I want a "Dust Globe"

Trixy · Post by **Trixy** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:29 pm

Have you ever seen those snow globes? You know the ones with some silly landmark surrounded by water in a small plastic globe. Then you shake it, and all the fake snow fly's around?

Well, I could really use one with a "man" in it, and instead of water and snow, I'd like it to have playa dust in it. I think it could be made pretty easily (from someone who actually has a creative bone in their body) from an existing globe by replacing the parts with a small "man" model, and then filled with playa and recapped. Then you could shake it up, and it would be like seeing the man in the distance mid dust storm.

I think it could really help me get thru the hard times, when "home" seems SO far away.

If anyone could produce such an item, I'd be willing to do what it takes to repay you (either in cash, help, or favors of some assortment).

Let me know what you think.

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 4:41 pm

If anyone could produce such an item, I'd be willing to do what it takes to repay you (either in cash, help, or favors of some assortment).

You may do it yourself, if you choose. Use a baby food jar and glue the plastic figurine you to the inside of the lid. Use playa powder if you wish, but you probably are better off with glitter or sparkles or whatever. You'll probably want to glue the lid on or seal it in some way so that it doesn't spring leak, since the jar sits on the lid. Don't fill the jar completely with water, as this causes greater commotion when you shake it. Some suggest adding glycerin to the water to make it thicker so the particles fall slower. You've got time to experiment.

You can also go to Michael's Craft Stores (michaels.com) and look for a snow globe there. I've got one on my desk right now. The base comes off, but the water stays in its separate container, and you slide a photo in to the slot, put the base back on, and bingo - a photo of a naked person at burning man glistens in the fake snow!

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:19 pm

I think she's talking a dry one. Swirl the Playa dust around the man.

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:43 pm

No problem. Put the figurine in the jar, fill it with dust, shake, then pour.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:42 am

I'm almost tempted to try that myself...I'm skeptical about the results being satisfactory with just playadust in there. As an alternative, let me share with you a simple project that will give you a VERY satisfactory keepsake:
-Poke around thrift stores for BIG old aluminum icecube trays..the doublewide kind. (Or use any shallow pan like a baking pan- I'm insane for aluminum, so I default to it as a material for any art project.)
-Go to Burning Man.
-Get yourself a sample of playa, perhaps a liter or so in an old water or soda bottle. Use dust and NOT the lumps.
-Return home.
-Unpack your playa sample and add some water to it- Pretend it's really crappy brownie mix, and stir it up and pour into pan. Use enough water so that there's a fraction of an inch of water above the playamud after it settles.
-Place in sun, ideally. Just leaving it alone also works, but true playa is sun-baked. Watch as it first dries to a smooth surface like plaster, and then begins to fragment and divide. Sometimes the ultimate drying process takes weeks!
-PRESTO! A mini-playa! You can remove and inspect the individual chunks, and marvel at how dry and compact they are. Pick them up and smell them- Images of fantastical people and vehicles! The colors! THE COLORRRRSSSS!!!!
I have a mini-playa of my own AND a mini-Bonneville Salt Flats. The 'Flats is really cool, all hard and crystalline and lovely. You can gather your own at the rest stop outside of Wendover, if coming from the East....

If you're intent on a dry playa model, perhaps using a round terrarium with a miniplaya bottom and two blowdryers arranged to create a hot vortex...you may even be able to create little dust devils!

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:45 am

-Wow- This concept really has my brain waving. Just thought of something else- Look for those obnoxious blowup snowglobe yard decorations. Try throwing a few scoops of playa into THAT. (A filter might be necessary, or else the blower-motor will be killed in short order...)

Trixy · Post by **Trixy** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:52 am

Thanks for all the input. As far as the wet vs dry thing, I was thinking dry, as BRC is such a dry place. I'd love to be able to sit at my desk, shake the globe, and instantly be transported back to the most wonderful place on earth.

But I also like to ice cube tray idea, thus having my own playa.

My origianal idea was to just cut open an existing snow globe (taking the clear top half off of the bottom) and put a man inside with dust once I get to the playa this year. Then you could just glue it back together and "presto", a dust globe.

Keep those crazy idea's coming, I love them.

phil · Post by **phil** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:35 am

> -PRESTO! A mini-playa!

Louise had this idea, too, a couple of years ago, but she used a wooden square from a Japanese store (but made in China, of course):

Post by **mdmf007** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:39 pm

Trixy -

a dust globe would kick much butt, but i think in a wet globe you would get mud, and in a dry globe the dust would coat everything and stick due to static.

How about a little globe burningman terrarium? Make a model man, put him on a little chunk of playa, with a model camp if you like and put that in the corner.

sounds like a fun project - i think ill play with the idea.

later

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 1:53 am

WOW! What great ideas! Sounds like a good theme camp idea too - make your own playa, or BM snow globe/terrarium.
This is why I LOVE Burners!

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:25 am

How about a Playa Hourglass? Two large plastic wine glasses could be carefully bored out and connected, with fine playadust flowing between....Perhaps one side could have The Man "before" and the other "after" the burn. (If you procured an artifact from his remains, that could be showcased there.)
I'll bet that a big hourglass could be procured from Pier 1 or some crafts outlet, and that adapting it would be fairly easy. Not sure about the dynamics of flowing playadust through a small aperture, so there'd have to be some experimentation to find the ideal size.

Post by **mdmf007** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:19 pm

The talc like dust would still coat the inside of the glass with well,. dust.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 4:40 am

Yes...that's what the solar-powered microstatic repulsor and mini internal windshield wipers would be for.

Major Mallet · Post by **Major Mallet** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:00 am

A quick Google search for "do it yourself snow globe kit" yielded some nice results. This one looked good:

http://www.nationalartcraft.com/subcate ... 37&scid=54

Great idea!

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:57 am

I just mixed up my own batch of playa mud last night, and my little tray is now sitting out in the sun. At 115 degrees + down here, it shouldn't take to long to harden. Thanks for the idea, Robotland!

BTW: I saw on a show awhile back, where the guys built a poker table. They glued down some artifiacts to it, then poured some clear polyresin (?) type stuff on it. It covered up everything and made a nice smooth finish to the table Anyone know what this stuff is called and where to get it? I can't remember the name of the tv show, It's two brothers from New York (not Junk Brothers), but my internet searches aren't having much luck.

Thanks!

Xtevan · Post by **Xtevan** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 7:50 am

Fullerplast is one brand name for a clear resin product. I can't remember the other one i've seen used

Xtevan

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:42 am

Thanks for that info! I just looked up fullerplast, but since I'm a total novice here - the poker table that I saw being made had poker chips and cards glued onto the surface, and then they poured this clear stuff over it, making it a level smooth surface. Would this be something you can use for that type of application? If so, the price isn't bad. I wonder if that would work on a mini-playa floor?

pbmaniac2000 · Post by **pbmaniac2000** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:48 am

[quote="Das Bus"]Thanks for that info! I just looked up fullerplast, but since I'm a total novice here - the poker table that I saw being made had poker chips and cards glued onto the surface, and then they poured this clear stuff over it, making it a level smooth surface. Would this be something you can use for that type of application? If so, the price isn't bad. I wonder if that would work on a mini-playa floor?[/quote]

It may work. I think your only problem would be pouring it in super super carefully so that you didn't stir up any loose playa dust. The loose dust may cloud the fullerplast. If it works though it would be totally awesome and amazing. Only one way to find out.

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 4:31 pm

Oh man, I just thought, what if you could you the plastic resin in a dust globe, but somehow have the dust suspended around your little man figure like it was in the middle of a dust devil? Granted, you can't shake it like a snow globe, but it would be like capturing a moment int time!

pbmaniac2000 · Post by **pbmaniac2000** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 5:24 pm

[quote="Das Bus"]Oh man, I just thought, what if you could you the plastic resin in a dust globe, but somehow have the dust suspended around your little man figure like it was in the middle of a dust devil? Granted, you can't shake it like a snow globe, but it would be like capturing a moment int time![/quote]

I actually thought about the exact same thing just with the idea you were talking about before. With "remaking" the playa. If you could poor it just right it would look like playa dust swirling along the playa floor.

Post by **Eric** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:25 pm

Das Bus wrote:Thanks for that info! I just looked up fullerplast, but since I'm a total novice here - the poker table that I saw being made had poker chips and cards glued onto the surface, and then they poured this clear stuff over it, making it a level smooth surface. Would this be something you can use for that type of application? If so, the price isn't bad. I wonder if that would work on a mini-playa floor?

Try this: http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=2&

If it doesn't seem like what you're looking for, just ask them. I love Tap Plastics & they've helped me with a lot of projects.

As for your dust devil- just bend a piece of clear acrylic into a spiral, cover it in white glue, and cover that in playa. Viola! Stylized dust devil.

edit: fixed URL

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 1:26 am

Thanks for the link, Eric! I just took a quick look, and they seem to have lots of good stuff.

Oh, and that's a great idea about the clear acryllic!

BTW: After a day in the sun, while my 3"x5" 1" deep clear plastic tray of my 'personal playa', is no where near dry, It's already cracking quite nicely!

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 7:27 am

Update: My mini playa 'seems' dry, but there are still various colors. It's been 120+ here all week, so it is drying out real good! It also appears that I have aquired a 'playa snake'. LOL!

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:25 am

I've found that moisture is the enemy of clearcoat and acrylic resin...A little "test playa" might indicate whether or not the residual moisture in your miniplaya will fog the resin.

I want a "Dust Globe"

I want a "Dust Globe"

WOW, thanks