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Chez Larsson

Making a home in Stockholm, one drawer at a time

Concrete challenge 6, an advent candle holder

A Christmas project in June, for the sensible reason that the garage is warm now.

It is never too early. I had meant to hold this one back until nearer Christmas, and then thought better of it: by late November nobody wants to be out in a cold garage mixing concrete. Make it now, put it away, bring it out for the first Sunday of Advent.

The mould is a milk carton

A one-litre carton, and the candles themselves.

Open out the spout end and cut it off. Then cut down one long side so the carton opens into a long box with a hinged flap for a lid, and tape the cut-off end shut. Masking tape is the right tape for all of this. It holds card firmly, it comes off, and it survives being splashed.

Four white candles set into the wet concrete in the taped milk carton mould

The great advantage of a milk carton is the coating on the inside. No rubber solution, no oil, nothing. The concrete does not stick to it and the card peels away.

The finished advent holder with four candles lit and ivy tucked around the base

Setting out the candle holes

Draw a line down the centre of the lid, along its length. Measure the length, divide by five, and mark the four intersections. That spaces four candles evenly with a margin at each end.

For the holes themselves I used the spout section I had just cut off as a template, which was a small piece of luck: it is already the right diameter for a candle and already a circle.

The cut milk carton lid with four candle holes, and a roll of masking tape

Casting

Fill with the wet mix and it will immediately bulge and try to go in every direction, because a milk carton has no structure once it is full.

Tape it back into shape. Get the basic box right first, then push the candles down into their holes, then tape the whole thing again, around, over, wherever it is straining, so nothing moves while it sets.

A milk carton and four white candles laid out before starting

24 hours, then peel the carton off and wiggle the candles out.

Leave it another day in the garage, spraying it with water now and then to help it cure.

Finished

A plain concrete block with four candle holes in it, which is exactly what I wanted. There is a bit of ivy tucked in the top at the moment, being June; that will become something more seasonal in December.

I like it because it is simple. It is a rectangle with four holes and nothing else going on.