lightweight material?

[grizzlyironbear]

hey guys...im looking into getting a mod done for the wife...yet again lol! this time she wants a tree stump. My problem is...i dont want this thing to be 900+ pounds just for a tower, so, i am trying to look into something that is highly moldable..yet LIGHT in the weight. was going to do a rough draft of it in maybe PVC for stability and wrap it in wire? basically i want to try to recreate a totally hollow rendition of a tree stump. ANY ideas? i thought of maybe using fiberglass...but never worked with it before and was hoping for something a bit less on the aromatics LOL....soooo basically im at a loss as to what material to use for the stump. everything else ive pretty much hammered out for the materials.

[Mach]

Paper or Paper-mache? Believe it or not, the girlfriend just came home with a ceramic stump that is a stool (don't ask) but its very heavy. Links to similar discussions of similar ideas below. Also check out Acey's mods for Project Paperazzi (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14819)and Matriarch.

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15681

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=622

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9556

[crazybillybob]

Fiberglass is a good choice! but if you use it get the epoxy resin, it dries quicker and doesn't smell as much (polyester has some nasty odor that's not good for your health!) You can make the frame for it out of any thing heck I've heard of guys using coat hangers and pantie hose for the frame. If you want to get really realistic, make a plaster cast of a Log then use it as your Fiber glass mold (you need to seal it with a butt load of clear coat and some spray wax or the resin will stick to the plaster). Hit google and search for Fiber glassing tuts there are many out there!!!

Good Luck,
CrazyBillyBob

[grizzlyironbear]

Sweet sweet sweet ideas! once again, you guys have come to the rescue! i took a bit from both of your posts and am thinking of going with some hard foam for the form, as its sandable to get the roots of the stump the way i want it...and im thinking of either paper mache or fiberglass for the actual outside of the tower. to make a long story short, its a mold of whats called a banyan tree, which is relatively smooth for bark. i dont want to go into more detail as to what else is going to be done to it, as i have FINALLY found a mod that nobody else has done....so i want to keep this idea mine until i get a bit more into the modding process....but, if all goes well, its gonna be a HUGE mod lol...5 feet tall i think...