How to Make a Concrete Fire Bowl

This was one of my most exciting projects I have worked on. With the little experience I have, I love concrete work. I will give you all the steps I took to create this awesome fire bowl.

I am not sure where you can get the bowls that I used. I snagged these from my office after a lunch party. They are plastic catering bowls. I believe any bowls could work.

Making a Concrete Fire Bowl, Here Is What I Used

Here is the list of products I used:

- Gel Fuel for the fire http://amzn.to/2afTY80

- Black Marbles http://amzn.to/2asn04K Instead of marbles, you can use this Fire Glass Onyx Black http://amzn.to/2aeRxXN

-Sakrete high strength concrete mix

- 2 bowls of your choice (the bowls I used were 12 inches for the large bowls and 10 inches for the small)

- Constructions wire mesh

Tools & Miscellaneous Items Used:

- Hand shovel http://amzn.to/2any1U9

- Rubber Mallet http://amzn.to/2aeqgAj

- Palm Sander aka Sheet Sander http://amzn.to/2aByvc8

- Sandpaper 80 grit and 220 grit

- Any oil should work (I used motor oil)

- Weights or large rock (to hold bowl in place)

- Tin Snips http://amzn.to/2anyNk9

Mixing the Concrete

1. I would recommend using a separate mixing bowl. I used the same large bowl, but it scratched from the shovel transferring to the form.

2. Add concrete mix into a bowl and add water. Be sure to mix the to concrete well. Do not overwater it.

3. Next, you can oil your large bowl to provide an easier release.

4. Add concrete to the large bowl. Then sit the smaller bowl in the form and press down. You'll want to do this so you can see how much concrete you will actually need. Once you find how much you need, you should clean the smaller bow. Dry it off and oil it up.

5. Place the smaller bowl in the concrete then place weights on top. Anything will work that is heavy enough to prevent the bowl from rising.

6. Vibrate the bow using a sander and a mallet. The goal is to get the bubbles to rise to the top and escape the form.

Removing the Form

After three days of sitting, I figured it was time to remove the concrete from the bowl.

Honestly, I was blown away at how well this came out. It was like glass.

Sanding the Bowl

Sanding

The top edge was a bit rough. To clean, sand it down using sandpaper.

(80 grit to knock it down some, and 220 grit to smooth it. The higher in grits you go with smoother it will be.)

Making the Rock Support

To support the rocks, or in my case the marbles, I used some construction wire mesh.

I shaped the mesh to sit in the bowl. The mesh can be found at your local hardware store. I use tin snips to cut the mesh down to size, and my hands to shape it.

Once you cut this stuff it can be very sharp. So be sure to bend it over and to make it safe for handling.