Post #716059 by Gwen on Mon, May 5, 2014 8:16 PM

Ok, gonna post instructions on how to make your own big ol' tiki fountain, in case somebody wants to do it!

1. buy enough 4' high 1/4" hard ware cloth to create a tube 10" in diameter. Since the hardware cloth comes in 4' height and you want a finished roll closer to five feet, you will need to buy extra, then use twists of wire to add another ten inches of height to your roll. You will also need additional hardware cloth for the basin- see below.
   Roll your hardware cloth a big tube about 10" in diameter and use wire to secure it. Cut a circle of hardware cloth to form a top for the roll and secure it with wire as well. Wear good gloves and invest in tin snips. I determined that I wanted the mouth of my tiki to be 29" inches from the ground, so I cut an opening about 2" square starting at 2" inches from the ground and extending up two inches. I cut and additional 2" hole at ground level immediately below- these holes will allow tubing to pass through the body of the tiki. I covered the holes with pieces of gorilla tape, making sure it felt nice and secure. I then stuffed the tube full of waded newspaper, making sure to pack it tightly, using a broom handle. At the bottom, I added large plastic garbage bags waded up. All of this wading will keep mortar from penetrating too deep into the form.
2. Now we cover the hardware cloth armature with mortar mix to create an inner form for the tiki. The idea is to get the cloth covered well enough that the final concrete won't be able to penetrate, but not so heavily that you are adding extra weight. This sucker is going to be very heavy, so you want to keep the mortar as thin as possible (the concrete mix you will use to cast the tiki is a lighter mix). Start with maybe a quarter bag of mortar mix and add enough water so that you can form it into a ball that will hold together when you break it in half, but still plenty moist. A wheel barrow makes a great mixing 'bowl' and a hoe works well as a tool for stirring. Place your armature on a plastic covered surface and pile the wet mortar mix at the base. Using good rubber gloves, use your hands to pull the mix up over the entire body of the armature, except the taped openings. Once the whole thing is covered, including the top, clean up your tools and let the armature dry for about 24 hours. Once it is dry, remove the paper wadding, but then add in just enough to create a 'plug' at the bottom. Plastic bags work best for this.
3. My tikis are done using a 5' length of 14" sonar tube. I cut the tube in half lengthwise. I then lashed the halves together with bungee cords. A rope will also work, but the bungee cords really keep things tight. Put the tube over your armature and carefully line up the cut in the tube with your taped holes. I positioned my armature inside the tube so that there was more space between the tube and the armature at the front, since this was where bulk of the carving would take place.
   4.The concrete mix to fill the tube consists of 2 or 3 parts vermiculite to 1 part portland cement and enough water to make a mayonaise like consistency. When pouring, take care that you are dong so evenly so as not to leave areas unfilled. More vermiculite gives a slower drying time and a lighter weight- both very good. But it does make for a crumblier consistency. If you choose to use less vermiculite, the finished concrete will be smoother, but it will set up fast, and you will need to play beat the clock. Either way, best bet is to pour your concrete in the evening and get up the next morning ready to carve.
4. Remove the sonar tube reveal your nice pillar of concrete. If there are holes, do not despair. They can be patched after your initial carving. I like to make paper cut out patterns for the basic features of the tiki. I pin these to the concrete, then trace them with a chisel. After tracing, go to town and start carving! I like to start by making the hole for the mouth- I use a yard stick to measure up from the center seam to find where to go in. I then do the hole at the bottom. I use an old hand saw for texturing the surface and an old chisel and a little saw with a blade about six inches long for doing most of the carving.
5. Fill in any patches the next day with further concrete.
6. Using poster cardboard, I made paper patterns for the base of the fountain and the actual basin. I took my time about this to get a shape I liked- buy extra poster board. The pattern I made for the base allows for a generous overlap of hardware cloth- more than six inches. I bought enough hardware cloth to cut out two rounds for the basin. I also bought a length of wire door screen material large enough for the basin.
   Cut out the hard ware cloth base and form a cone. Secure it with wire and cut an opening- this will be the backside of the base. Cut the two basin pieces and cut a long notch through both of them with a hole at the center as in my (crude) illustration. Overlap the cut edges to make your flat oval form a shallow cup. Secure with wire. Then secure the basin to the base with wire. Now cut your oval from the fine mesh and fit it to the basin. The mesh will allow you to mortar the basin without the material falling though the holes.
   Fit a piece of vinyl tubing (I believe I used 3/4" inside diameter) into the hole in the basin, leaving it standing about an inch and quarter above the wire. Coat the interior of the basin with mortar mix. Now gotta go make dinner! Will return to directions later....
   

[ Edited by: Gwen 2014-05-05 20:18 ]