My dome is 5/8, 3V, 13.95 radius. Any suggestions on the number, guage and length of stakes I should use for the playa this year? I was planning on bending them out of rebar. It is my first time taking a dome to the playa. Thanks
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San Diego
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Re: stake length
Thu, August 9, 2007 - 6:06 PMI use 2' long 1/2" rebar, not bent. I recommend one every other vertex around the base. Hammer them in so that the stick into the ground on the inside of the dome, but cross over the vertex so the tip of the stake is pointing outside the dome. Cover the ends with tennis balls, or those specially-made orange plastic mushrooms designed for the ends fo rebar. I also buy those "fun-noodles" people use in swimming pools and cut them as needed to cover the exposed rebar between the ground and whatever you use over the exposed tip. I usually use a little duct tape to keep it all together, if needed.
The plastic mushrooms or tennis balls prevent puncture injuries. The foam tubes prevent "kicking the rebar" injuries. The 18" of rebar in the ground keeps the dome from sliding or blowing away. Make sure there is no extra space between the rebar and the dome -- the whole thing works because the dome cannot slide in any direction and cannot lift off the ground without pulling out the rebar.
Bring a pair of vise grips and save some water for removal of the rebar. Clamp on the vise grips and twist while pulling up. If they resist (they should!) then pour some water right where the rebar meets the playa. The water turns the dust into a lubricant for a few minutes (till it dries). Keep twisting while pulling. It works great! Some people use a 2x4 with a big u-bolt through it to lever the rebar out of the ground (again, using a vise grips to hold onto the end.)
I don't recommend bending the rebar because it is difficult to pound in bend rebar -- a lot of pounding energy goes into flexing the bend. Straight rebar converts most of the energy of pounding into transporting the rebar into the ground. Also, bending rebar isn't fun or trivial, although with the proper tools it is certainly straightforward. It is just unnecessary and ends up being a big pain in the butt once you've done it. I don't know who invented the idea of "candy-caned rebar" but it is a lose as far as I'm concerned. Rebar pounded in at an angle,with proper safety measures as I described above is easier and just as effective and is much less work all the way around. -
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Re: stake length
Thu, August 9, 2007 - 6:06 PMYou can also use 5/8 rebar, but do not try to use 3/8 rebar -- it bends too easily.
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Re: stake length
Fri, August 10, 2007 - 4:22 AMI agree with hoco almost completely... but would like to add, it is OK to bend the rebar. True, pounding the curve at the top of the can takes a bit of practice, be sure to bring extra in case you goof a couple up.
By bending the rebar, you avoid the need to cover the ends or worry about angle to hold down the dome. The curve goes over the vertices. Oh yeah, it is easier to get out of the ground, too, since (after first taking down the dome) you can twist the top of the candy cane around with bare hands, no need for vice grips and water, and it is easier to pull out, too. A moderately strong suburbanite can do it no problem.
For bent rebar, use 5/8" for sure. -
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Re: stake length
Fri, August 10, 2007 - 9:39 AMI do not agree that bent rebar doesn't need to be covered. True, you don't have the risk of impaling someone, but uncovered they are still a significant injury risk. Imagine kicking one in bare feet! The tops still need to be covered, but because the are curved, this is somewhat difficult. You can bend a funnoodle over the, but you need a lot of duct tape to keep it there, and then it is harder to remove the covering when it is time to remove the stake.
The vise grips are much easier on the hands for pulling than the raw rebar, so while bent rebar seems to offer a more convenient hand-hold, it only saves a couple seconds over attaching a vise grips, at the cost of potentially tearing up your fingers by gripping raw rebar. You can, of course use gloves, but you don't need to if you use a vise grips.
And, if you do hammer bent rebar down far enough to trap the dome struts, you won't be able to twist the rebar very far before the bent portion strikes the dome, interfering with removal. Unbent rebar can be rotated 360 degrees without striking the dome. And, water is only needed when the rebar is stuck in the ground -- has nothing to do with whether it is bent or not. Both bent and unbent rebar can get stuck in the ground and water helps. I've found than only about 10-20% of the rebar stakes need water to help with remove -- some years none do. I guess it depends on the condition of the playa, but I'm not really sure why some get more stuck than others.
I've seen some rebar bent with a sharp V a the top instead of a curve. This kind of bend is easier to pound in than a candy cane curve, but still interferes with removal because it cannot be rotated very far if you pound it down far enough to capture the bottom struts. And, if you don't pound it down that far, then the bend at the top serves no useful purpose. -
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Re: stake length
Fri, August 10, 2007 - 5:45 PMThank you, this has been very helpful.
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Re: stake length
Sun, August 12, 2007 - 4:24 PMHi! I don't want to have an argument, we can agree to disagree. I am sure your method works fabulously. Mine does too. It's best to have lots of options when contemplating a project, I think. Sorry if my first post came across as contentious. We are all great and I thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience. Yay!
FWIW I always where gloves working on the playa, bring extra gloves for my workmates, and appreciate the gloves whether the rebar I am working with is bent or not.
I've used bent rebar on the playa for 8 years and not one injury. There are many things at burning man one should not kick with bare feet :-) The rebar bent over the dome is, like, right on the edge of the dome, so it is a large obvious thing to avoid.
As I said in my first post on this topic, you take the dome apart =before= removing the rebar. Thus, no impediment to rotation, and no need to bring an extra tool (vice grips).
Rebar bent with a sharp V is indeed cool, easy to pound, and has all the virtues of bent rebar. The V rebar I have seen was prepared by a welder, who heated up the rebar and bent it with some metal working tools. Perhaps you don't need to heat it, just need the vises or whatever. Another good approach.
Bruce :-) -
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Re: stake length
Sun, August 12, 2007 - 6:45 PMWe can certainly agree to disagree. I am no trying to convince you to do something different, just trying to provide information for people who haven't yet decided. Speaking with the medics on the playa, rebar-related injuries are very common, so regardless of the technique one uses (straight, V, candycane), covering the rebar is very important.
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