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Making a Volcano... suggestions? |
Choptop
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: May 15, 2003
Posts: 121 |  Posted: 2007-04-12 11:24 am Permalink
Ok, the backyard is finally getting redone.. .and one of my tasks is to buil Mt. Ubangee, the fire flanked smoke spitting volcano in the corner.
I'm thinking of a wood and/or metal frame, covered in chickenwire (for shape), with a layer of burlap, covered with expanding foam and capped with a quickcrete or SprayTop coat of very light concrete.
any thoughts? I havent done this before, and figured i'd ask before I got too far down the path to find out it doesnt work all that well, or there is an easier way.
the Volcano will need to be hollow to allow room for the smoke machine, water and gas lines.
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tikiskip
Grand Member (6 years) 
Joined: Nov 26, 2005
Posts: 2085 | Posted: 2007-04-12 11:43 am Permalink
I would bulid it like the Kahiki built thier Moais out front
of The Kahiki.
They used rebar and metal mesh (like you would use to do stucco
on a house)
Bend rebar to shape. Then wire mesh to rebar.
Then put on concrete.
See Kahiki Big Moai rebirth in collecting tiki here on TC
for some photos.
Good Luck.
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EyeballJohn
Grand Member (2 years) 
Joined: Jun 24, 2005
Posts: 27
From: Long Island NY
| Posted: 2007-04-12 4:04 pm Permalink
Hi Choptop, I'm in the planning stages of making the same thing, a waterfall/volcano, I was going to make a frame out of treated wood and build up my volcano shape with wire mesh and use either spray foam covered in fiberglass or concrete, still workin out the details, must have water, smoke and lights, and some Don Tiki playing in the background, Later EyeballJohn
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hewey
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 14, 2004
Posts: 4270
From: Sydney, Australia
| Posted: 2007-04-12 5:02 pm Permalink
The import car guys make speaker pods by making a basic buck out of MDF, stretching cloth over that, and then using fiberglass resin to make it solid and stiff. Adapting this, what about the steel or wood shell, chicken wire for shape, cloth over the top of this, and then fiberglass resin over this, painted with a stone effect paint for texture? Would be a lot lighter than concrete meaning the skeleton would not have to be as substantial.
oh yeh - make it BIG 
_________________
www.kustomkultureaustralia.com
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little lost tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 12, 2006
Posts: 7459
From: Orange,CA-right near the Circle!
| Posted: 2007-04-13 09:47 am Permalink
In order to make a volcano-you'll need a huge titanium tipped drill or at least one of them Robust nuclear penetrating missles...You drill down into the earth until you hit lava...the lava spurting upward will create the cone of the volcano and you're done! 
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McTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 22, 2004
Posts: 1935
From: Sunny Florida
| Posted: 2007-04-13 10:00 am Permalink
Diamond metal lathe (paper backed) is your friend! 
It will shape wonderfully, and it will hold the crete!
http://www.centralexpandedmetal.com/expanded_material_patterns.asp
Been there, done that! Let me know if you need any help (questions that is)
Mahalo
McTiki
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ikitnrev
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jul 27, 2002
Posts: 1298
From: D.C. / Virginia
| Posted: 2007-04-13 10:56 am Permalink
I am not a builder, and have no suggestions for how to construct a volcano. But I am currently amused with the thought of someone building a wood framed volcano, and then having it catch fire, and the local fire department being called in to save the burning volcano.
Vern
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mzoltarp
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 28, 2006
Posts: 163
From: Bakersfield, California
| Posted: 2007-04-13 5:55 pm Permalink
Make the fire fighters mai tais and call it good. I can't wait to see how this comes out. A Volcano could be cool. Keep us posted.
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scaperman
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jan 27, 2005
Posts: 50 | Posted: 2007-04-13 6:35 pm Permalink
I used lava stone for my volcano fire pit,
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Matt Reese
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 09, 2005
Posts: 1114
From: San Diego
| Posted: 2007-04-13 9:23 pm Permalink
I'm dying to try this as well. Let's see some pictures as it comes along.
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Choptop
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: May 15, 2003
Posts: 121 | Posted: 2007-04-19 1:30 pm Permalink
I'll post some pics here soon. Will be trying out different small versions first. Will report back with some techniques and materials.
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King Leo
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Apr 18, 2007
Posts: 13
From: Long Beach
| Posted: 2007-04-19 6:56 pm Permalink
I am building one of these too. I plan to construct the base from concrete block and form the sides and vent with hand tied rebar and mesh. I think the concete will have to be poured in tiers ... I bet gunite would be awesome if you got some connections.
My Volcano will be a waterfall for the pond. Hopefully hiding the pump and filtration. Right now I have a good size hole.
_________________
 Raaar! Gulp!
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mieko
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 01, 2006
Posts: 531
From: San Diego
| Posted: 2007-04-20 1:43 pm Permalink
Sounds like a good idea. I have heard that expanding foam is sensitive to UV, so the top coat of concrete would be important. The burlap is also a good idea, it solves the problem I had with the foam going though the chicken wire, and taking about 2x as much foam as you'd need otherwise. I really like the organic look that the expanding foam gives for a volcano.
Mine is just for indoors, built on a tomato cage with chicken wire. Red cellophane so the lights can be seen, with a fog machine on a 15 min timer. The lights were done with xmas lights, some on all the time, and some that flashed randomly, which gave it a great flickering effect, while still being on at some level all the time.
Here's the start with just a little bit of foam (Might have been the first can)
More foam
And a big jump to done - I might have put more black paint on after.
It did crack over the next few months, and now has some yellow foam color peeking out, I still like how it looks, and it's coming up on 2 years old. It's always inside though.
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Mr&Mrs BPHoptiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 25, 2006
Posts: 128
From: Burbank,Ca.
| Posted: 2007-04-20 2:33 pm Permalink
Go all you volcano builders! Can’t wait to see what you come up with. All this creativity!
Hee hee hee hee…little lost tiki  .
Cute little volcano Mieko. I would love to see what it looks like with the fog and lights on.
Smiles, Mrs Hoptiki
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monkeyskull
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 08, 2004
Posts: 260
From: Seattle
| Posted: 2007-04-21 08:13 am Permalink
I've been considering a backyard volcano as well. Some people have remarked how nice it would be to have a fire pit, and I envisioned a volcano in one corner with a lava flow of lava rocks down one side and into the main yard and down over a some gas flames that made it look like the bottom of the lava flow was still burning.
I have no idea how to construct a good, outdoor volcano structure, so I'll be watching this thread with much interest (and hoping to see many pictures).
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