Giant Ant (Step 18) - ta daaa!

We arrived on-site at 10 am, May 12, 2008. The sky loomed ominously overhead, but we were steadfast in our determination. We would build that ant!

There were some last minute tweeks to the leg sockets, upgrading from a 3/8ths bolt, to a 7/16ths...oh the humanity!

Laying out the pieces, we took a quick inventory.

And here's the site all prepped and ready for digging!

Much love for the ant head!
The first step was to put the legs onto the body so we could get our footing placements.

And temporarily adding the head made it easier to orientate the ant in a good direction.

Still mapping.

Then we marked the foot print, and slid over the whole sculpture so we could start digging.

So we had a few problems at this point. It would seem that the concrete base for the flag pole extended a few extra feet in every direction, making digging a bit tricky.

Luckily the city folks arrived in the nick of time and were ready to lend a hand. They trimmed up some of the concrete anchors I had made, so our holes didn't have to go as deep and then we were good to go!

Then we aligned the anchors to the foot holds, and bolted them in place.

And then we just had to tamp down the dirt in each hole and cover up the evidence.

It was now time to attach the abdomen...


...even more fun.


But we finally got it in place, and locked it down.

Then it was time for the last minute touch-ups.

Such as painting the tops of the bolts and nuts to blend in with the rest of the ant.

And there she is, in all her glory!

The End :)

(many thanks to Christopher Greiner for Step 18's great photos)

Giant Ant (Step 17) - viva the color!

So, color...huh? Well, I knew what color I wanted the ant to be, so I went to the store, found the color swatch and had them mix me up a gallon. Then I came back and started painting...and that's when the trouble began. Nobody told me that using a spray gun would be sooo tricky! I couldn't get the gun to work right, I could get the air pressure right, and the paint (although it was brand new) was full of chunks of latex which continually clogged the nozzle. So after several attempts, and several cleanings, and even several different spray guns, I finally decided to go out and buy some cans of spray paint.

So then I came back and painted the entire ant a nice red color. And then I sprayed the eyes with black and just for fun I sprayed one of the antenna. I let it dry, then hit it with the red paint, and it looked great! There was just a hint of the black coming through the red and it gave the color so much more depth! And unfortunately I really liked it! SO, I went back to the paint store and bought all their black paint (unfortunately I had already bought out all their red supply, so I had to go elsewhere for that).

And then I proceeded to paint the entire ant black (over the red I had just painted).

And then I let this coat dry...

...and painted it all red again.

And it's kind of hard to tell from the photo, but I also got a few cans of orange to add some highlights to the red, furthering the depth of color even more! Yeah!

And here are all the cans I went through...and yes, my finger is really sore.

Giant Ant (Step 16) - White Out!

These are some pics of the giant ant with the primer coat of paint.

(I used a white Rust-Oleum primer)

I think it's really cool how just painting everything white totally unifies the entire sculpture.

(another angle)

My little invention for painting "in the round"

And the finished product (...so far)

Giant Ant (Step 15) - my shiny new toy!

First thing to do is fill in all the gaps and holes with some expansion foam (a.k.a. ant guts). This is to keep out the moisture and anyone looking to build a nest inside the ant body.

(My dad helping to fill more guts.)

The next step is to clean up all the metal in preparation of the painting to come.

And so now the ant has found a temporary new home...

...where the final steps will be completed.

(I have to say that I really like this all-polished-silver look. If I hadn't already committed to making the ant red, I think I would have just finished it off at this point with a clear coat, and called it a day...but no.)

Giant Ant (Step 14) - it's the final count-down

Today was the day for any last minute tweeks...

...because today, my baby gets a head!


Awww, he looks just like me.

And wouldn't you know it, we finally give him a head, and he goes and tries to eat Ronnie!

(I guess there's not much more to say...so enjoy the show)

Giant Ant (Step 13) - almost there!

Removing the paint from the gas tank had to be done via the grinder with a zircon pad, since the finish proved too tough for the sand blaster. And if anyone wants to see what color it was, I'm quite sure most of it will be residing in my lungs for then next decade.

"jaws of life"

Time for a little trim and tuck.

Ron holding the ant butt...it looks heavy doesn't it?

Giant Ant (Step 12) - location, location, location

Here's your new home Mr. Ant. (downtown Portsmouth, NH)

And here's an artist's (me) rendition of how the ant will look, on-site, before the paint job.

I used half-cinder blocks, filled with concrete as a footing structure for the sculpture. Since the ant will be placed in a garden/flower bed environment, I needed something that could be buried and hidden, but still able to 'lock' onto the sculpture.

And here's a close up of those ant shoes. Believe it or not, the giant ant is only a size 8! (...of course I'm not sure how that translates when there are six of them)