Introduction: Making a Stainless Steel Cactus
Making a stainless steel cactus is not only fun, it's easy too. This particular cactus is both hearty and very easy to maintain. Using simple materials, you can create this cool addition to your urban landscape.
A simple dusting now and then should suffice to keep the plant looking healthy year round.
Step 1: Parts.
Flower pot, stones, and stainless steel TIG welding rod.
Step 2: Cut.
Put on your safety glasses. Check the mirror and make sure they look good on you.
Cut lengths of the stainless rod using bolt cutters or lineman's pliers. Do not attempt this with scissors or your teeth. You may use artistic judgment in determining the lengths of the plant leaves. Or whatever you call them.
Take the lengths of stainless wire you just cut (approximately 14 or 15 pieces) and bundle them up with wire or duct tape at one end. This will be the end you stick into the rocks. Making sense?
Step 3: Fill.
Fill the pot with stones. Care must be taken during this step not to break the ceramic pot with the stones. Also, some level of skill is involved with making sure they all get into the pot.
Step 4: Clean.
Use a file to de-burr the sharp cuts on the ends of the plant. This just makes it look nicer and not so hacked. They'll still be sharp like a cactus, just clean looking.
Step 5: Admire.
Take a step back and check out your work. Make sure it looks kinda like a cactus-type thing.
Step 6: Place.
Put it somewhere. These plants do well in both direct sunlight as well as indoors.
9 Comments
14 years ago on Introduction
wow what do you think of when your not bored
14 years ago on Introduction
absolutely beautiful! especially since I cant keep any plant alive for more than a few weeks.
14 years ago on Introduction
File the cut ends before making the bundle, to avoid impaling yourself on your own
petardcactus? Just a thought.I had a strange idea one day to plant a "flower bed" of things like this made from various kitchen implements after it dawned on me that a steel spaghetti spoon looked a bit like an alien flower of some sort. Sadly I don't have a cool urban landscape, more of a magnolia-painted-walls suburban one.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
i'm guessing the picture was an after thought.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
You are correct, PKM, in that it is much easier to deburr the ends *before* assembly. I actually found this out when I cheated and put Step 5 : Admire, in front of Step 4. It was then, upon looking at the - almost finished - piece, that I realized that the sharp ends were distracting me. I then proceeded to Step 4, and then repeated Step 5, happy with my results.
Thanks for catching that. :)
14 years ago on Introduction
Nice and simple. If any one breaks in, just throw it at them.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Naw... after a protracted struggle between good and evil, the bad guy/girl/person/alien falls/stumbles/is pushed into the "cactus" and is fatally impaled. This post is rated M, for mature audiences.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Yes... I do suppose that when one *does* venture too far from the warm glow of the computer screen, and outside into the world that surrounds us, one *could* encounter things like cacti and/or other sharp objects precariously placed in random locations. These could be considered dangerous.
However, just as most of us have made it this far without impaling ourselves (to death) on anything, I have hope that future generations too, will approach anything they see with a modicum of caution.
Life, is rated M for mature audiences.
14 years ago on Introduction
It should be to water every day or just once a week? ;)