I have cleared some other work from my studio and I am back on the new concrete bench full time. In the last post I had filled the forms with concrete. The next step is to remove the casting from the form. This should give a better idea of how the whole casting process works.

First I turn the form over so that i can remove all of the screws and bolts.

The pieces start to come off. The small blue circles are plastic inserts buried in the concrete to allow a soft foot to be screwed to the casting. This will protect the floor of the bench is to be used indoors. This bench is going outdoors on a concrete patio so the foot will serve as a shock absorbing transition. Without it the leg would surely chip. The brown and white and blue mess in the center is apiece of foam that formed the relief in the foot detail.

With the side piece removed the white PVC edge is revealed. This insert forms a very important detail in the leg. Lets take off more!

You can clearly see the recess formed by the foam block. Remember that the leg is upside down.

The last piece off will be the PVC board that formed the step detail in the face of the leg

Here it is removed and the leg is now in the proper position.

The rest of the shaping on the leg will be done with this wet grinder. Before I tackle the final detailing I need to focus on the seat.

Here we go! I begin by cutting and gluing together foam. The foam will help make the seat lighter. The next installment will focus on the stainless steel that will reinforce the seat.

Concrete Bench Part 1
Concrete Bench Part 2

By Nico Yektai -
New York based designer/maker Nico Yektai opened the doors to his Hamptons studio in 1995 after completing the MFA program at the School For American Craft at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The rigorous technical training complimented his background in Art History, which he studied, at Hobart College in Geneva NY. Yektai has synthesized this background into a singular style that has gained him national attention. Visit nicoyektai.com for more information

Tags: Work In Progress