How to Make an Anthill Sculpture

Since the beginning of civilization people have endeavored to create original and beautiful works of art. A friend of mine developed an interesting method of creating a sculpture from the tunnels under an anthill. I've seen the result, and it is quite striking. This will also eradicate those pesky ants.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Lead
• Saucepan
• Stirring Stick
• Potholders
• Stove or Campfire
• Air Filter Mask
• Shovel
• Anthill

1. Prepare the anthill. My friend lived on the gulf coast, and the ants there lived in a hole in the sand, rather than in a mound of dirt. The ant holes are simpler in that the molten metal can just be poured in. The ant mound needs a little preparation. One method is to carefully dig a small concave hole in the top of the mound. You want to expose the tunnels underneath without damaging them. Or you could stick a glass or cup into the top of the mound. Give the ants a day to repair the damage, then remove the glass and you have a nice round cavity with exposed tunnel openings.
2. Prepare the metal. The lead must be pure. Alloys do not melt at the low heat available from a cooking stove or fire. You can find lead available through some fishing tackle shops (used to mold fishing sinkers). There are also online resources.
   
   The saucepan or pot will not be able to be used for cooking after this project. If you don't have a spare around the house, go to Goodwill or your local thrift shop and get one. Do not use a pot with Teflon lining.
   
   If the anthill is near your home, you can melt the metal in a pot on the stove. Just make sure that the room is well ventilated. Otherwise you can use a barbecue grill or campfire. Stir the metal as it melts, using the pot holders at all times for safety.
3. Carefully pour the melted metal into the hole in the anthill. The medal should run down into the tunnels, until a pool forms at the top. Try not to pour more metal than will fit in the tunnels.
4. Allow time for the metal to cool and harden. Metal hardens fast, but it is a good idea to wait a day for the remaining ants (if any) to go away.
5. Carefully remove the sculpture. Lead is a soft metal and will bend or break if struck. Dig a trench around the hill and then gently extract the sculpture. Take it slow. Wash the dirt off and your sculpture is ready for display. My friend mounted his on a wooden base so it looked like a metal tree.

Tips & Warnings

• This activity involves high heat and molten metal. Extreme care must be taken to avoid injury. Wear long, heavy pants and boots to avoid being burned by the splatter and for protection from angry insects. Lead in particular is poisonous, work in a well ventilated area and wash your hands and arms thoroughly when finished. Do not use the melting pot for cooking food ever again.