honestly, I don’t remember what was up with my saguaro ice luge above. There are a couple of welds that aren’t in the design. Perhaps I was just winging this particular sculpture; I don’t recall exactly. Regardless, the details below will get you to just about the same place!
my saguaro ice luge
updated 4/7/23 a bit when added to the new site
The saguaro cactus is native to the Sonoran desert in Arizona and Mexico and has become something of an icon to represent the Southwest. This saguaro is a rather simple two track tube luge and was designed for specialty tequilas or margarita shots rather than martinis. Many tequilas benefit from being chilled (although a tube luge won’t really chill it) and this particular piece works well for a Cinco de Mayo or Southwest themed event. The drinks exit from the front of the luge and it requires the use of two 90 degree elbows that are attached to the tubes where they exit the saguaro at the front. The detail lines in the saguaro hide the luge tracks quite nicely.
here’s an example of a saguaro ice luge from many years ago at a country club in New Orleans. The sculpture next to the saguaro is a man sitting wearing a sombrero. (In case you can’t tell 😬) Green lighting works well for this two tube luge design.
my template for the saguaro ice luge MAYBE isn’t the best one I’ve ever come up with. I mean, ice sculpting templates show you what to cut out of the ice block and I show the little funnels and luge spigots in my template 🙄 I can do better next time. The diagram below though shows the luge tracks, which is more helpful!
adding the luge tubing
The tube tracks are cut in from the back of the sculpture as shown above (the graphic shows the front of the sculpture, however) and then the tubes are frozen into the luge by filling in with slush. The entry and exit points are drilled in from the top and the front and connected to the tracks. See the stars luge design for more details about this procedure.
For some luges, you can drill a tunnel for the tubing with a long drill bit or you can freeze the tubing into the ice block as it freezes. That’s a bit tricky for your saguaro ice luge though; cutting the tracks in from the back is probably the most straightforward route. Plus, the guests never notice. All they see is an ice luge shaped like a saguaro, lol.
At the exit point for the saguaro ice luge, you can add elbow attachments to better direct the tequila/drink flow. In SOME cases though, the client(s) may want the tubes to stick out a ways from the sculpture. You should ask them beforehand.
the picture above shows an example of the elbow that must be used to redirect the liquid flow when it exits the front of the sculpture.
for more info and some guidelines
If you have any questions about this piece, email me or comment below. (If the comments still work, that is.) If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site and is the best place to find all the ice sculpture designs that are here.
You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well as below. Thanks!
