Funnily enough, I have a mixer (and so did one of the guys behind PGP, as he proudly showed us one afternoon at a hacker gathering many years ago). And I have concrete skillz. Whether I have enough time to help out is another question, but we'll see... What city is this in, and approx. what dimensions are the slab?

A few things to keep in mind about flatwork (slabs) (I'm sure Bobby already knows all this stuff, I'm just putting it out there for general knowledge):

Ideal case is to put plastic sheeting below the entire slab, else the water in the concrete will be absorbed into the ground prematurely and weaken the concrete. If this can't be done, spread about an inch of sand on the ground, and then wet down the sand just before pouring the concrete. Rebar should be held off the ground by being placed on small standoffs (commonly available at lumber yards: 2" concrete cubes with wires sticking out from the top), otherwise the rebar will rust from the ground inward. Concrete should be mixed as stiff as possible: excess water weakens it severely (the way ready mix companies get that "lentil soup" consistency is with chemicals known as "superplasticizers" not with water). After finishing the surface, it should be covered with plastic tarp or sprayed with curing compound, otherwise sprinkled consistently after the surface is hard, for at least a few days and ideally for about 2 weeks: this to prevent evaporation of the mix water. Concrete should always "cure", never "dry" to harden.

-G.

=====

On 13-03-05-Tue 2:45 PM, Vicky Knox wrote:

Hey all!

My friend Bobby will be putting on the below workshop. He is an amazing builder and metalworker who I've been sneakily trying to suck into the vortex that is Sudo Room. If anyone is interested in going to this workshop that he is putting on, will you envangelize him please? This event is sure to be fun--he has a fascinating mind and brews awesome beer. If you're into beer, make sure to ask him to show you the huge vats he welded, as well as the taps he has set up.

V

From: Robert Tomkiewicz <tomkiewicz.b@gmail.com>
Subject: Skymall Workshop / Skillshare: Basic Concrete Slab *Sat March 16*, 10am onward

Hi all,

I am in the process of modernizing the laundry facilites at the old
homestead and the first step is pouring a little slab outdoors to hold the
washer and dryer off the ground and function as a foundation for the shed
which will hold them.

Together, we'll (re)discover the basics of pouring a concrete slab. We'll
be mixing by hand in wheelbarrows, which is just fine for a slab of this
scale, unless I get a line on a mixer before the end of the week.

I will have the forms built and (probably) the rebar laid before Saturday,
but they'll be there for you to take a look at so you can see how they're
constructed before we begin.

Beer and snackage provided. Space is limited to the amount of people that
will actually be useful, which in fact is quite a few. Still, if you could
RSVP with any specific dietary preferences that would be super sweet. If
we're super fast we might even get to do some plumbing. Got to get that
natural gas hookup to the dryer, and hot water pipe in place for the
washing machine.

Bobby
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