Rum Dog's Tiki Cactus Garden project for Mojave Oasis

Thought I would document the final tiki cactus I am making for Mojave Oasis. This is an easy project that anyone can do, especially for those who live in desert communities who want to mix tiki with elements of their local environment.

First step is to go to your local box store and buy a 6 inch wide drain pipe with connectors.

Second is to cut and connect.

Next step is to paper mache and add some tikiness.

Cool cactus concept Rum Dog! You gonna make it so it comes apart for transport?

lol more cool Mojave stuff!

Can't wait to see pictures of your cactus project finished!

Loving this. Can't wait to see more. Cool idea Rum Dog.

Dale

On 2013-04-04 06:00, MadDogMike wrote:
Cool cactus concept Rum Dog! You gonna make it so it comes apart for transport?

I make them so they come apart at the base only so that the cactus part looks seamless. (They really don't even need a base if you make them to have have part of the drain pipe buried in the ground). Yes, having them intact will make it more difficult to get them all (I made 4)out to Mojave. I am not going to rent another U-Haul truck. I will see if it all fits into my SUV this weekend. If I have trouble I will see if anyone at the Internation Marketplace who is coming to Mojave & has some extra room in their vehicle can help me out.

Thanks Amy, Lori, and Dale.

The final product will be revealed in a little more than a week when I return from Mojave.

Next I take off the top part of the pipe and work on creating some tikiness. I use some cheap pool float sticks and cut them to get some shape. Also use alot of Duct tape.

I use a $5 wall paper paste as my glue for the paper mache.

Re-attach to see how this looks from a distance. The openings of the pipe at the top will be holders for tiki torches.

Mad Dog Mike, I had you in mind when I was thinking up this cactus tiki. This one will eventually be a cannibal cactus when its complete. When I am done using it for my Tiki Cactus Garden camp site it is yours. It will be a nice decoration next to your cool Cannibal trailer for future travels.

You know, if the cactus project does not work out, you can make one hell oh a potato cannon out of it!

More paper mache and use of pool noodle foam.

Then use some rope to create more definition. Give the arms some bumps to make it less drain pipe looking.

I love where this is headed. Great use of papermache. I have never worked with that other than as a kid covering a balloon. You really are working some magic on that piece.

Thanks for sharing the steps.

Dale

I put on a final layer of paper mache using Kirkland brand paper towels from Costco. I like its texture.

I first tried using some wall texture spray but I didn’t like how it took the paint.

What I found that worked better was using some old paint that I had in the garage and mixing in a boatload of sand into it.

This created the texture and consistency I was looking for.

For final coloring I just used some 99 cent bottles of paint from arts & crafts section of Wallmart and mixed them together with some water until I found a combination to my liking.

The sneak previews are lookin cool RumDog. Im not sure that cactus will fit in my little trailer though :lol:

On 2013-04-07 08:43, Rum Dog wrote:

You have a really nice workshop there! Remarkably clean.
Cool concept as well. I predict some fire...

Buzzy Out!

I am really enjoying your thread. Fun to see it coming together from scratch like this...

To make the bases I use an empty pretzel container from Costco.

More duck tape and pool noodle to make the shape.

Papermache the exterior and fill the container about 3/4 full of quickcrete cement.
Put a piece of drain pipe so that it sticks out about three inches out of the top. (this is not shown in the photo)

Here is the finished base with the pipe sticking out.

I used a rock finish spray paint and 99 cent craft paint to color the rock bases.

This one talks and jaw moves with a motion decector.

The Tiki Cactus Garden becomes a magical spot after sunset.

This is my favorite photo

Very cool cacti Rum Dog!

That's really fun. The atmosphere they create is very desert and cool for such a hot place, Wendy

You west coast kids get to have all the fun. The cacti look great, as did your setup!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool!

Did you make the tikis and the giant moai too? I need a giant Moai! If you made them please tell how! Thanks in advance.

Mahalo,
Lori

They looked even better in person! :D

Awesome job and that paint treatment with the sand was perfect!!

One mighty-fine looking display. I'm sure fun was had by all who visited. :)

Dale

On 2013-04-09 21:46, Bay Park Buzzy wrote:

I predict some fire...

Buzzy Out!

Buzzy knows I like to make smoke & fire out in the desert.

Thanks for all the nice comments everyone. Everyone was very appreciative at Mojave which made all the effort to put it together well worth it.

I only made the cactus tikis. Papermache projects are very forgiving. If you make a mistake or don't like the way it looks you just remove it and try again.

The cost of supplies is about $30. Don't buy spray paint. I made the mistake of buying some different green shades but did not like the look. The 99 cent craft paint worked much better and of course is much more economical.

I purchased the Moai statues from Benson's Imports in Huntington Beach, CA. They are a molded plastic and do not have a back to them. I use them in my backyard near the pool. I think they are way over priced at $85 each. Shipping might be high due to their size. I was able to go to their warehouse.

Here is their website.

http://www.bambooandthatchetc.com/product_info.php?cPath=611_599&products_id=2026

Thanks for the link, Rumdog!

One follow up question. Paper mache woulnd't hold up in the outdoors, would it? I'm imagining you'd need to seal it. Otherwise it would eventually "melt away."

The thick paint mixed with a lot of sand gives it more of a stucco type finish. Many of the people at Mojave Oasis thought they were made with cement. They were surprised when I told them it was a form of paper mache base.

The pool noodles also provided a more solid surface to apply the newspaper and final layer of paper towels.
I tried to minimize any soft or hollow spots which could more easily tear or trap moisture.

The base is probably where they would most need a sealer, especially if located in an area where they could get wet a lot or be sitting in a pool of water.

They will not melt away. I image they will fade and get scraped up if they fall over. They will need a little touch up paint now and then.

I figured they would get a little roughed up in transit. I unbelievably took everything for the camp site to Mojave in my Ford Explorer Sport. (That's the smaller two door model.) Every available space was untilzed.

The picture above best shows the stucco finish but it also shows a little damage. I brought a little repair kit with me and spent a little time touching them up Saturday morning.

I won't really be able to tell you how the wear and tear will be in the future. I ended up trading or giving them all away so that I didn't have to strap anything to the top of my SUV for the drive home. (This is one of the reasons why I took so many pictures of them).

For those of you who did not catch this link in other threads, here is a video of Lost in Paradise for the Mojave Oasis event. My Tiki Cactus Garden is featured at the 10:38 minute mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4CUlSNdS9E