Casting a Fire Ant Colony Built Around a Log with Molten Aluminum (Cast #116)

This fire ant colony was built partially around a dead log that was lying partially below the ground surface. I had melted 31.1 lb for a larger cast nearby and had a decent amount leftover so I decided to use the excess to cast this smaller but potentially more interesting colony. The resulting cast has a very noticeable cylindrical cut-out area where the ants had built their colony tunnels around the log. It doesn’t appear as though they tunneled into the wood at all. The log was around 4 in (10 cm) in diameter.

I started digging on the log side of the cast (1:30) but quickly realized that the colony didn’t extend directly below the log and it would be better to start on the other side (2:17). In the end, it worked out well to have both sides dug out because the casted tunnels were tightly wrapped around the log and it gave me room to wiggle the cast free. My digging strategy is usually to find the edge of the cast so that’s what I’m doing during the initial digging.

The finished cast (Anthill Art Cast #116) weighs 11.1 lb (5 kg), has a depth of 15 in (38 cm) and a maximum width of 11.5 in (29 cm).

0:00 Intro
0:11 Pour
0:44 Uncovering the Hill
1:36 Digging for Tunnels
4:30 Removing Cast from the Ground
4:59 Washing the Cast
7:25 Initial Wash Done
7:51 Finished Cast Display/Stats