Need help making an ice luge!

[Mr. Duval Crawl]

Greetings fellow parrotheads! for out tailgate last year we attempted to make an ice luge, but it wasn't the best. For starters I think our block of ice was much too small..only 50 lbs. We also had difficulties making the grove. Anyone have any experience making one? How big should the block of ice be? What tools do we need?

[lesphoto]

The biggest block you can get would be a start....you can use any wood working tools...a chisel and a hammer...you chose a path and start carving. A gouge is a round tool with a sharp edge but even a pipe would work and you just keep banging away until you get the grove you want.....I've even seen people use a hand held propane torch...but fire and margaritas don't mix!

[tommcat327]

bull!!fire and booze goes together like.........fireworks and booze

[bixxx]

we use to buy our luges, but it was too expensive, too much of a hassle so we make our own

we bought a large tupperwar container, essentially the length and width of our freezer, takes two days to freeze solid nice that it has a cover to keep it cold easy to transport lasts 5 to 6 hours each year at great woods we made a little wooden stand to keep it on, with a slope after the initial expense of the container it is basically free

we use a dremel or router to cut our paths

we have pix of it in the gallery section, great wood

[Blonde Strangers Wife]

ok, this is kind of gross...BUT

the cat food container is about 9 x 15 inches (costco, DeliCat)

I'm thinking freeze that with the plastic tubing in it

ideas? yes? no?

I have a standing upright freezer that i can take the shelves out of

[bixxx]

ummm kind of gross but if youmakeit for starngers to enjoy at the show what the hell the size is too small though

[Blonde Strangers Wife]

not really...9 x 9 x 15 cube....not that small

especially if I make four of em

[finzup9]

what the hell is an ice luges

[sholleran]

what the hell is an ice luges

The basic model is an ice "slide" that you pour booze onto, channelled down the run to your waiting glass / mouth. (basic illustration) However, the suggestive/erotic possibilities are endless. Scroll down to see what I mean.

[sholleran]

not really...9 x 9 x 15 cube....not that small

especially if I make four of em

That's about 3/4 of a cubic foot of ice . . . around 40 lbs. You can just go buy 50 & 100 lbs blocks of ice - check beer distributors.

OK. I'm a closet physics geek and a parrothead. There, I said it. Admiting the problem is the start of solving the problem. Now I can finally combine the two, so here goes -

Water is about 64lbs/cubic foot, ice about 90% of that or 56lbs/cubic foot.

The pro ice luges all seem to start with a 300lb block ... which means about 2' X 2.5' X 1'. I'm sure they carve away at least a third getting a slope, and the decorative ones carve away more, but they must be using a much larger block than what you're describing. Of course they're after a triangle, while you could prop one end up to make the slope, saving a lot of ice, but a luge of 15 inches may not be a long enough run even with slaloms to get the chill you want.

What about using a rubber-maid style storage tub from the Home Depot with a chest freezer (or a restraunt walk-in freezer) ? Or for your upright (side by side?) try to find one of the gift wrap storage containers that stand up, Target & Menards had them at Christmas. You should be able to get about 18 X 32 X 12 deep (about 4 liquid cubic feet, about 250 lbs) with either. If you're proping up one end & going chest freezer, fill it only 6" deep to make life easier but you still get a 18X32 luge.

The ice expansion may destroy the tub, so be sure to leave space around it to avoid damaging the freezer, and take care not to bend the freezer with the water's weight either. To be sure you can lift it out of the freezer, maybe run some ropes under it before filling, so you can stick a pole thru them & lift it out. I'd give it at a week to freeze solid.

I expect you'll need to hose down the outside of the tub to pop out the biggest damn ice cube you've ever made.

[My college physics professor would be so proud I finally found a way to apply my education!]

[ragtopW]

make sure it's all done before you leave the house, you do not want to get to
the show and start the project. Also some of the carving tools could be seen
as weapons by the police. so be ahead of the game.

[Blonde Strangers Wife]

try to find one of the gift wrap storage containers that stand up, Target & Menards had them at Christmas. You should be able to get about 18 X 32 X 12 deep (about 4 liquid cubic feet, about 250 lbs) with either.

GENIUS!!!!

Go to the head of the class!

what do these blocks of ice cost btw? I'm all for making things myself but if the ice block costs less than the gift wrap thingy...you get it

June cannot come fast enough

[bubba phan]

Hubby has a sheet metal shop and ours is made from scrap stainless that we use primarily for race parties. It has a large tray that fits into a big freezer. We freeze the ice gradually, in layers, in the tray so it is nice and clear with no air bubbles. Mid-way through the process, plastic tubing is laid in and frozen into the ice. The entire tray sits on a metal stand at about a 30-45 degree angle with an electric pump. I don't know the particulars of how it's hooked up but one end of the tubing goes into the bottle of booze sitting on a shelf below the ice tray. The other end of the tube squirts a shot, or two, or three (depending on the timer setting) into the recipients mouth with the push of a button. We like the plastic tubing because the liquor doesn't get quite so watered down. And there you have it.....the Electric Luge. I keep telling hubby to get a patent for the thing. We have never taken it tailgating though because it's pretty heavy. I should mention that this luge came about through lots of trial and error with different designs over several years by dedicated luge lovers and this one seems to be pretty close to perfection in form and function.

[bubba phan]

[quote="sholleran"]

I'm sure they carve away at least a third getting a slope, and the decorative ones carve away more, but they must be using a much larger block than what you're describing. Of course they're after a triangle, while you could prop one end up to make the slope, saving a lot of ice, but a luge of 15 inches may not be a long enough run even with slaloms to get the chill you want.


It's really not necessary to spend so much effort carving away on ice to get a slope. The ice block just needs to be sitting on some type of stand or platform that will allow the block to be positioned at an angle.

[BinghamtonPH]

300 lb block of "uncured" ice (no bubbles). Purchase at our local ice company for about $60 (standing on the long edge, it barely fits across the bed of my ford ranger, and is as wide as the truck bed is deep). and about 6 inches thick. My local ice company provides us with such perfect ice that on a sunny day, you can't even see it it is so clear. We made a special stand for it that disassembles easily. One year, we had an ice company deliver a block to our hotel in Baltimore before merriweather and it cost only $16.00 (300 lbs). We don't mess around either, we bring a generator and a router - the big bock is wide enough you can cut 2 grooves and pour 2 shots at once. Our stand for the ice also has, on the backside, a platform for the pourer and a bottle rack for the goodies.... it is also made to attach to the side of our outdoor tiki bar.

Once, at a wedding, we stole the ice scupture from the center table and made a luge out of that.... the guests loved it.. especially the brides grandmother!

[Ceol na Mara]

Well, thank you! When everyone here talks about a luge I had something else in mind entirely!

[zanth]

And there you have it.....the Electric Luge. I keep telling hubby to get a patent for the thing. We have never taken it tailgating though because it's pretty heavy. I should mention that this luge came about through lots of trial and error with different designs over several years by dedicated luge lovers and this one seems to be pretty close to perfection in form and function.

Sounds cool! (no pun intended) Do you have any pix?

[Tomsailedaway]

anyone ever try just freezing water in a cooler with plastic tubing running through it?

[phjrsaunt]

"Need help making an ice luge".....
well, as long as you don't need help "dating" it

[phinatic]

And there you have it.....the Electric Luge.

Pictures?