Concrete and Copper Door Stop

For this project you'll need:

- Some copper pipe, found in most hardware stores. I also used an elbow to hold the pipe in place but this can be done in many other ways.
- a disposable form for the mould. I used a cardboard ice cream tub.
- Mortar or concrete. In my case I used mortar because the project is fairly small and concrete doesn't work well unless there is a large amount of it.

Start by cutting a piece of copper pipe just long enough to extend out of the mould. I also made a temporary brace to hold the pipe in place while the mortar dried around it.On one end cut a slit into the pipe just enough so that when it's bent open the wings/fins are at least 10mm inside the mould.

I broke down rope into smaller strips then pushed that into the copper from the bottom (wings/fins) up. Using some silicone lubricant spray made this a lot easier.

Once the rope is all the way through tie a few knots at the bottom and pull it in as far as possible so the rope gets jammed.

Next you'll set up the form and brace then mix up some mortar or concrete. Make sure the copper wings/fins aren't touching the mould, they need to be fully encased in mortar/concrete. The best idea is to centre it in the mould. Then start dumping the mortar/concrete in.

Leave the concrete/mortar to cure for a day or 2 then dismantle the brace and take it out of the mould to let it dry out. When it's dry give it a light sand to shape it, for example to round the corners and smooth the top.

Now cut the copper pipe to length. I used a pipe cutter but you could do this with a hacksaw. You can also make the copper poke through as far as you want, this all personal taste.

Now you can either paint the concrete (I used an acrylic paint) or go straight to concrete sealer. Or you could grab a paint brush and go to town. I went with a minimalist approach, and used a design I'd sen before in a magazine. I also added a coat of clear acrylic spray paint to protect the coper from tarnishing.