ sand/ water ( mortar.. i think) to add on to here to get me up 2", round off the top a bit for rain drain away?

 

I can pinch a bucket of hardcore from a pile ive seen (not telling you where) i could pick out the stones & just use the finer gravelly numnums for aggregate-?

 

I would top that up when you put the other one in next week, if still to do.

[Onoff]

A useful, generic "concrete" is nominally 3:2:1 - 3 of sharp (aka coarse) sand, 2 of aggregate that is "stones" up to 20mm and 1 of cement. 

 

Alternatively you can mix cement and "all in one" ballast which is a mix of aggregate and sharp sand.

 

Never use builders sand for concrete. Builders sand is for bricklaying mortar and render.

 

 

 

 

[Pocster]

12 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Never use builders sand for concrete. Builders sand is for bricklaying mortar and render.

I have many times ????

[Onoff]

3 minutes ago, pocster said:

I have many times ????

 

Thought I'd seen you under Amateur in Categories... ?

[joe90]

12 hours ago, zoothorn said:

Understood John, had this in mind.. but Im still not sure, Im sorry to say, what concrete is after using the postcrete stuff.

 

IE. I have cement & sand. Can I make some form of concrete, from these, adding something/ or not needing to add anything at all?

 

Its a ridiculously naiive q I realise, but Im just not on board now after my postcrete mini fiasco.

yes I understand, it’s an anomaly, as said above concrete should contain aggregate and postcrete appears not to. Treat “postcrete” as a Trade name, not a “substance”. As you say postcrete can be expensive but it’s very convenient, I see no problem in banking this post up with ordinary “Mortar” if you have the sand and cement hanging about ?.

 

try reading this…….https://www.withamtimber.co.uk/blog/postcrete-vs-concrete

 

(I think postcrete uses fast setting cement)

Edited August 28, 2021 by joe90

[zoothorn]

12 hours ago, Onoff said:

A useful, generic "concrete" is nominally 3:2:1 - 3 of sharp (aka coarse) sand, 2 of aggregate that is "stones" up to 20mm and 1 of cement. 

 

Alternatively you can mix cement and "all in one" ballast which is a mix of aggregate and sharp sand.

 

Never use builders sand for concrete. Builders sand is for bricklaying mortar and render.

 

 

 

 

Hi Onoff. Thats nice & simple.. but havent i just got " builders sand", having asked for sand at a builders yard & given 3 bags? (I mean how could this not be builders sand-?) Maybe it is called this, & Ive used the wtong sand all along for my porch render mortar job then. Its just slightly damp, light brown sand.. if that dan help distinguish it.

 

 Im tryingto recall the sand big bag i was shovelling from, for my mixer/ concrete cabin pads. I cant recall it being different to my porch job sand. Tbh Im still just as confused.
 

 

[zoothorn]

@joe90 John, is hardcore  suitable aggregate for concrete? Theres a council pile out here I can nab a bucket from. Its got the finer stuff all mixed in with the larger stones. Or hang on, maybe this is ballast.

[markc]

Good morning, if you were poring highly stressed concrete or for a polished slab then I would be careful what went in the mix.

as you are setting gate posts then it doesn’t matter.

During the war they threw anything into concrete to pour tank traps and pill boxes etc. They are still standing and are a bitch to break up.

pretty much any stones, pebbles, shingle etc will do nicely for post setting. If they are too big it makes the surface difficult to level off that’s all.

[Onoff]

33 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

Hi Onoff. Thats nice & simple.. but havent i just got " builders sand", having asked for sand at a builders yard & given 3 bags? (I mean how could this not be builders sand-?) Maybe it is called this, & Ive used the wtong sand all along for my porch render mortar job then. Its just slightly damp, light brown sand.. if that dan help distinguish it.

 

 Im tryingto recall the sand big bag i was shovelling from, for my mixer/ concrete cabin pads. I cant recall it being different to my porch job sand. Tbh Im still just as confused.
 

 

 

Post a picture of the bag the sand came in is easiest sling with a good pic of a handful of the sand. 

 

Trying to render with a pure sharp sand mix is a bitch. 

[zoothorn]

2 hours ago, markc said:

Good morning, if you were poring highly stressed concrete or for a polished slab then I would be careful what went in the mix.

as you are setting gate posts then it doesn’t matter.

During the war they threw anything into concrete to pour tank traps and pill boxes etc. They are still standing and are a bitch to break up.

pretty much any stones, pebbles, shingle etc will do nicely for post setting. If they are too big it makes the surface difficult to level off that’s all.

Great markc thanks. That makes alot of sense to me. Actually it just occurred to me to finish this off I may as well judt get another postcrete! So in a fug w'me pants in a pickle.. Im not thinking right. So i'll just use a bit/ make a new mini me mix & slope the top off.

 

On a separate note. Looking at all the softwood tanalised gates around/ alot, all look to hsve gone this oldy grey colour after decade + or so. Would you put wood preserver on your new pair of gates (like on my post lower 3ft ive done) IE before the hardware goes on, & the rest of the posts too?

 

Or is the tannalised treatment as good as it'll ever likely be/ not worth the extra effort?

[joe90]

4 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

the tannalised treatment as good as it'll ever likely be

Yes. (IMO). I think most of the new water based treatments are crap, can’t beat good old fashioned creosote (if it doesn’t kill you first ?).

[zoothorn]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

Post a picture of the bag the sand came in is easiest sling with a good pic of a handful of the sand. 

 

Trying to render with a pure sharp sand mix is a bitch. 

Nothing on bag you see, & muggins just asked for " 4 bags of sand please mister " with my 1 cement bag.

 

 

[zoothorn]

3 minutes ago, joe90 said:

Yes. (IMO). I think most of the new water based treatments are crap, can’t beat good old fashioned creosote (if it doesn’t kill you first ?).

I rather like the smell of it tbh! I didnt know any health risks with creosote mind you. But didnt have this in mind: what I meant was, continuing on with my bartoline wood preserver stuff ( oil based ) ? Stuff I did my buried post end with.. also my cabin. Dark brown.

[Pocster]

3 hours ago, markc said:

During the war they threw anything into concrete to pour tank traps and pill boxes etc. They are still standing and are a bitch to break up.

pretty much any stones, pebbles, shingle etc will do nicely for post setting. If they are too big it makes the surface difficult to level off that’s all.

During the war and my build ?

[Onoff]

8 hours ago, markc said:

Good morning, if you were poring highly stressed concrete or for a polished slab then I would be careful what went in the mix.

as you are setting gate posts then it doesn’t matter.

During the war they threw anything into concrete to pour tank traps and pill boxes etc. They are still standing and are a bitch to break up.

pretty much any stones, pebbles, shingle etc will do nicely for post setting. If they are too big it makes the surface difficult to level off that’s all.

 

The Germans used I believe coal furnace ash on Jersey etc due to shortages of other materials. A handy by-product was it made for a really strong, long lasting concrete. As evidenced by the still standing fortifications today.

[zoothorn]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

 

The Germans used I believe coal furnace ash on Jersey etc due to shortages of other materials. A handy by-product was it made for a really strong, long lasting concrete. As evidenced by the still standing fortifications today.

Interesting that. Thank god the buggers didnt get over here then. 
 

Can you ID my sand Onoff?

[markc]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

 

The Germans used I believe coal furnace ash on Jersey etc due to shortages of other materials. A handy by-product was it made for a really strong, long lasting concrete. As evidenced by the still standing fortifications today.

Well, you learn something new everyday

[markc]

20 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

Interesting that. Thank god the buggers didnt get over here then. 
 

Can you ID my sand Onoff?

Are you sure it’s sand? Looks more like Demarera sugar.

looks too course for ordinary (red) mortar sand, maybe a local sharp sand so should be perfect for concrete or screed

[PeterW]

3 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

The Germans used I believe coal furnace ash on Jersey etc due to shortages of other materials. A handy by-product was it made for a really strong, long lasting concrete. As evidenced by the still standing fortifications today.

 It is the basis for pozzolans which create seriously strong concrete - it creates a secondary reaction with Portland cement and calcium silicates.