Post #813693 by MadDogMike on Wed, Aug 21, 2024 8:19 AM

SPOILER ALERT - NOT TIKI!!!
About 4 years ago I made a trip to Disneyland and was inspired by the Indiana Jones Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Now that I've retired I have time to do this big project but the timing is bad. It's hotter than Satan's butthole here on the Anvil of the Sun.

According to Bamboo Ben 4:24 - "Thou shalt have no white walls", and this white wall was pretty boring

I had made this Jade Jaguar years ago and decided to use this design as a centerpiece and namesake for this temple wall. Theme will be Mayan

Drew out a plan to build "stone" blocks to attach to the wall. Varying thickness of these blocks will give depth to the wall. Some blocks to be 2 inches thick, some 1 inch thick, and some painted directly to the stucco wall.

I started with a 4x4 foot piece of 1/2 inch waterproof cement board. Attached a 2x4 frame around the outside, filled the center in with Styrofoam, and covered it with chicken wire. Added some reinforcement in the corner to make a large crack.

Mixed up a batch of fiberglass reinforced, polymer modified mortar and covered the panel like frosting a cake.

I textured the panel with a lava rock rubber stamp. The mortar mix had some colorant in it then I used a "fog coat" of black and moss green powdered concrete colorant thrown at the panel while the mortar was still wet. I got a little heavy handed on my first attempt, fortunately this panel is mostly hiden behind the bar. I was able to tone down subsequent blocks.

This stucco wall has plywood behind it. Attaching to the wall just requires long screws through the panel and stucco into the plywood.

Second panel made and placed. Started building a tree along the edge, partially to serve as a transition from the temple wall to the next section of wall. 2x4s, Styrofoam, and chicken wire.

Coated the tree with green tinted mortar. If you look closely you'll see a big ceramic iguana head sticking out of a hole in the wall at the top.

The right side is getting close to finished. The area below the window doesn't have a mortar panel, it's painted. I painted that section of the wall the same color as the base mortar and fog coated with the same powdered colors. Added some silk plant leaves to the tree. I had some 1 inch rope left over from another project so I painted it green and attached some silk leaves to use as vines.

Started working on the Jade Jaguar. about 8x11 inches.

Temple wall getting close to completion. Just needs the lintel/beam across the top of the window. Framed the window with wood to help hide the white aluminum window frame. The wood frame will also hold a jungle tapestry stretched over a PVC frame. It will cover the glass window.

The lintel beam is delayed a bit while I wait for the Jade Jaguar to dry and be glazed. The jaguar will be mortared into the beam.

I used my new 3D printer to print a couple Kukulkans, the Mayan feathered serpent god. About 6x6x6 inches

Painted and mounted

More to come...

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2024-08-21 09:07:35 ]

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2024-08-21 09:09:34 ]