Thursday, March 7, 2013

Acacia Tree Prop: Armature (Chicken Wire/Duct Tape)

Constructed out of chicken wire with 18 gauge steel wire and cable ties for joining section wire branches, the armature is about 40% complete.  Duct tape (and later plastic bags/kraft paper) applied over chicken wire to further increase support and smooth out the surface so that the pattern of the wire does not show through the papier mache.

Since there will be three stepstools at the base of the tree, the bottom four feet of armature (seen here as exposed wire. Duct tape starts at the 4 ft 1 inch mark). There is a height limitation with the ceiling in the garage where I am constructing the prop so the next stage will be removing the bottom 4 foot section in order for the second trunk segment to rest on the floor. This will enable me to build the upper branches so they reach the correct height when installed at the school.
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6 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 20, 2016 at 12:47 PM

    Guess it's too late to tell you this is SO cool! Very creative! How did your tree hold up? I love it!

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    1. merrikin designsMay 20, 2016 at 2:39 PM

      Hi, no, not too late :)
      It ended up being an extremely difficult (as in I'm surprised my hair didnt turn white) installation as the Director altered the spacing of the points in which to support the hanging limbs from her original scheme (which the design was based off of) and didn't tell me until I arrived for the install. The tree shifted 8 feet from one end and then I lost 5 feet the other direction. Took 8 hours to suspend (a 2 hour job had things gone to original plan) and then had to cut apart, tape, and repaint limbs the next day. Ended up looking fine for the play (but not as intricate as the original design).

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  2. UnknownMay 21, 2016 at 4:58 AM

    "The tree shifted 8 feet from one end and then I lost 5 feet the other direction. Took 8 hours to suspend" -- Now, I'm even more impressed, Christine :-) You're amazing under pressure. Nothing like live art...making changes on the fly. I think I would have run away...LOL. Did you use rolls of chicken wire for the larger branches? I want to make a concrete garden lady, and your tree armature has given me some good ideas for her. Thanks! ~Eva

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  3. merrikin designsMay 22, 2016 at 10:23 AM

    For the base and thicker branches, I used thick memory foam (old mattress topper repurposed) and chicken wire. But if you are building an outdoor structure, maybe start with a concrete block (depending on her pose)?

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  4. merrikin designsMay 22, 2016 at 10:35 AM

    For the base and thicker branches, I used thick memory foam (old mattress topper repurposed) and chicken wire. But if you are building an outdoor structure, maybe start with a concrete block (depending on her pose)?

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  5. UnknownMay 23, 2016 at 5:01 AM

    Yes, I plan to cast the concrete base in a large glass vase or lamp and then break off the glass. You can get some interesting shapes that way with some weight to them. I like your idea of repurposing the memory foam :-) I was thinking about using some pool noodles and/or plumbing pipe insulation to "flesh out" my lady armature. My real challenge is deciding on PVC pipe or rebar for the "skeleton" of my armature. Thanks for answering, Christine. ~Eva

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