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Making Fake Bamboo |
pariartspaul
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 20, 2003
Posts: 153
From: Martiniland, California
|  Posted: 2003-12-22 09:52 am Permalink
Here are some tips on making fake bamboo for your backyard projects that will last for years and years:
1. For structural members like sign posts and supports - use steel poles (the steel poles they sell at Home Depot for chain link fences are perfect). For the bamboo segment seams use good old Bondo to get the shape, smoothing it out with stiff paper. To paint use Rustoleum brushed on. I use a real piece of bamboo as a model when I paint.
You can bolt these metal bamboo pieces together to make a lot of strong projects that you’d never be able to do with real bamboo. (Or you can weld them together if you know how to do it.) To hide the bolts wrap gardening twine around the connections and it will look like the poles are lashed together. For sign posts, sink the pole into a 2’ hole and fill with Quickcrete You can really fool your friends with this fake bamboo – they won’t know it’s not real until you tell them.
2. This second method is pretty amazing and you can use it for decorative pieces as well as for any project you want to pipe water through like fountains or drainpipes. An artist friend told me about it years ago and it works great.
Use pvc pipe in whatever diameter you like. For the bamboo segment seams, first score lightly around the diameter with an exacto knife. Then carefully heat the segment with a little blow torch until the pvc starts to soften – keep turning as you heat it - it will naturally start to raise. When you get it to where it looks good – take the torch away and let it cool. Repeat for the other segments. When done, paint with Rustoleum.
I tried this on one of those pvc mister kits and it turned out great!
You can make just about anything you can dream up with these two methods. If anyone has any other ideas I'd love to hear about them!
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FLOUNDERart
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 02, 2003
Posts: 1140
From: Orlando Florida
| Posted: 2003-12-22 11:05 am Permalink
Lets see some photos.
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pariartspaul
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 20, 2003
Posts: 153
From: Martiniland, California
| Posted: 2003-12-22 3:04 pm Permalink
Okay, hope these images upload okay, I'm just learning how to do it!
This is a project I did about 5 years ago in our old house - converted a 1935 garage into a tiki bar.
In the first picture you can see welded steel for the overhang supports and also for the window on the right. The steel was attached into the framework before the stucco was applied to the building. On the far right what looks like a bamboo ladder is made of welded steel and was bolted to the wall to provide access to the roof.
In the second picture you see welded steel doors made of steel tubes painted to look like bamboo. The bamboo in the center under the overhang is actually a functional drainpipe and it is made of pvc.
The third picture is a far shot of the same building about a year later. Look closely and you will see a waterfall on the right overhang falling into the pool. There is a fake water tower up on the roof and it looks like the water is being fed from the tower via bamboo (pvc) piping - but the waterfall is fed from the pool from a hidden pipe and routed up to the overhang.
You can see a lot more pictures of the finished project at:
http://www.pariarts.com/mus/hq/tikibar1.html
[ This Message was edited by: pariartspaul on 2003-12-22 15:11 ]
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Kono
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 08, 2003
Posts: 1266
From: Orlando
| Posted: 2003-12-22 6:13 pm Permalink
Damn, it looks like your taking things to a new level of unattainability. In other words...awesome work! Me? I can't even hang my pictures right. 
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TikiStitch
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 36 | Posted: 2003-12-22 10:12 pm Permalink
That is the most beautiful backyard i've ever seen! Absolutely incredible! Keep the tips coming guys. Thanks so much!
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2003-12-23 09:44 am Permalink
The Mai Kai sign actually had me fooled. It is of course steel, about 6 inches in diameter, but painted to look like bamboo. I felt like such a dolt when I had to touch it to be sure. So much creativity in the tiki community!
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Traderpup
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 26, 2002
Posts: 1041
From: Long Beach, CA
| Posted: 2003-12-23 2:24 pm Permalink
I am absolutely amazed....!
Must.... go.... spend..... countless hours.... working on East Indies Room..... to... catch.... up....... !!!
Incredible work.... I'd love the chance to see in person some time!
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Bike Shack
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 03, 2003
Posts: 37
From: Chatsworth Cal.
| Posted: 2003-12-26 10:33 am Permalink
Hi all
I have a pic of the the bondo way,under "Creating Tiki", called "Bamboo BMX Cruiser".
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DawnTiki
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Sep 01, 2002
Posts: 1673
From: next stop Hulaville!
| Posted: 2003-12-26 9:56 pm Permalink
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pariartspaul
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 20, 2003
Posts: 153
From: Martiniland, California
| Posted: 2003-12-27 08:38 am Permalink
Yes, that's exactly it! And a great job too, the paint looks real good. Too cool!
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2003-12-27 11:15 am Permalink
But we must add lots of twine wrap on that bike's joints to make it "right." ; )
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Bike Shack
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 03, 2003
Posts: 37
From: Chatsworth Cal.
| Posted: 2004-01-01 7:55 pm Permalink
Hi all
Thanks a bunch.
This method works so well that no body even mentions the recktangle Bamboo on the back part of the frame.
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RevBambooBen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 12, 2002
Posts: 7196
From: Huntikington Beach
| Posted: 2004-01-01 8:02 pm Permalink
Bike Shack-
You ever been to Sams? Tons of square Bamboo in the bar. It was real popular a while back. Edit your post fast and no one will even notice. There is such a thing as squared bamboo.
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Bike Shack
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 03, 2003
Posts: 37
From: Chatsworth Cal.
| Posted: 2004-01-02 12:22 pm Permalink
Hi
No worries,,I woundn't hide the fact that I'm a novice Bamboo guy.
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Thorsten Hasenkamm
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 12, 2003
Posts: 339
From: Paderborn, Germany
| Posted: 2004-01-02 1:39 pm Permalink
VERY nice backyard!
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