Frugal Green Tips

This composition is called the Power Point Observatory and Light House.
It has been achieved by composite construction and it is part of a larger whimsical garden theme.

Part 1:  How to make:  The Cone Head

• The square bottom of a basic orange safety cone was cut off.  This safety cone could have been lifted off our highways but it was purchased instead at Home Depot for $ 10.00.
  Studies of the cones at Home depot proved that the dimensions of the cone would have worked well in the grand scheme of things.
  
  
• The base of the cone was cut off carefully so that eventually the conical form would stand up as straight as possible.  The texture of the cone shown was achieved by spraying a lot of the release agent which consisted of a butter flavor cooking spray and the spraying was not a fine mist but rather sporadic and chunky.
• A doubled up plastic bag was wrapped around the smaller hole and fastened with rubber bands.
• The cone was placed in a deep container, small hole down, and towels used on the side to hold the cone up straight while the concrete was poured.
  A slender classic white plastic waste basket worked fine.
• The cone was filled with ready mix concrete.  When almost to the top of the base, a flat bowl was placed on the top of the safety cone base to just about cover the big opening.
  The flat bowl placed around the cone base fit just right and when the cone was eventually flipped with wet concrete, it helped stop the migration of water.
• Holding the bottom of the waste basket with one hand and holding the bowl over the bigger opening over the cone with the other hand, the cone full of concrete was flipped.  Then the waste basket as well as the plastic over the small hole was removed.
• The square bottom of the cone that was cut off earlier, with teeth up, was pushed down from the top over the cone all the way down to the flat bowl.
  The idea was to hold the cone from migrating upward.

I was able to find a thick and tough Tupperware lid from the old days which was used at the base of the cone.  This prevented the concrete at the bottom from running everywhere.  Small bungee cords were wrapped around the base of the cone in and out of the teeth of the loose cutout square base and were hooked to the Tupperware lid.

• When secured, more concrete was poured from the top into the small hole.  As the cone was shaken gently to let the concrete inside stack, the cone migrated upward releasing some concrete at the bottom on the bowl.  More concrete was gently poured through the small hole at the top but the concrete sunk again. It was a give and take situation but the cone was topped off in the end.  The total migration of the plastic cone upward was probably about an inch at the base but that was ok because it was to be used to anchor the cone to the next piece of the project.
  
• A large marble was inserted on the top and tapped down gently until it submerged about a hair beyond the equator.  This was to be the light of the light house.
• Since the cone had very minimal surface area from which to release its moisture, it was left to cure for 2 days.
• With a lid remover for one gallon paint cans, the bottom was pried gently all the way around.  The cone slid off easily once the seal at the bottom was released.
  The concrete cone head was left in the sun to dry but misted with water every couple of hours.
  The making of the cone head sounds like a big job but it is all about planning your moves.

Part 2:  How to make: The Light House

• The concrete cone was placed in a flower pot saucer but before that the base was soaked with water for a little bit.
• This prevented the cone from rapidly absorbing too rapidly the water from the concrete that was to be poured.  Attention was also paid so that the saucer and the concrete cone were level.
• The saucer had previously been sprayed with a release agent.
• A bit of concrete was poured under the cone and then all around its base.  Given the situation, the round cap of a detergent jug leveled and compacted the concrete around the saucer in a flash.
• With a credit type card, indentations all the way around the cone were made to resemble water.
• With a trowel more concrete was delivered around the base of the cone to symbolize rubble.
• Marbles were placed as desired and tapped gently down a hair above their equator.
  
• The composition was left to dry and the saucer mold removed 24 hours later while paying great attention to corner edges. Depending on the job you might want to use binding compounds to ease the adherence of dry to wet concrete.
  

Variant:
The cone heads by themselves with crystal balls embedded at the tip would capture incredible reflections and make very interesting unique garden sculptures when dispersed tastefully in the garden.
The sun’s rays will penetrate the crystal balls making them look like they are on fire and their light would seem to be coming from down deep within the cones.  Guaranteed!
Safety cones come in different sizes and proportions.  Some, like the ones on the highway, are really pointed and part of the tip with the small hole might have to be tailored.