this freestanding menorah ice sculpture was carved by Diego Echeverry of Tampa, Florida. It’s displayed on an ice skating rink. (I SO want to just freeze it to the rink’s ice, lol) Thanks Diego for the photo!
updated 7/12/23 with seo tweaks and some info on sculpting this design that was conspicuously missing 😬
a freestanding menorah ice sculpture design
This freestanding menorah ice sculpture design was the result of a request, but it worked out rather well as I’d been planning to add a menorah design anyway. This particular menorah is freestanding at about 5 feet tall, not including the candles. You’ll need 2 blocks of ice to make this version. I did add a smaller version also; it’s intended to be carved from a single block. Note that the stabilizing base slab that goes at the very bottom of the sculpture is not shown in the design below.
wait, what's a menorah again?
When I was very young, my best friend was Jewish. So when Jewish holidays came around, I got a bit of an education as to what was going on. That was the first time I saw a menorah. Later, I found out that there’s more than one kind of menorah. There’s a lot of backstory and it’s certainly not my story to tell, but if you’re curious, you can find out more about menorahs and Hanukkah.
Incidentally, I kind of feel like my Hanukkah offerings are incomplete, with only a couple menorah designs. I’d like to add more later. I suppose a dreidel is an obvious addition, but I’ll have to learn more to decide what else might be appropriate. If you have any ideas, I’d appreciate some input!
the stabilizing base isn’t show in this pic of my freestanding menorah ice sculpture design. Whenever you have a taller than the norm ice sculpture like this one, you MUST have extra stabilization at the base or risk disaster!
fitting the candles
When I designed this freestanding menorah ice sculpture, I intended it to fit shorter candles that are 3 inches in diameter. If you’re using smaller diameter candles, cut appropriate size holes. The taller the candles, the deeper the holes need to be cut. In this case, the holes are only about an inch deep and appropriate for short candles. If very tall and large candles are used, the ice section can be made thicker to accommodate deeper holes. Make sure that no snow is left in the holes that would hinder placement of the candles.
my freestanding menorah ice sculpture requires a couple blocks of ice. The menorah section and the base are cut from one block and the stand is cut from the other.
fire and ice safety
Finally, whenever fire is involved, common sense precautions should be taken. Nothing flammable should be placed near the sculpture and the ceiling must be high enough for safety. Ensure the quality of the center weld and be sure that the menorah is standing straight and that the candles are sitting securely. Check periodically through the event that the candles are staying in place. If there’s any question at all about the safety of the piece, put out the candles or even take down the sculpture if necessary.
links and stuff
As I mentioned before, I also have a smaller menorah design. If you have any questions about my freestanding menorah ice sculpture design, email me or comment below. (It might not let you though, since the wordpress gods limit some commenting? I’m going to look into this later…) 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.
You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets Instagram account and you can comment there as well as below. Thanks!
