Casting an Ant Colony in a Stump with Molten Aluminum (Anthill Art Cast

An amazing aluminum cast is made of an ant colony built on the side of a large tree stump. This is the possibly the craziest cast I’ve ever attempted and definitely the most challenging. This is a field ant colony (species Formica pallidefulva) with a single entrance tunnel right up against a large oak stump. Around 22 lb of aluminum was melted and it ended up taking around 10 lb to fill the colony. I didn’t know how exactly how to go about getting the cast out but I knew 1) I can cut wood and 2) I can dig dirt. So, how hard can it be? Turns out, it can be really hard.
I started to dig and cut initially, before deciding that doing that was going to be too difficult. Then I tried burning for two days and that seemed way too slow. I was posting my progress to my Facebook page and someone suggested drilling holes to make vents in the wood to target certain pieces, which I tried. Then it occurred to me that if I drilled into a section of wood from two angles, I could be fairly sure I wasn’t cutting into the cast if I cut down the line of the drill holes. These ants don’t tunnel in wood and the colony is only in the dirt pockets, so if I’m drilling and I hit dirt then I know not to cut to that depth. I don’t show the drilling much in the video but I’m doing that before most cuts. That’s why you see so many holes in the wood.
I actually didn’t plan on keeping the cast in the wood until the very end, which is why I wasn’t worrying too much about the damage I was doing to it. All for the better though because it would have taken much longer and probably wouldn’t have turned out as cool if I had planned to keep it in the wood. Toward the end, when I’m cutting on the back side of the cast, I still didn’t know if there would be a piece of cast sticking out on that side, once I saw that it was all contained well within the wood, I decided to keep it in the wood.
The cast has two main sections: the piece that comes out of the front and a more hidden piece that runs straight down in a vertical void in the wood. I only discovered that second piece after washing it.
It took ten days from the pour for the cast to be removed from the ground, around 40 hours worth of work. Some of that time was setting up cameras and even more of it was me scratching my head though.
Figuring out the mounting was a major task for me. I settled on drilling 3/4” holes on three sides of the wood and inserting oak dowels, as close to horizontal as I could. Then I built the base so that it catches those oak dowels and the cast can sit upright and be stable.
The colony is around 20” deep and the weight of the aluminum is around 10 lb. The total weight of the wood and the cast was 38 lb last I checked (it’s still drying and getting lighter).
I wasn’t quite sure to what extent I should clean up the wood but I sanded it a little bit and tried to remove any splinters. I started to plug some of the holes but didn’t like how that was working so I just left them. I may do more work on it as it dries. I’m not too sure what’s going to happen as the wood dries and splits but I used Pentacryl to help preserve the wood and have taken other measures. We’ll see!
More pics of the cast at: www.anthillart.com/castings/121/
0:00 Intro: Stump and Colony View
0:09 Aluminum Pour
0:39 Starting to Dig
1:09 First Piece of Cast Uncovered
1:29 Starting to Vacuum
1:55 More Cast Uncovered
3:23 Cutting into the Top
4:31 Cutting Around the Upper Tunnel
5:56 Pulling with the Truck
6:38 Removing the Cast
7:11 Washing
7:42 Final View of the Cast/Display
7:58 Display and Stats

[@PP-wp2bx]

It would have been so much easier not to make the cast right next to a tree stump

[@AnthillArt]

If i did that you wouldn't have commented. We choose to cast a stump colony and do the other things not because it is easy but because it is hard

[@SangreFriasBack]

@@AnthillArtAnd interesting

[@captainotto]

@@AnthillArt What did he mean when he said "do the other things". I always wondered that about his speech. It just sounded out of place and for such a brilliant orator there must have been a meaning. Anyway love your work. Please come to my home. I have no less than 10 ant colonies just waiting, no, begging, for you to do your work.

[@timesnewlogan2032]

@@captainottoI think he was referring to all the steps towards going to the moon. Putting a man in space, in orbit, etc.

[@NotSomeJustinWithoutAMoustache]

No way, next you're gonna tell me the sun is hot or something. Anyways thanks for the enlightenment captain obvious

[@TexasTimelapse]

I'll bet that's the last time you pour a cast around a tree. That was a ton of work, but it came out looking cool.

[@AnthillArt]

Yes, this will likely be the last time haha. I don't think it would work out this good every time anyway.

[@GothicPoet]

@@AnthillArt Great job. There are people who would pay a lot of money for this. I am an artist too and people value our talent. It's a whole process and a unique experience. ❤️

[@awesome346]

Jesus loves you!!

[@zacharydurocher4085]

@@awesome346🙏🏻✝️

[@captainotto]

@@AnthillArt If you ever do one of these again, consider casting the whole thing in resin. Maybe even add some lighting effects. Old stumps like that look brilliant in resin and with the metal colony intermingled could look out of this world incredible.

[@PlacestobeVG]

And the ants thought the huge tree base would provide them a safe haven

[@RayMapa73]

Yep

[@otmargreb6110]

Exactly! Poor ants!

[@ovenaroundhead2881]

@@otmargreb6110nah fuck dem ants

[@reflexrefractor]

@@otmargreb6110 cry bout it

[@Samuel42069]

​@@reflexrefractordo you think your shitty existence has bigger worth than life of that one ant in that colony? Ha.

[@peepeepoopoovdbhxvbcc6683]

This video highlights: - how awesome trees can get - how awesome anthills can get - how awesome committed artists can get

[@alphadog9211]

He had his sentence commuted?

[@peepeepoopoovdbhxvbcc6683]

@@alphadog9211 committed*, my bad

[@The_Dawg_father]

How much did it fetch ?

[@vaibhawc]

- how cruel people can get

[@vaibhawc]

- how cruel people can get

[@Benita59856]

Imagine seeing a huge wave of silver metallic lava rushing through your nest

[@hellsbane666]

Humans: committing insect genocide in the name of "Art"

[@GodisformewhoShallBeAgainst]

I still like watching but aren't aints good for the soil or something just curious or any insects really?

[@glorbog]

​@@hellsbane666 lol "genocide". You should really do something to stop this madman!

[@S2minute]

Those POOR Ants 😢

[@glorbog]

@@S2minute don't worry... They still outnumber us like a million to 1

[@CrabQueen]

Truck is mt favorite woodworking tool

[@AnthillArt]

Comes in handy for those fine details 😂

[@Carlos284O.O]

@@AnthillArt is this a hobby cause I would want to do this or is it a side hustle just asking

[@AnthillArt]

@@Carlos284O.O I can sell them fairly easily since I have a decent following but I know others are trying and not doing so well.

[@crashgray3110]

This cast would cost $1,000,000 just because. Great work!

[@AnthillArt]

Thanks. If you know anybody who'd pay that let me know! Haha

[@davidurban6813]

@@AnthillArt just wondering how much would you charge for one of your casts??

[@AnthillArt]

@@davidurban6813 It's varied a lot but the last few went for $500 - $1000 on eBay auction

[@alexcholagh8330]

This is is fun to watch. I would pay at least 2,000 maybe more. If this was gold your looking at least triple or more.

[@wilhelmjtard]

@@AnthillArt Why do you make the casts at night?

[@redarrowsmk3]

This is OUTRAGEOUSLY insanely cool. Your skill and the end product. Dude, make this video a short version so it at least goes viral. You deserve some time in the spotlight 😂

[@AnthillArt]

Thanks! I'll definitely be putting it up as a short soon.

[@budthestudd8065]

I saw these from a short. Looks like it's working for me. Love the work btw nicely done

[@stonegardner9380]

I know this must have been super hard and annoying, but the whole process and the final product were absolutely stunning and fascinating.

[@MikeTrieu]

This has gotta be the most painstaking extraction you've done so far. Amazing patience!

[@im6525]

No funny bro😡

[@OliviaClaire33]

the king is back

[@chadknight4379]

Lol, this really made his ego

[@raygun26]

@@chadknight4379 are you kidding me? This dudes been doing it for like 10 years, I’ve been watching for that long.

[@chadknight4379]

@@raygun26 lol nice hobby

[@Purple_arti]

And these king is being haunted be trillions of ants. And, I, am, happy, about, that,😠

[@Josheditz4876]

@@Purple_arti ;-;

[@gathrus6847]

I got to say that tree is a wood workers dream. Dense old oak, you can tell that its good wood by how much of a fight ita giving you there. Great cast and extraction!

[@murloc_rampage3856]

Did you hear it? The beauty of it? Millions of voices, screaming in shock only to be silenced. Forever.

[@TheCenteroftheUniverse]

Man. I am 69. I have done everything from file clerk to hefting trash to pest control to rehab equipment repair in the field, including custom stuff. And I don't know whether to: congratulate Mr. Art on having the stones to BEGIN this, given the odds of experience, or compliment him on switching tactics, or admire the steady hand/execution commiserate with him at that point wherever he said, "OH spit, maybe I bit off ...", or applaud his foresight in having the right tool no matter how weird the cut or chop or hole or ... bow to the sheer determination it took to conceive of the cast in a continual 3-D view, for 359.9 degrees (kidding) so as to not chop/cut/wedge/drill the piece in such a way as to make it worthless, and all the effort wasted. or ... complain because IMHO, the cluster of drill holes, at a minimum, should be all roughed out, ditto for some of the projections, etc. Though I can see, also, how after a time you're "too deep in the forest to see any trees" with a freehand project like this. It's beautiful.

[@Thorite_Gem]

This is beautiful! I love how you kept the wood with it!

[@alishasanchez4140]

I would destroy the cast he had to keep it

[@MrNiceGuy80x5]

thats the best one yet out of all these years. got extremely lucky that specific colony made such substantially large tunnels which made the casting so strong. keep up the amazing work

[@Cypher791]

Boss says this is a pretty good spot for our anthill… and it’s under a giant tree stump so there’s no way anybody can get to us down there… 🐜

[@antznpantzcastings]

Another great piece of artwork. Your hard work and persistence paid off big time. The mounting stand is unique and really adds to the beauty. Job well done!

[@penname8441]

Found this in my recommended, no idea why, but hot dang this is impressive, especially given the amount of labor extracting the cast.

[@Canibot80]

man's been doing this for over 9 years from what I've seen and literally nothing has changed. And he's still getting views. That's awesome man.

[@laserworkstv]

Disclaimer: No Ants 🐜 were harmed in the making of this video 🤗

[@lw1824]

that was so cool! seeing the problem and solution process and how much hard work you put into this was amazing

[@hua_bakuretsutea]

What is the problem ?

[@ripple-effect-mlp]

Ants: Hey, look! The most secure place we can ever nest! Anthill caster: Hey, look! Art AND firewood!

[@stevewilliams6901]

WOW, a LOT of determination to get that unique piece of art outa the ground!!!

[@austinitsua]

As soon as I read "in a Stump" my first thought was "well this is gonna take awhile."

[@pogo12JDF]

I think the beauty of this project for me is that the art (the cast) is done in a matter of minutes, but the true test, the real art is in the patience, the time and dedication, the painstaking detail, to chip away and carefully EXTRACT the piece from its casting media, hour by hour, day by d- is that a truck?

[@AnthillArt]

haha....yeah, I've got a lot of patience but you gotta draw the line somehwhere

[@tcross90]

The ants inside the aluminum:

[@X-02powerarmour]

Decades of work destroyed in minutes

[@AnthillArt]

the most incorrect comment I've ever gotten

[@X-02powerarmour]

@@AnthillArt Was the stump empty

[@steven2212]

Have never seen anything like this. Fantastic dedication and hard work. Beautiful piece of art, hope you continue working it, adding a preservative.

[@barnowl2655]

Not gonna lie, watching that was extremely satisfying.

[@jimsmitn7569]

What about the poor little ants?🤦🏻‍♂️

[@CarlosAnimax]

Quedo hermoso el producto final, aunque supongo qué no lo volverías a hacer en un tronco de un árbol, ¿verdad? 😅😅😅

[@memesalvv3226]

Bro the bubbles coming from the metal was the ants soul

[@brianfalls5038]

Well sir, I must say that I think I would have left that cast under that old stump after watching you go thru all that effort. But then again I can be lazy like that. L! Well done sir!! Well done!

[@Yukihuru]

Considering the size of the stump, we were concerned about whether we would be able to recover the castings, but to our surprise, we were able to do so successfully. The hard work is evident in the timbers that were cut out. The beauty and mystery of the ant mounds hidden in the stumps is a wonderful art form. 👏👏👏👏

[@davidmedina737]

You did an amazing job, attention to detail and care to remove the cast without damage was outstanding. Keeping the surrounding stump attached is a great idea and it highlights the ant colony cast uniqueness. Well done.

[@libertyvilleguy2903]

Digging out a stump of a mature oak? A whole lot of work there my man!

[@MoProf]

There's no place where the ants are safe from you, is there? Seems like a lot of work for the reward.

[@celtic5764]

You should have drilled some large holes on top and pour salt water in the holes. It well kill the stump and rot away.

[@synbioskuun]

"50,000 ants used to live here. Now it's a cast town."

[@DemonicAkumi]

That stump was like "I may be dead, but I know good art when I see it. MINE!"

[@berb8300]

I've been keeping ants for about 6 years now and would love to do some casting. How do you smelt down so much aluminum while on the field? What does your setup look like, and is it replicable?

[@kjj26k]

Came for the ant colony cast, stayed for the never-before-seen view of a tree stump. 6:44 Hey, you got some firewood atleast outta that stump that otherwise was berift of useful materials. Ya know, somehow, the dismantling of that stump feels personal...

[@crazyboythe1st]

Imagine chilling in your house then molten aluminum floods your room with you being covered in it as the only doorway is compromised

[@Dudemon-1]

Does the aluminum oxidize and get dull? I don't see you sealing it.

[@AnthillArt]

It seems to not oxidize any more after the casting. I have a few that are years old and look the same. And no sealer on the aluminum.

[@iaminsideyourhome6620]

@@AnthillArt you have harnessed the power of the souls of the crying ants

[@abysswalker2196]

I hope the ants weren't using it any more,or abandoned at least.If not,poor ants got cooked by aluminum.

[@cartertheiii7103]

Oh they're still inside, this guys videos are basically just ant genocide

[@Pyromain249]

​@@cartertheiii7103yep, and it's entertaining to watch

[@sobosewer3319]

$10,000 worth of tools 😅 I woulda quit after 10 minutes. Way to hang in there! Testament to the resolve of men!

[@NicolaiAAA]

Holy bananas that's a lot of work for a cast! Turned out really cool with the wood though. I'll bet whoever stumbles on that stump next is gonna be super confused as to why it looks like that. 😂

[@GothicPoet]

You know this can be a good way to educate people about invasive species. Fire ants can be very bad for the environment because they are easily transported to areas that are not meant for them. Fire ants are good at thriving too. They build deep colonies into the earth and even inside wood. They use the wood to farm fungus for their colony to eat. The ant queen lay's lots of eggs too. My community has had issues with fire ants going inside electrical outlets causing the electricity to stop working because they chewed the wires. We have a pest control spray and bring everyone bait traps. I buy my own bait traps now and I don't have anymore fire ants. 👍

[@cartertheiii7103]

it literally said it was common field ants

[@catpyjamas]

In some religions (well, at least in Islam), it's forbidden to kill ants (and most wildlife) without a valid reason.

[@levienkon]

Tree: oh you want help me cure my tooth decay?

[@pittroadsixzeroseven]

This is my favorite dig. How beautiful, I would leave it just like that. Interesting story

[@mindymiller7497]

So Much work put into this One Cast! Beautiful as Always!

[@xavierrobinson808]

Wow, that's awesome once again. Your art is magnificent.

[@3hristopher]

Ants pov is probably a cinematography leaning towards horror genre

[@brandenlontok4015]

All ants where harmed in the making of this video

[@mumofbrunodog]

I was looking for something on wood ants and this came up. Am I really getting this right… would there have been live ants in this or is it an empty nest? Surely you wouldn’t be killing wildlife? Tell me you are not.

[@Pyromain249]

Oh, he is, and he won't stop, and I don't want him to, its satisfying to watch

[@fuddy_duddy]

Damn. You really want that casting, don’t you……… :-D LOVE that you left the wood. Makes it much more unique

[@seantayjunhao]

Lets just hope this colony of ants are invasive. It was probably camponotus ants that were casted alive.

[@SentinelOfSomething]

that movement of the camera down at 0:05 was really cool! nice touch!!

[@AnthillArt]

Thanks! I did that kind of on accident while working on a previous video, just taking pics of a hill at different heights. I ended up liking it. Works great for this one.

[@picax8398]

good to know you're still around AHA!

[@AnthillArt]

Always!

[@hyliadreamer]

I love that you didn't remove the wood of the stump; the contrast between the wood and the metal is strikingly beautiful.

[@C.C.369]

Psyc 101: *Kids who kill ants for fun are likely to be severe disturbed.* That dude:

[@cherylbrady6442]

Let the ants live 😮😢😢😢😢😮

[@confused_cat2949]

Pfft

[@dejanmedan8355]

How many ants had to give their life for your hobby?

[@LilyCheers-cm4ib]

None, because it was an abandoned colony

[@freelyfarmexploits8854]

The contrast with the tree root is excellent, looks pretty spectacular.

[@Deliveredfromevil]

4:24 I’m absolutely amazed at the work you put into this project. ❤

[@bamboo3407]

Since when is this species invasieve?

[@esel3774]

And what happens to the ants? Killed in the name of psuedo art?

[@ChirpyMike]

Yes.

[@wrgrtgrethryegetgrtgrthewe6346]

dang, that looked positively miserable to excavate

[@jpendowski7503]

Thanks for the post of this beautiful cast. I’m astounded by the range of tools, even a truck, you used to free the cast.

[@spawn4004]

Amazing as always

[@benoitgautier7202]

You didn't make art, ants did. And you destroyed all their work. You are a good human, you know how to make fire, congratulations !

[@MuzikBike]

I'm curious as to what will happen with the rest of that trunk

[@cosmusmurk]

That was such an ambitious and exhausting job, but wow was the end piece incredible!! You should feel proud ☺️

[@fredrikandreasson2253]

Poor ants

[@arronhaggerty8426]

Just killed a whole colony of 🐜 for the sake of art?.]

[@environmental_documents]

yup

[@user-hh2ye2hl3j]

No ants were harmed during this video. Prior to pouring aluminum, extensive negotiations with the ant citizens regarding compensation and relocation have taken place.

[@joeschmoe1301]

Ants "You've got to listen to me. I've scoped this place out and no one, and I mean absolutely no one, is going to find us next to an old tree stump. Trust me!!"

[@AnachronisticGamer]

Imagine you're out there just trying to live your life and some asshole comes and floods your house with molten aluminum.

[@silitekmodder5681]

Please don't kill native ants! Only fire ants.

[@LSJasonVKTV]

How do you know they are native

[@AnthillArt]

These were in a stump I was having removed. The stump removal would have killed the colony no matter what.

[@silitekmodder5681]

Ok@@AnthillArt

[@Adrian_V]

Makes sense you couldn't burn it if the molten aluminum didn't xD

[@jeffsherk7056]

Pieces of your tree stump look like they would make very attractive knife handles.

[@rooksman64]

so why did you kill the ants exactly?

[@golden.k0rral]

what kind of ants?

[@tabbottsrc]

Stop killing things for art.

[@maskiert6420]

If you watch this video backwards it's about a man assembling a tree stump before sucking the life out of it

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

HAH, I've dealt with alot of stumps over the years and can appreciate the amount of work that took! Next time get a backhoe to pull it out. ;)

[@epicstudio7185]

Bro literally doing gas chambers for ants☠️☠️☠️☠️

[@bhushan_vs]

Are you really mad, why you want to kill soo many ants just for the stuff, you are not suppose to do this

[@NorthernMan932]

I'm waiting for the "casting a bear cave" video😁

[@istrandasisse9654]

Killing ants for art ? sad world...

[@jpendowski7503]

Sorry friend, these are an invasive species that cause painful stinging, so dangerous to children on a property.

[@esel3774]

But still part of their habitat. No matter the type of ant, you would keep children away from all ant hills. Dumb excuse for killing.

[@DXM-]

@@esel3774 makes sense if they are invasive. They mess with the ecosystem. It’s humans job to balance it

[@the-fastest-fox]

I hate it! Stop killing ants!!

[@Cutie_Pie88]

@@hellothere9612 Humans too -_-

[@the-fastest-fox]

Don't do that

[@quiltqueen4318]

I admire your free time hobby 👍

[@megs3019]

All I can think of is I hope I’m not an ant in my next life lol

[@tcon117]

Remember kids this man does not upload often because he is lazy. But because he is the boogie man of all ants in his area. The ants everywhere fear him, and when one colony doubts his existence. They are never seen again!

[@AnthillArt]

Some of this is true but I am actually lazy

[@tcon117]

@@AnthillArt Oh. 😐

[@raygun26]

They really thought “this is a safe place to build, nothing could go wrong here”😂😂😂

[@Amebfly]

I have no idea how I got here… I started out watching podcasts then went to make up tutorials. Now for the last 30 minutes I’ve been here. I’m subscribing right now!

[@AnthillArt]

I'm not sure how I got here either

[@Amebfly]

@@AnthillArt 😂 I think you were meant for this type of installation . You seem to have so much patience. For art like this, it’s a must I’m sure.

[@AnthillArt]

Yeah, I do have a knack for it, it seems! Thanks!

[@Amebfly]

@@AnthillArt No, thank you🙏 you’re amazingly talented and kind. You also actually reply to comments. I pray you get everything you’ve ever asked for in life ✌️🥹

[@AnthillArt]

Thanks! I appreciate that!

[@user-hw2hk5hs5s]

大木の根っこはすげえな もう土木業者になってるじゃんw

[@JRiggsII]

WOW!!! What a beautiful final product. Would you say this was one of your more difficult/time-consuming casts? Amazing work!!!

[@AnthillArt]

Definitely the most difficult and time consuming one by far

[@andrewmartin1776]

New title: Ant Colony Casting with every possible wood cutting tool known to man!