Cement and Concrete Fence Posts. 13 
of the mold may be removed after 24 hours and used again in con¬ 
nection with other pallettes; while the post which has not yet be¬ 
come sufficiently strong to be removed from the pallette lies un¬ 
molested in its original place until it is ready to move. This en¬ 
ables the maker of cement or concrete posts to produce at least 
twice as many posts with wood molds as with the same number of 
sheet iron molds, providing the required number of pallettes are at 
hand. The number, as well as the extent, of leaks in a wooden mold 
will depend upon the accuracy of construction, the care with which 
the molds are handled, and the care with which they are put to¬ 
gether before filling. 
The third class of molds (those which may be used for making 
either the tamped or the poured posts) are much the same as the 
wooden molds for poured posts, except that they are stronger. A 
mold which is to be used exclusively for manufacturing poured 
posts may be made of 24 -inch material and prove strong enough for 
the purpose; while if the mixture is to be tamped within the mold, 
at least i l / 2 inch material must be used. The extra thickness is re¬ 
quired to prevent the molds from bulging at unsupported places 
during the tamping process. 
The heavy cast iron molds could be used in making the poured 
posts as well as the tamped ones, but their original cost make them 
impracticable. The wooden molds serve the purpose equally well 
and are much cheaper. 
Selecting the Mold .—The first and most important point to be 
considered in selecting the mold is the shape and size of it. Too 
many post mold manufacturers are turning out forms of molds that 
make “freak” posts, simply because it happens that they can manu¬ 
facture them more easily and cheaply. It must be remembered that 
cement or concrete posts are made for long continued service and 
that simply because a certain mold works well is not a sufficient 
reason for purchasing and using it. 
Next to the shape and size of mold we should look for ease of 
operation. Too many complications are likely to prove to be hind¬ 
rances to the speed with which posts may be turned out. The sim¬ 
ple mold almost always proves to be best, providing it has sufficient 
strength. 
Care of Molds .—Before the molds are used they should be well 
coated with some kind of heavy oil. Crude petroleum is perhaps 
the best and cheapest material for this purpose. In case the pe¬ 
troleum cannot be obtained, a good oily mixture may be made by 
stirring about two pounds of axle grease into a gallon of gasoline. 
This mixture is applied to the molds with a brush. The gasoline 
evaporates, leaving a thin coat of axle grease spread over the en¬ 
tire surface of the mold. This oily mixture should be applied to 
