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How to Make a Driftwood Ball

Very simple tutorial to Make a Driftwood Ball or Driftwood Orb. 

 Materials Needed:

Pro Hot glue gun or Titebond HiPur Adhesive Applicator
Glue sticks – professional glue such as:

• Titebond Wood to Wood WW60 or WW30 (for use with Titebond HiPur Adhesive Applicator)
• Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks
• All Temperature Wood Stik

100 or more 2″-6″ driftwood pieces (check out our LittleDriftwoodshop.com for driftwood pieces)
Balloon or beachball.  (Use extra strong balloons)

I wanted my driftwood ball to be about 10-12″ in diameter so I had to use a balloon.  I found “Punch Ball” balloons at Walmart for about $3.00 for a package of 8 which were strong enough and allowed me to get the size I wanted.  Once a blew up the balloon to the size I wanted, I tied it off so that I would be able to untie it easily enough to let the air out slowly when I was done instead of just popping the balloon.  My driftwood ball is about 10″ in diameter and I used 100 pieces of driftwood for my project.

I started by actually gluing a driftwood piece directly to the balloon just to hold it in place.  Keep in mind that once you let the air out of the balloon, it will continue to stick to the glue so you want to use as little glue as possible to hold it in place on the balloon and as few times as possible gluing directly to the balloon.  I believe I glued directly to the balloon 5 times.  The less you can do it the better.  Ideally, you want to glue just on the driftwood pieces. 

And it’s important to use a professional hot glue gun and professional grade glue sticks or the piece will not stay together.  If you don’t want to use a glue gun, you can use any glue that will give you a quick and permanent adhesion – “quick” being the operative word here.  You don’t want to be holding the pieces in place and waiting for them to dry. 

If you live in a hot, humid climate like Florida, you will find that regular glue sticks will not hold up and your driftwood orb will quickly fall apart so it is important to use professional glue for “all temperature”.  This will also allow you to use your driftwood ball outside without it disintergrating.

Continue making your way around the balloon and filling in the spaces with driftwood pieces until you like what you see.

Find where you tied your balloon and untie it then slowly let the air out.  It should pull away from the glued sides but it will leave behind some pieces of balloon that will be difficult to remove unless you used as little as possible to hold it in place.

There you have it – a beautiful driftwood ball that you made in about 2 hours. 

Once you’ve created your driftwood ball, the possibilities are endless as far as what you can do with it. Certainly, it’s decorative and quite textural by itself but add a string of LED lights or even just one bulb and you’ve got a unique light source.  Attach dirt wrapped in moss using wire or fishing line and insert some succulent  plants and you’ve now got a unique planter.  Or just use it as a sculptural garden element.  Whatever you decide, you now have a clever and decorative driftwood element.

Don’t have time to make your own Driftwood orb – check out this Driftwood Orb already made for you on Amazon Driftwood Deco Ball – 11″D or one that’s been made into a driftwood orb light – Driftwood Ball Pendant Chandelier Ceiling Mounted Light Fixture Nautical Rustic Lodge Feel

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