I found an instructional PowerPoint deck a few years ago, for building a tree-stump geocache. Shortly after that, I lost interest in geocaching (most likely because of a wicked WoW addiction.) I’ve decided to finish that little sucker.

Here’s a shot of some of the materials I’ve accumulated:

I’ve already worked on the support. I had to hack out the lower parts a bit to allow room for opening the top of the container. The container I was going to use is behind the Gorilla Glue.

Here’s the cache after I’ve glued the wood to the container. I substituted a vitamin D bottle because the mouth is narrower and it has a snap type lid.

Not sure how well the glue will hold (what do you mean read the directions FIRST?)

Now I have to wait for that glue to dry.

In the mean time, are you familiar with neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets? These are far stronger then your ordinary refrigerator magnets. I ordered a few of these wonderful little electronic-killer magnets from ForceFieldMagnets.com.

So I’m experimenting with another cache, one that fit into the side of the stump cache. (A bonus cache if you will.)

On the left side of the container pictured above, you can see I’ve already glued the bark to the outside. On the right, I’ve glued in two of those magnets. I had to separate them with a chunk of wood as they zipped right through the glue to smash together.

On the outside, I’ve added another two to hold the inside magnets in place while the glue dries. Eventually I’ll try to embed those two outside magnets on the outside of the container. I’m hoping the container will be held tight and blend in with the outside of the larger cache. These things never work out the way I want ‘em to, but whatever.

So while the glue was drying, I went to our local park and braved the thicker underbrush to find a secluded spot with dead or dying trees. I found a large tree that had fallen partially over, looked like months or years ago. Didn’t snap a pic, but I was able to liberate a couple of plastic bags full of bark. Which I then stuffed into my backpack and headed out. Along with the bark, I was able to liberate more scratches and bug bites. I’ll never heal at this rate.

So we left off with the sides of the cache in place.  Now we need to add the top (which is actually the bottom of the cache as the bottle is inverted inside).

I added a couple of slices from the log I’m using as a cap.  In the picture above, you can see where I’ve glued those slices in place.  Of course, the glue works  best if weighted down while it dries.

Next, I’ll add the cap.

In order for the smaller cache to adhere to this larger one, I’ll need something to attract and hold the magnets.  I was tempted to carve out small holes in the wood and glue the other magnets in place, but decided instead to wrap the legs in metal flashing.

Now for the fun part!  Obviously what you see doesn’t look like a tree stump.  So it’s time to flesh out that old stub.  For this, we use Dap Latex Sealant.  I bet the designers of this fine product didn’t have this in mind when they engineered it!

Here’s a top down shot after I emptied the can’s contents in and about the framework.

Side views:

I’m a little concerned about this one side that seems to be bulging out more then I intended.  I don’t think the foam can handle its own weight with no support.

I think I’ll just trim off the excess, although I do like how it looks kinda like a root bulging out into the earth.

When it dries I’ll add filler to toughen the surface and prepare it for the bark.

So the foam didn’t work.  It sloughed off the cache like well cooked meat off the bone.

Perhaps it didn’t have enough time to cure.  The can did say 24 hours, but what with the nine inches of rain we received last night (thank you Hermine), maybe this stuff doesn’t work in high humidity.

Back to the drawing board. Perhaps chicken wire?

The sloughing off of the foam filler was a real bummer. I hadn’t anticipated that, but I was asking it to do a lot.  What I needed was something to hold the foam in place a bit better, and perhaps a better foam.

Here you can see where I added a basic wire mesh around the wooden support structure. This will give the foam something on which to anchor.  Also note I cut out room for my side cache, which is where the actual log will be.

Yesterday, the alternate foam arrived.  This stuff is made for outdoor, landscaping use.  So, I got to work.

First, I took out my electric staple gun and pinned the wires to the wood.  I had to tap each staple with a small hammer a few times, but it seemed sturdy enough.  I inserted a piece of Tyvek on the inside, around the mouth of the inverted bottle and stapled that where I could. Then I started squirting the foam into the gaps. (BTW, always use disposable gloves when working with this stuff, trust me.)

You can see the remnants of the cardboard where it foam stuck to it.

After it dried a bit, I took an electric knife to it.  It’s fun carving foam BTW.

My next step will be adding a string to enable finders to pull open the bottle lid.  Since I can no longer reach in my fingers to unscrew the cap, I can’t expect other people to do it.  Especially since what they expect to find in it won’t be there!

When they flip it over, I want ‘em to know they found a geocache.  What better way then to find the guts of a tree stump a bright orange?!!

After the paint dried, I started in with the Bondo.  Since you have to work fast after you add the hardener, I don’t have any pics of the application.  However, here’s what it looks like after the first coat.  Might be the last coat, don’t know much about Bondo.  Except that it has a powerful aroma!

I’ve been slowly adding the bark to the stump.  I didn’t have the camera for a few days, so I only have a few in-progress shots.

I’m using Gorilla Glue, but I can’t clamp it down as the directions indicate.  So I’ve only been doing a small section at a time.  Anything I can glue down and not have it slide off.

Here’s the latest, note how much the glue expands.  Not sure if I will take a razor to it or maybe paint it.

Here’s the slot for the side cache.

And with the cache in place.  (Looking at it on its side.)

Sorry for all the different picture tones, location location location.

I need to work on blending in the side cache with the rest, and figuring out how to top this thing.  The body turned out to be much wider then the cap.

I’ve been adding small pieces here and there, to cover up the remaining exposed Bondo and the over-expanded glue.  I had to use tiny pieces along the bottom of the cache hole.

I used a narrow piece along the edge of the hole, and filled it in a little above.

And then, finally, I was ready for the moss.  I made a trip to Home Depot and plunked down $5 for a bag, seems a little over priced to me.  Especially since after I had applied it, my wife showed me the bags we already had in the arts ‘n crafts box.

I was wondering how I would handle the transition from the edge, grown way to wide, to the small piece I had used for the top.  Turns out, with a little moss you can’t tell where one thing ends and another begins.

I used the moss to cover the bubbles of glue and any gaps I had left.

Along with a small amount on the lip of the cache hole.

Here it is, top down.  I think it will blend in well in the right environment!

So from this…                                                                to this

Added just a little more moss around the cache hole.

I can’t be sure how long it will last with people poking around, trying to find the edges to yank it out.