The Official Formicidae Project

[Mercedes Benzene]

I'm about to start a new project, inspired by a man I recently saw featured on a television show (Discovery or Science channel)
My goal is to make molds of ant colonies to display the beauty of nature and art in harmony.

Apparently, a professor (in FL I believe) has made metal castings of the colonies of various ant species. He finds abandoned ant nests, melts metal, and slowly pours it into the opening of the nest. After it has hardened, he carefully digs it up and retrieves the mold.
Here are some pics (one full size, and one close-up):



I hope that (at least at the beginning) my efforts will not yield something as massive.
I believe that I will make my first attempts with some sort of plaster, but will soon move to making a furnace out of a trash can that I can melt metal in (tin or some related alloy).
Updates to follow, and I invite anyone else to participate if they so desire.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Mercedes Benzene

I'm about to start a new project, inspired by a man I recently saw featured on a television show (Discovery or Science channel)
My goal is to make molds of ant colonies to display the beauty of nature and art in harmony.

Apparently, a professor (in FL I believe) has made metal castings of the colonies of various ant species. He finds abandoned ant nests, melts metal, and slowly pours it into the opening of the nest. After it has hardened, he carefully digs it up and retrieves the mold.
Here are some pics (one full size, and one close-up):



I hope that (at least at the beginning) my efforts will not yield something as massive.
I believe that I will make my first attempts with some sort of plaster, but will soon move to making a furnace out of a trash can that I can melt metal in (tin or some related alloy).
Updates to follow, and I invite anyone else to participate if they so desire.

holy cow! this idea has all the kewlness and danger a peep could ask for. the plaster sounds safe, however it may not hold together well when digging out the cast.

the metal will hold together and casting it requires a lot o' caution.

#1 fire extinguisher on hand
#2 eye protection
#3 heavy clothing
#4 hard hat
#5 heavy gloves
#6 water
# big smile

i recommned starting small. use an iron ladle sold at harware stores for melting lead to cast fishing weights. you can use a propane torch for heat. i have no experience with tin, but have cast lead & silver.

without a vent, pouring molten metal into a mold can compress the air which then forces past the liquid and spatters back out the sprue (pour hole). any moisture in the mold may have the same result as it flashes to steam. i suggest placing a metal funnel into the ant hole and support it with sand. do not have any part of your body over the sprue as you pour. you might try driving a long rod at an angle and down toward the suspect den and then pull it out to create a vent.

did the guy show details? wow!!!

[Turtle]

just me again. can't get this pressure outa my head.

what about using an epoxy resin? you would want something thin. one possible drawback is that the soil would prolly embed & remain on the surface (same too for the plaster?). that might be a cool thing though, as i've made sand candles with that as an objective.

looking at the samples in the pics, i don't see any soil. do you suppose it doesn't embed, or that he cleans it off the cast?

why limit ourselves to ant holes? yellow jacket nest metal cast anybody? bumblebee? maybe even carpenter ant galleries in a safely isolated piece of wood?

let the melting begin! two house moves ago i finally rid myself of a 5 gallon bucket of lead wheel balancing weights; i used it to make small lost-wax sculptures, fishing weights, & .36 cal balls for a black powder revolver. well, i digress. lock & load insectoids! fire in the hole.

[Mercedes Benzene]

Originally Posted by Turtle

did the guy show details? wow!!!

Yes! I really wish I could remember exactly how he did it, but I forgot to TiVo it.
From what I DO remember: He did it with a friend (co-worker?). The metal was melted in some sort of crucible inside of a home-made wood-powered furnace (Metal trash can anyone?). I think he pulled the crucible out with a hook and placed it on the ground. Then the two men used these two flat [steel] bars with a bend in the middles to cradle the crucible.

They then moved over to the entrance of the ant hole, removed a couple centimeters of dirt with a trowel, and started pouring the metal in. They did it slowly to allow the metal to dribble down, and for air to bubble up. I would imagine it took a long time with some of those, not only to pour, but to dig up!

what about using an epoxy resin? you would want something thin. one possible drawback is that the soil would prolly embed & remain on the surface (same too for the plaster?). that might be a cool thing though, as i've made sand candles with that as an objective.

This is definitely something that crossed my mind. I'm sure it wasn't an issue for him, since he lived in the south, and the "soil" was just sand. I live in a very clay-ey area... although ants tend to make their digging material gritty.... so maybe I'll get lucky.
I'll do some small scale experiments just to see what I need to do to make "clean" moldings.

[Fatstep]

I'm pretty sure he used zinc, I saw it aswell.

[blamski]

that's pretty cool actually and i'd love to see your results...

BUT

... is it science or is it art?? either way i'd have one in my house.

to tell if an ant colony has been vacated or not is it just a case of looking for a small hole with no ants around it? and how do you know its an ant colony entrance and not just any old little hole?

[Mercedes Benzene]

Originally Posted by Fatstep

I'm pretty sure he used zinc, I saw it aswell.

I could use zinc, but before I know how hot I can get my furnace, it would be best to stick with tin since it has a much lower melting point.

Originally Posted by blamski

... is it science or is it art?? either way i'd have one in my house.

to tell if an ant colony has been vacated or not is it just a case of looking for a small hole with no ants around it? and how do you know its an ant colony entrance and not just any old little hole?

It's both! It's art because... well... the outcome looks cool, and it's science because it shows the differences in the nests between species. Different "compartments" serve different purposes, and each species makes a unique design.
Most of all, it's fun!

[freeztar]

What a cool idea MB!
I look forward to seeing your results.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Mercedes Benzene

Yes! I really wish I could remember exactly how he did it, but I forgot to TiVo it.
From what I DO remember: He did it with a friend (co-worker?). The metal was melted in some sort of crucible inside of a home-made wood-powered furnace (Metal trash can anyone?). I think he pulled the crucible out with a hook and placed it on the ground. Then the two men used these two flat [steel] bars with a bend in the middles to cradle the crucible.

roger that. standard foundry equipment. 2 people is a good idea just for safety, but even so i wonder how well it might work to have 2 people ladling the melt in from the melt pot? if that does work as well, it means smaller, lighter, less expensive equipment; all good things for field work.

Originally Posted by mercedB

They then moved over to the entrance of the ant hole, removed a couple centimeters of dirt with a trowel, and started pouring the metal in. They did it slowly to allow the metal to dribble down, and for air to bubble up.

right; making the sprue right in the soil is more sensible & economical than my funnel idea ; no funnel.

Originally Posted by mercedB

I would imagine it took a long time with some of those, not only to pour, but to dig up!

that's what i thought too on the digging. not only the time, but it's no little bit o' sweat to dig a 6 foot deep hole in any soil let alone sand. note to self: bring 2 shovels.

Originally Posted by mercedB

I'll do some small scale experiments just to see what I need to do to make "clean" moldings.

maybe start on a worm hole?

now the real issue i want to get at is the idea of finding a burrow that is unoccupied. is this an issue of preventing cruelty to ants, or an issue of not wanting their little bodies, pupae, and eggs crudding up an otherwise beautiful form? if it's not a cruelty issue, i say pour away ants or not. you might capture their last little moments pompeiianesquley and reveal something of their escape behavior. or just get a neat texture.

well...that's a wrap.

[Mercedes Benzene]

Originally Posted by Turtle

maybe start on a worm hole?

now the real issue i want to get at is the idea of finding a burrow that is unoccupied. is this an issue of preventing cruelty to ants, or an issue of not wanting their little bodies, pupae, and eggs crudding up an otherwise beautiful form? if it's not a cruelty issue, i say pour away ants or not. you might capture their last little moments pompeiianesquley and reveal something of their escape behavior. or just get a neat texture.

well...that's a wrap.

I'll just make my best judgement. If it seems that there's nobody home, then I'll pour away. I personally don't think it's cruel to kill an ant, so as long as no one here reports me to PETA.....
I certainly don't hesitate to kill ants if they wander into my house....

squish.