That is a really cool idea! They look awesome. Did you just glue on plastic animals, then spray paint?
Terri

Cool!

Here's a little one I made for one of my miniature gardens.

It's a clear marble sitting on a golf tee.

What great ideas!

What great projects for cold snowy 'stuck in the house' days. How about a ball covered with slugs and voles???lol
Jan

Terri,

There are two methods for attaching the plastic animals which have been successful. My wife glues them on with Super Glue (as with the gold gazing ball above). Place the glue on the bottom of the lizard (the belly and four legs), then hold in place for one minute. Be careful not to get the glue smeared around on the ball...you'd have to sand it off later.

I use a different method, as with the antique copper ball above...I just nail them on with small brads (3/4 and 1 inch). Nailing into the plastic bowling ball is just like nailing into a block of wood. Once they're all nailed on, I set the nail heads a little deeper and then fill the holes with a drop of model cement.

Of course, the first thing we do before we attach the animals is to fill the finger holes with auto body filler ("Bondo"). Then sand the outer surface of the ball to remove any defects. After the animals are attached, we spray the ball with primer, and finally, with a coat of paint.

Another interesting project for us Myrle ! Very nice Don and Mrs. Don

Faye

I don't have a picture (and it's too dadblamed cold outside to go take one anyway!) but the best gazing ball I ever made is my pennyball.

Take one black bowling ball and about $3-4 worth of pennies. Get a tube of silicone, the kind you use with a caulking gun. Make sure the ball is clean, then put a spot of silicone on the back of a penny and stick it to the ball. Continue till it's covered.

My ball is probably 10 years old. The pennies have aged to a deep copper color and it's really neat looking. Caution - if the ball is in the sun in the summer, don't touch it! Gets really hot.

have seen these for years and years but I guess I never really knew what they were. are they purely garden art or do they serve another purpose? might try my hand at one they always have old bowling balls at the flea market and thrift stores

mmmm ... bondo love beans ...

Thank you Don. I will have to make one of those!
Thinking super glue will be my choice of bond--I can see me now, fingers glued to the ball and animals! LOL
Maybe in a metallic blue--my yard accent color.
Terri

This post was edited by Terri9094 on Wed, Jan 22, 14 at 13:19

Thank you for showing us the gazing balls and giving us the "recipe" to make them too. They are really cool.

Would be nice to see how you display them in your garden. Perhaps you might indulge us sometime.