Sculpting is hard - not many can do it. I can't. So when I decided to make a record holder as gift, I thought I should skip the hard part - I decided to design and virtually sculpt what I want, and use it as a mold.

In this instructable I'll show you have I made a concrete vinyl record holder, but the ideas here are applicable for so many more projects.

Hope you enjoy!

** I took pictures with a CD, not a vinyl record! This is a gift, and I didn't have any vinyl records to take pictures of.

Supplies

You'll need access to a 3D printer, concrete and some acrylic paint.

Step 1: Design a Mold

There are a few ways to make a mold. One way is to sculpt the final product you want, and 'subtract' it from a blank block. I didn't do this though - I planned my mold and imagined what the inside would look like. It's more about what you're more comfortable with.

In any case, you must consider the de-molding part before you print the mold. Imagine pulling the mold off your final product - will it rip stuff off? will it get stuck? The best way I found to do this is to plan the mold as a single piece, and then slice it into parts before printing. A nice way to slice a model in most CAD software is to add a plane where you want to make the cut, and split the model.

I attached the files you'll need for this project :) I used a slightly different version of the model, but you're getting the improved one!

Step 2: 3D Print You Mold

This entire project requires patience. Print out the parts, it might take a while...

Step 3: Prepare the Mold

Once all the printed parts are ready, temporarily clip them together with paper clips and apply glue. I used hot glue and it worked perfectly. Make sure the mold is sealed - I used a piece of wood to flatten the hot glue.

Step 4: Fill With Concrete

Mix concrete (water, sand and cement - don't use rocks or anything too big!).

Fill the mold with concrete. Make sure there are not air bubbles and that you flatten it nicely.

Step 5: De-mold

Let the concrete dry for a long (!) time. I opened to mold too early, and it broke apart!

I actually liked the broken look, so I ended up gluing it this way.

Step 6: Paint

Paint the concrete using any paint you like. I used acrylic. I decided not to use a paint brush and used a thick pencil to apply the paint. It seemed much more precise this way.