Creating a Lake

[s219]

I did copper for a gutter above our porch, and did not like the shiny look when new, nor do I like the green patina you often see on old copper. However, the gutter supplier told me that the green patina takes 40-50 years or more to develop, and it's slow. He said this stuff would weather to a brown/bronze after a couple months, and he was right. Looks good and blends in nicely with our stained wood trim.

That said, I am not sure how I'd use sheet copper to skin that onion -- that would be a mind-twister for sure.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

That said, I am not sure how I'd use sheet copper to skin that onion -- that would be a mind-twister for sure.

Sheet metal hammers and beat it into shape.

 

[philbuilt]

Hey Eddie
This onion needs metal. Check this web site Homepage. I used this product for a sign at The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor Maine.
Great stuff very malleable. Nice warm grey color.
Keep up the awesome work.
phil

 

[dstig1]

Since copper is not an option (but it is the best option, IMO), you might need to think outside the box a bit more....

I was thinking...You want it to remain curved and not faceted... That has me thinking some kind of a fluid applied that cures or dries. What about coating it with Redguard and then doing some sort of cement applied to it? Stucco, spray cement, something along that line. You could paint it, color coat it, or ??? I know it's a bit "out there" but then you left the reservation long ago when you started framing this beast (very cool I should add). I thought you were a crazy man to try framing up something like this, but you obviously have the confidence in your skills to do so, and it shows. Impressive!

 

[EddieWalker]

Other then copper, the problem I have with metal is maintenance. If I paint it, how long will it last? I looked into cutting aluminum flashing, but didn't like the look of it. I searched all over for something that caught my eye, and looked like something I could do myself. I love all the colors in the onion domes in Russia, but don't think color will look good in my setting. Everything is based on nature and for it to look like it grew out of the ground.

I bought the stuff to build a steamer this week. I'm having a tough time finding time to get anything done this week, but hope to get started building it and trying it out sometime soon!!!! If the shingles fail, or don't work, I'm in deep trouble. LOL

Eddie

 

[zing]

Maybe you should go with your first instinct and actually make it look like a thistle.

You would have to do two layers. A layer of flashing or tin sheeting to water proof it, painted brown to blend in. Then wrap a second, cosmetic layer over that with some kind of treated woven mat or an artificial turf type of material. As long as it was brown and shaggy looking it might blend in with the natural environment around it.

 

[fordmantpw]

Maybe you should go with your first instinct and actually make it look like a thistle.

You would have to do two layers. A layer of flashing or tin sheeting to water proof it, painted brown to blend in. Then wrap a second, cosmetic layer over that with some kind of treated woven mat or an artificial turf type of material. As long as it was brown and shaggy looking it might blend in with the natural environment around it.

That's it! Wrap it with metal first to water proof it, then cover it with a brownish indoor/outdoor carpeting. Perfect!

 

[EddieWalker]

My first version of the steamer box is a failure. I might have watched too many youtube videos and just assumed that the hose they recommended would work. It might have with a smaller box, but I made my box big enough to hold 5 shingles at a time. Version 2 will be of a much larger hose and it will sit directly below the box. I think the bend in the hose and the fact that you just can't get that much steam through a 3/4 inch hose made it impossible to heat the shingles.

I bought a double burner electric stove top from Walmart for $30 and that worked great. It heated up the pond water to a really nice boil.

I'm off to Lowes to see what I can come up with in the 4 inch range!!!



Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

So we woke up this morning to light rain and plans to go to a friends house and get to know the horses they are giving us. They where born the end of May and we will be taking them home in November, but that's going to be another thread. While at their place my dad called and told me that he had run into the drain line and valve handle for the pond. When digging the pond I installed a six inch pipe through the dam so I could drain the water while digging, and to have the option of lowering the water to mow along the shoreline if I wanted to. This has proven to be a VERY DUMG idea and a total waste of money.

During a break in the rain, he was in the area of the drain line with the backhoe cleaning up some trees to make it nicer for the wedding. He is pretty good at this, but forgot where the line was and when he hit it, he just snapped off a six in pipe.

He called me at 4. We where home at five. He was at Lowes buying a length of pipe and a rubber coupling. I got on the backhoe and cleaned up the area, then used a hacksaw to cut off the broken pipe and get a flat edge. With Karen's help, we slid the new pipe over the broken pipe and I clamped it down. The leak stopped.

In two hours the water level dropped 4 to five inches.

I cut the pipe and poured 4 1/2 sacks of readi mix concrete into the hole. In a few days, or weeks, I'll remove the pipe we added and fill it up with more concrete, then cover it with several feet of dirt. This can never happen again!!!!




Eddie

 

[Dishpointer]

Eddie,

Don't feel bad about the pipe. My dad installed the same setup when building his lake with thoughts of using it to fill up a tank for watering trees. Well, it ended up freezing and breaking the pipe and now his dam seeps water all year with no good way to fix it unless he drains the lake and digs out the pipe in the dam. At least you stopped your leak.