A Japanese garden is not complete without lanterns.  Traditionally, crafted from granite, lanterns cost from $200 on up, and shipping can run over $100 too.  Here are some ideas to help you make your own lanterns from cement ($4.00 per bag) using everyday household items.  Check out Herb's album for some more ideas.

Lantern 1
Here are the molds that I came up with for my 1st lantern.  The town plastic re-cycle bin is a great place to find free, unusual containers:

 

  • An old tupperware base
  • An empty plastic lamp oil container
  • A plastic pumpkin and bowl
  • A plastic deviled-egg tray
  • A plastic bowl
  • Bottom of a plastic 7up bottle

 

(This took about 2/3 of an 80lb bag of cement so I made another smaller one at the same time so that I could mix the whole bag.

Here I used the table saw (blade backwards) to rip a 3" PVC pipe in half.  Then I used a razor blade knife to cut the plastic so the pipes would fit.  This should give me a base similar to this one.
Again with a razorblade knife I cut rectangles for a scrap board and using a hole saw cut out holes for the 1¼" PVC pipes.  I should end up with something similar to below

 
I mixed an 80lb bag of ready mix cement in the wheelbarrow.  Although cement with stones in it is stronger, I selected a sand mix so that it would be smoother and easier to stuff into the molds.  Also, I mixed it just a little "wetter" to work into the molds easier.  Be careful not get it too wet or it won't have any strength.  In the shade you have a good hours time before the cement begins to setup.
Finally, the fun part - stuffing the molds.

Normally, in concrete work you can remove the forms the next day.  This is NOT the case with these plastic molds as they hold moisture for a long time and you should probably wait 3 days or so before removing them.  The longer the concrete takes to "dry" the more strength it will have.
Here are the parts "dry" stacked.  I will put them together with either thin set cement or construction adhesive and then coat the entire exterior with cement patch to fill in cracks, air bubbles etc and give it a sand look followed by a coat of butter milk for a mossy aged look.  The pumpkin really didn't work out and I broke it removing the wood.  I will probably construct something square from a milk carton.  The deviled egg roof is very ornate.

Lantern 2
Here are the molds that I came up with for my 2nd lantern which is somewhat smaller:

 

  • An old tupperware square base
  • A plastic Gatorade bottle for the pedestal
  • A plastic bowl
  • A plastic Gatorade bottle
  • A bigger plastic bowl
  • The top of a Gatorade bottle

 

(This took about 1/3 of an 80lb bag of cement)

 
I cut the top off the Gatorade bottle with a razorblade knife and cut rectangles in the sides so the scrap wood would fit through.  I actually removed the wood pieces until the bottle was half-filled with cement, and then slid them back into position and filled in the remainder.
Here are the parts "dry" stacked.  I will put them together with either thin set cement or construction adhesive and then coat the entire exterior with cement patch to fill in cracks, air bubbles etc and give it a sand look.

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