Pretend I don't know anything about concrete...

[Wade Lippman]

I have a ring camera on a tree pointed at the front of the house. Two batteries last about 2 weeks in the summer and 1 week in the winter. I added a solar charger. It helps in the winter, but the tree leaves make it worthless in the summer. My wife suggested putting the charger in a fake rock at the base of the tree, but they are expensive and I can't find one the right shape. So I want to make one out of concrete.

I have a poly tote the right shape and the size of one bag of concrete. I have made a wood insert and screwed it to the tote to leave a recess for the charger. I intend to:

• Glue a pvc 1.25" pipe to the bottom of the wood insert to make a space for the cord to come out of the charger.
• Dump a bag of concrete and water into a plastic tub. Mix it with a wood paddle.
• Use a scoop to move the concrete from the tub to the tote.
• Let it dry (or is it cure, or something else?)
• Unscrew the wood, lift the tote off, pry the wood out, and work the pipe out.

Does that all make sense, or am I planning something wrong? Would waxing the wood and pipe help, or is that that necessary.
Thanks.

[Doug Garson]

Don't think you will get anything that looks like a natural rock with premixed concrete in a poly tub. I think what you want is hypertufa, check this video and maybe do a search for hypertufa rocks. I made some hypertufa planters decades ago and they still look great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i40Kw1nkmVQ

[Kev Williams]

Way back in the 90's while working at Philips-BTS's shop doing some vinyl signage for their upcoming trade show, I watched a guy there build up a big gobby mountain out of spray-foam. Don't know what kind, it was yellowish, grew immensely, and was very dense. It was all dry within an hour or so. He then took a basic big kitchen knife and started slicing away at it. Within a couple of hours or so he started painting it, had like a half dozen gray and brown colors. Before I left for the day he was finished and had it working- what he'd made was an over 6' tall portable waterfall for the exhibit! And it looked EXACTLY like it was made from actual rock, gorgeous, and the whole thing weighed next to nothing.

-something like that might be easier than concrete?

[Wade Lippman]

I know it won't look much like a real rock, but I though I could try distressing it with an angle grinder and/or painting it with textured "granite" paint.
But... I already bought the concrete, so I will be trying it. Is there anything wrong with my procedure?

[Jim Becker]

Why not make a mold from styrofoam so you can have a random shape, a flat bottom and the right sized opening to put the solar panel in the top? Spray paint and then some dry brushing will help it blend in pretty well, I would think.

[Lee Schierer]

Why not bury a conduit out to the tree, terminate it with a water tight box buried just below the surface. Go find a real rock and place it over the box.

[John K Jordan]

Wade,

Do you have a zoo nearby? The one near here makes a lot of realistic looking fake rocks, some huge. Maybe give them a call and ask for tips. Perhaps they will let you volunteer to help and learn the inner secrets.

JKJ

[Thomas McCurnin]

My present employer, the US Forest Service, has a bunch of blue-grey paint which looks like a rock

[lowell holmes]

Check this site.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=landsa...ANNTA1&PC=U531

[Richard Hart]

I'm big on keeping it simple. All you would have to remote would be the solar cell to a place where the sun hits. Run your wire down the tree, find a hidden spot, maybe among flowers, etc., use a spike from one of those cheap solar path lights, and stick it in the ground. Done!

[Myk Rian]

I use a 6v lead acid battery for my game cam. It lasts for at least 2 months before I need to charge it.

[Bill Dufour]

Put some lamp black in the wet concrete mix and maybe some other rock type colors. Or paint the mold with latex paint just before adding the wet concrete. In other words fresco painting.
Bill D