Use rubber gloves, dust mask and eye protections for your safety. Before manipulating mortar, keep in mind that the powder is very thin and alkaline, so it is best to protect yourself from inhaling it or covering your hands with it. You could do this directly in the basin (like I did), just take care to not disturb the guide using another dedicated bucket may be easier. It is now time to mix the concrete with water. It is also important for the guide to stay straight, so ensure you have some supports on which to place the basin so that the guide is not pushed away. Make sure there is enough space to add a fourth nut on top of this last one, as these two nuts will be necessary to extract this temporary guide. Insert this rod into the hole, so that the nuts are inside the basin, then fix the rod by adding a washer and a third nut on the other side. Screw a first nut at one of its extremity, then another one 1 cm farther. It is better to lube this rod to help extracting it once the mortar is set (I did not lubricate it, but was nevertheless able to extract it). Pouring the mortar in the basin with the whole rod inserted is not going to be convenient, so you will have to cut a small part of the rod (about 4cm long) as temporary guide. So once you have found the proper basin, you will have to drill a 8mm hole in its center. This threaded rod is the backbone of the post, and gives its sturdiness to the cardboard tower. The foot must contain a captive nut on which the threaded rod will be screwed on. I found a square one with rounded edges, which gave a nice shape to my scratching post foot. As you are going to pierce a hole in it (for the threaded rod), the best choice is a cheap plastic basin. You will need a big bowl of about 24 cm side length (or diameter) as a mold (its size and shape may vary depending your taste and supplies). We will use mortar instead of concrete, because it is easier to obtain a smooth surface using mortar (concrete contains gravels). Your can get a lot of information in this concrete class it gives some hints to give a custom finish to the molded parts, in case you do not like the white aspect of this DIY. I used 4kg of mortar, which is enough for my 3.5kg cat if yours is heavier, you might want to use more. Your cat will not like the scratching post if it is not stable, so we will use mortar to make an heavy post foot. Four protection pads for the post foot (to protect your floor),.Four 8mm nuts (one being needed for the work in progress only),.A 8mm threaded rod (of a minimal length of 600mm),.Some wall putty to enhance the molded mortar aspect,.A box and some paper to mold the top of the post,.A basin to use as mold for the post foot (a cheap, plastic one is better, as you are going to drill a hole in it),.I chose a white mortar, only for its look, About 5kg (or more, depending your cat size) of mortar.A 3D printer if you wish to put the cat figurine at the top of the post,.rubber gloves, dust mask and eye protections for you safety,.Something to vibrate the mold (I used a sanding machine),.A trowel or a big spoon to mix the mortar,.A metal cutting saw (a manual one is sufficient).
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