Concrete forms - need pictures

[Mike S.]

My father says he had some aluminum/concrete forms that were stolen (long story). He wants me to tell the police that they were indeed on the property. The problem is that I have no idea what these look like. I saw all sorts of building material but I don't know the names of any of it. I tried doing a Google image search for "concrete forms" but came up with several different varying pictures. Could someone please direct me to some pictures of aluminum/concrete forms.

While we're on this topic, could someone tell me whether these aluminum/concrete forms are generally more expensive than I-beams? Those were stolen too but at least I found pictures of them through Google.

Thanks to anyone who can help Mike S.

[gfretwell]

I imagine the cops wanted pictures of HIS forms and hope there is some unique marking they can use to identify them, Unfortunately, I bet those forms are already at a scrap yard, crushed into a big brick, ready to be loaded on a truck or train car. I was looking for some bed rails and tried our scrap yard, thinking they must get them from scrappers who pick them up on trash day. Nope, the yard manager said if they had them they would already be crushed. I watched his operation for a few minutes and I see what he means. Nothing sits around long before it is sorted, bricked up and ready to ship to China. Fred Sanford was replaced by a scrap metal factory. It's the way they can make a lot of money handling things that are worth pennies a pound.

[Mike S.]

Sorry, my fault for not properly explaining myself. I don't know what aluminum/concrete forms look like. I need to see pictures of them so I know whether or not I saw them on my father's property. If I saw them then I can tell the police that, if I didn't see them then there's nothing to say.

[Colbyt]

There is more than one kind of form. You might ask your father which type he owned. Here is a link to images of the major styles:

There is some similarity of design in all of them but the interlocking mechanisms would be different for footers and basement walls.

Colbyt

[dpb]

Mike S. wrote: ...

Well, depends...were they curb/guttering forms, basement wall forms, ...???

Interesting your father can't tell you what they looked like well enough for you to grok what he's talking about?

--

[DT]

Forms for what? Sidewalks? Stairs? Basement walls? Garden planters? Plus, we do a fair amount of concrete work and I have never seen an aluminum form, just steel or wood.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

You must be a youngster. I avoid concrete work whenever possible and I've seen loads of aluminum forms.

And it isn't old technology as far as I can tell. I googled aluminum concrete forms [actually as soon as I completed 'concrete' Google suggested 'forms']

Loads of manufacturers out there.

Jim

[DT]

Yes there are! Looks like primarily wall forms, which makes sense. The son just does flatwork and the occasional stairs.

[aemeijers]

Puzzled why the cops would want a deposition from a relative that apparently doesn't even live there, or have enough first-hand knowledge to describe the items off the top of his head. Not that cops work real hard on matching recovered stolen goods with the owners anyway, in most cases. (In this part of the country, it usually goes straight to the auction, even if the owners name is printed right on it. And funny how the Really Nice stuff never seems to make it as far as the auction.)

I smell an insurance company in here somewhere.

[Colbyt]

Insurance companies do have a specific odor if you have ever dealt with them on a claim. Some might say it smells like manure.

Most times they won't even kiss you first.

[DanG]

It is pretty simple to Google "aluminum concrete forms"

One popular model is made by Symons:

Another popular one has a brick pattern on the form surface: They will probably be wall forms of some type. I've not ever seen aluminum curb or edge forms. This means they will be about 8-9' long and 2-4' wide, though other sizes are certainly available. You mention I beams and aluminum forms, sounds like stuff for pouring basements, so I assume the tall panels.