Moulding of articles

Claim 1

A method of producing molded construction products from a liquid-setting mixture of fine and coarse particulate materials comprising the steps of mixing the dry constituent materials, said materials including a proportion of fine particles sufficient to substantially surround all of the coarse particles but not including fibrous reinforcing materials, introducing said mixture into a mold, vibrating at least a part of said mold to effect compaction of said mixture in said mold to an extent that said fine particles substantially fill the interstices between said coarse particles and that any vertical surface of said product will stand and be self-sustaining upon being exposed without mold support, removing at least a part of the mold from contact with the thus compacted product, thereby exposing at least one vertical surface of the compacted product, spraying the product at a surface unsupported by said mold with a predetermined quantity of a setting liquid, said quantity being sufficient to wet all of the compacted constituents so as to initiate a chemical setting reaction but insufficient to completely saturate the compacted product and to cause the associated effect of structural collapse of the compacted product in the region of said exposed surface, and allowing said product to set.

Claim 2

A method of producing molded construction products from a liquid-setting mixture of fine and coarse particulate materials comprising the steps of mixing the dry constituent materials, said materials including a proportion of fine particles sufficient to substantially surround all of the coarse particles but not including fibrous reinforcing materials, introducing said mixture into a mold, vibrating at least a part of said mold to effect compaction of said mixture in said mold to an extent that said fine particles substantially fill the interstices between said coarse particles and that any vertical surface of said product will stand and be self-sustaining upon being exposed without mold support, removing at least a part of the mold from contact with the thus compacted product, thereby exposing at least one vertical surface of the compacted product, spraying the product at a surface unsupported by said mold with a predetermined quantity of a setting liquid, said quantity being sufficient to wet all of the compacted constituents so as to initiate a chemical setting reaction but insufficient to completely saturate the compacted product and to cause the associated effect of structural collapse of the compacted product in the region of said exposed surface, and allowing said product to set.