Cheapest DIY Atlas Stone

I wanted an Atlas Stone, but I didn't want to pay for a mold. Why should I have to pay $80+ dollars to make balls of concrete? After several days of online searches, brainstorming, and designing, I had a plan. Using paper mache, a plastic ball, sand, concrete, and a plastic tub, I would be able to very cheaply (less than $15 - basically just the cost of the cement and ball) make my very own Atlas Stone. Based on my searches, this is the easiest way to make a DIY Atlas Stone. It's definitely the cheapest. Here's a picture of the final product:

Materials

• Paper Mache
  • Paper or newspaper, whatever's handy
  • Elmer's glue (or flour)
  • Water
• A ball (use the chart below to determine how large of a ball to use - mine was between 13-14 inches)
• Sand (got this for free at a creek near my house)
• Quikrete 5000 concrete mix (use the chart below to determine how many bags - I used two 80-pound bags)
• A plastic tub (bigger than your ball)
• water (for the concrete)
• A trowel (a gardening trowel is fine)
• A shovel (for adding sand to the plastic tub)

Determine Atlas Stone Size

As a rule of thumb take 35%-50% of your 1 rep deadlift maximum and use that weight to choose your starting atlas stone weights. You can easily estimate the weight of any size concrete Atlas Stone using the formula: Weight = 0.0430272141 x Diameter³ (or, using circumference: Weight = 0.00138769368 x Circumference³). All weights are calculated assuming a concrete density of 142 pounds/square foot.

 

Paper Mache Time!

Tear your paper into strips so you're ready to work. Take your Elmer's glue and mix it with water to make a paper mache paste (use half glue, half water). Dip the paper into the paste and put it on the ball; be sure to leave the air hole clear and to cover the rest of the ball. You should leave a small opening at the top of the ball (this is where you'll pour concrete into the ball -- should be about trowel-width in diameter). Cover the ball with at least 3 layers of paper mache (more will make it even stronger).

Now wait a few days for the paper mache to dry... waiting sucks...

Remove the Ball

Alright, now that the paper mache is FINALLY dry: take an inflation needle, put it in your ball, and push on the ball unti it is deflated. It may take a little while, but eventually it will be deflated enough that you can remove the ball through the hole you left at the top. Now you can use it again if you want to make another one.

Add Concrete

Now that you have a hollow paper mache sphere, get your plastic bin and add some sand to the bottom. This helps prevent a flat bottom (and NO ONE wants a flat bottom). Put the paper mache form in the sand (with the hole at the top) and fill around it about halfway up with sand so it retains its shape. Don't get any sand inside -- you could tape a piece of paper over the hole to prevent any "incidental sand."

 Go ahead and mix your concrete with water -- make sure there are no dry spots. Mixing it in a wheelbarrow with the trowel works well. Add the concrete into the paper mache form through the hole in the top. As you do, shake the tub to remove any air bubbles in the concrete. BUBBLES = BAD. When the concrete's half to two-thirds of the way to the top, go ahead and add more sand around the form until sand fully surrounds it. Then go ahead and fill it full. Peel back the paper mache edge of the hole a bit so it isn't in the concrete. After we finished ours, it had many voids; I read if you use something like a hand sander to vibrate the filled mold it will get rid of air pockets and bring the excess water to the top. I recommend trying that. Place a towel on top and wait...

Finally, an Atlas Stone

After 2-3 days, the concrete should be set enough to remove it. Remove the sand, peel off the paper, and gently place the ball on the ground. Allegedly, you can smooth out any rough spots with steel wool at this point. This didn't really work for mine since it was pretty rocky on the outside. Leave it on the ground to cure for 3 weeks. It's fairly stable and usable in 1 week, but it gets stronger as it ages. Like a fine wine...?

What do you think? Tell me if these directions could be improved, and let me know how your Atlas Stone turned out. GET BIG!

NOTE: if you want to buy an Atlas Stone mold, you can buy them at Rogue Fitness: Hybrid Fitness or Slater's. Here's a good video showing how to fill these molds: