"Kit for the manufacture of balusters"

Technical field of the invention The present invention relates to a kit for the manufacture of balusters.

Background of the invention Several different embodiments currently exist for the manufacture of balusters. It is very common to use a reusable mould, comprising two or more parts, which are used again and again. The manufacturing process consists of filling said moulds with mortar or concrete, leaving it to set and then opening the mould and taking out the finished baluster, which must be gone over subsequently to cover up defects, such as scales on the areas where the parts of the mould fit together, cavities, pores and other flaws. Said moulds also have the drawback of being filled one by one and therefore they must later be treated separately. To avoid initial flaws, which are consistent in the case of scales or marks on the joints between the parts of the mould, one-piece disposable sheaths exist that are prefabricated for this purpose from plastic or another material, which must be destroyed to take out the baluster. There are also other systems aimed at solving flaws regarding the appearance of cavities and porosity, which allow mechanical filling and processes of vibration. Said systems consist of base structures that support a set of moulds which are held by a part that keeps them together, next to each other, forming an array of moulds or a multiple mould. During the manufacturing process the concrete can be put into the moulds by means of vibratory hoppers with multiple outlets, one outlet for each mould in the set, which inject concrete into all the moulds at the same time. In this way, it is possible to fill all the moulds in the set, but the problem of compaction and deformation suffered by the moulds due to the stress of the concrete must be taken into account, as these are aspects that condition the device that holds the set of moulds, which is generally made of metal. In the latter case, a good result is achieved with regard to the finish of the balusters, but it is necessary to have a very specific type of machinery which is not easily available. In domestic use, when it is not necessary to manufacture more than the quantity needed for one building, the aforementioned systems based on individual disposable or single-use sheaths are more useful due to the simplicity of the procedure, as no specific type of tool or machinery is needed. But in this case, the problems of deformation are not avoided, which leads to the conclusion that there is no adequate system for the domestic manufacture of balusters. The present invention is an original and inventive solution to the aforementioned problems, as well as contributing numerous advantages to the prior art.

Explanation of the invention The kit for the manufacture of balusters that is the object of the invention overcomes the drawbacks described above and is for domestic use, such as in the area of home improvement or household building work. The kit for the manufacture of balusters is characterised in that it comprises a free-standing reinforced container; an array or plurality of disposable baluster moulds in which the moulds are positioned next to each other occupying the inside of the container, all adapted for each mould to receive a quantity of a setting material, such as mortar or concrete, which is needed to fill and form the baluster, and in that the kit's container serves as packaging and support for the moulds, before and during the manufacture of the balusters. In a preferred embodiment, the kit's container comprises a reinforcing structure for the areas of said container that are liable to suffer stress. In another preferred embodiment, the kit's container is made from cardboard.

Brief description of the drawings In the attached drawings a preferred embodiment of the filling device that is the object of the invention is illustrated by means of a non-limiting example. In said drawings: Fig. 1 , is a plan view of a preferred mode of embodiment of the kit for the manufacture of balusters; Fig. 2, is a perspective view of the same mode of embodiment of the kit for the manufacture of balusters; and Fig. 3, is another perspective view of the same mode of embodiment of the kit for the manufacture of balusters. Detailed description of the drawings Figs. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the kit 1 for the manufacture of balusters. In the plan view in Fig.1 , the top of the free-standing reinforced container 2 can be seen; the array or plurality of disposable baluster moulds 3 in which the moulds 4 are positioned next to each other occupying the inside of the container 2. Said container 2 comprises a reinforcing structure 6 for the areas that are liable to suffer stress when the moulds 4 are filled with the desired material, said reinforcing structure 6 in the example being positioned around the perimeter of the side walls of the free-standing container 2. Fig. 2 shows the walls of the container 2, which are transparent in order to show the inside of the kit 1. In said place, the array or plurality of moulds 3 fits inside the container 2 and is held together by the reinforcing structure 6 so as to avoid deforming the moulds 4. The container 2 in kit the 1 therefore serves as packaging and support for the moulds 4 before and during the manufacture of the balusters, which is when the moulds suffer stress as the concrete sets. It is all adapted for each mould 4 to receive a quantity of setting material 5, such as mortar or concrete among others, see Fig 3, which is needed to fill and form each baluster. The procedure for the manufacture of balusters using the kit 1 that is the object of the present invention is simplified, compared to the previously known embodiments, into the following stages: Firstly, the lids 7 of the container 2 must be opened and the moulds 4 must preferably be fixed if they are separate, although this is not an essential condition. They may be fixed by means of adhesive insulating tape for example, applied at the top of the container 2. In this way, the concrete cannot be spilt between the moulds 4. The moulds 4 are then filled with concrete, or a similar material, there being many possible ways of doing this, such as for example the simple method of pouring the concrete straight from a bucket. A rod is then used to stir inside each mould 4 in order to let out air trapped therein. An iron rod is then inserted into each mould to make the baluster more resistant to stress. Finally, the concrete is left to set for the required time and the container 2 is then opened or dismantled and each mould 4 in the array 3 is cut to extract the finished baluster. In this simple way, using the present invention, the domestic manufacture of balusters is made possible. To facilitate the distribution of the kit 1 and the manufacture of balusters, it is considered appropriate that the container 2 should be made of cardboard, and it is possible to add some type of reinforcing element 8 to its structure so that as each mould 4 receives the concrete, the unit can resist the lateral forces that act on it. Preferably, the disposable moulds known in the prior art, which are generally made from blown plastic, should be used for the moulds 4 that make up the array of moulds 3. Obviously, the kit 1 for the manufacture of balusters comprising a free¬ standing reinforced container 2 which serves as packaging for a plurality of disposable moulds 3, may be manufactured using different materials and shapes whilst keeping within the object of the invention. Therefore, although in the given case the container 2 is reinforced with a reinforcing structure 6, free-standing containers made of a material that is in itself reinforced, such as stiff cardboard or plastic, are also applicable.