Out of display trays for your ice sculptures? Solve the problem with a drill and a quick trip to a hardware store.

*updated 12/27/11



If you haven't already run into this problem a time or two, then you will. For whatever reason, you're short on trays to display sculptures. Maybe you have four sculptures going up and you only have 3 trays. Maybe your order of disposable trays won't come in until Tuesday and you need trays on Sunday. To help solve this sort of problem, I thought I'd pass on my solution.

If you've used a disposable ice tray before, then you'll recognize the crucial element in this solution: the drain connection.



I'm sure I've used hundreds of these things over the last few years. Unfortunately, when you get an order of disposable trays, you get the same number of drain connectors as trays. I don't often lose a tray, but I've lost lots of little drain connectors. After a while, you have more trays than connectors. Unless you were smart enough to order some extra connectors, you will run short eventually. They look to be pretty simple, but stopping by the hardware store for replacements can be frustrating unless you know where to look.



The connector is made up of a nipple (the hollow, threaded tube), a washer, a rubber washer, and two nuts. Here's a list of all the parts, but I haven't had a chance to update the list lately. Everything on this list came from Lowe's Home Improvement, but there might be new part numbers or some of the items might now be discontinued. Home Depot and other stores have this stuff too, but I don't know the exact brands.

Rubbermaid Clear Impression storage container (26.5"x15.8"x6.5")
Portfolio brand 8 Assorted Nipples #46816 (or #046776; see pic)
Portfolio brand 12 Locknuts #36272
Portfolio brand 12 Assorted Locknuts and Washers #35931
Hillman 3/8x7/8x1/16 Rubber Washers (2) (Lowes #136599)
Watts Clear Vinyl Tubing 10 feet 1/2" outside diam. 3/8" inside diam.
Portfolio brand 18 inch Under Cabinet Fluorescent Light #240193

The key is that most of the connector parts come from the lighting department, usually where the spare parts for lamps are. If you try to fit regular nuts from the hardware section on the nipple, you'll find that the threading is different and it won't go on. (The designation for the nipple size is: 1/8-IP.)



The right size regular metal washers will fit, but they're thicker and heavier than those in the lighting department. (These thin metal washers have been increasingly tough to find lately at Lowes; here's a link to a washers, nuts, and lock washers pack at Home Depot; you don't need the lock washers.)



The rubber washer does come from the hardware department, pretty close to the regular metal washers, but probably in a special parts drawer.



I've tried O-rings from the plumbing department, and they work okay, but it's a lot harder to find the right size. By the way, the white washers that are in the Assorted Locknuts and Washers that's shown do not work as substitutes for the rubber washers. Throw out the lock washers in that pack also, as the only things you need from it are the thin flat metal washers (you may be able to find them packaged by themselves).

Tubing is in the plumbing department, and it's usually already cut to 10 and 20 foot lengths. Look for the yellow labeled clear vinyl tubing with an I.D. (inside diameter) of 3/8".



The tray itself should be with the storage containers, and you should see at least a couple of sizes. Pick what works for your needs, but the container sides should be low, the bottom should be flat, and it should be made of flexible plastic (not too flexible though). If you're going to light the sculpture with a fluorescent light, you need one of the "clear" containers. I like Rubbermaid better than Sterlite and the less rigid the tray, the less it's likely to crack when you drill a hole into it or when it gets pushed around while the sculpture is being set up.

To drill through the side of the tray, use a 3/8" bit and go slow. Once you're through, ream it out a little bit and remove any bits of plastic that could interfere with the seal. If you're concerned about the plastic cracking, you can put a piece of duct tape on either side before you drill and that may stop it. If you want to see how your drill is going to go through the plastic, you can try it on the lid if you were planning to throw it away (you could keep the lid, using the tray as a container to store the light, tube, and any gels or extension cords once the tray is dried).

When you assemble the drain connection on to the tray, put the nipple through first (it should be tight.) On the inside of the tray put a metal washer over the nipple, then add a nut. On the outside, put a rubber washer and a nut. Hand tighten the nuts as tight as you can. More of the connection should be on the outside than on the inside (see diagram). I used to think that putting the rubber washer on the inside would work better, but after testing it for this entry, I found the opposite was true. I also realized that this sort of connection is pretty good, but not perfect. For example, very small amounts of water can get out by traveling along the thread of the nipple if the end of the tube doesn't sit flush against the outside nut.

You might have guessed that this is a low cost set up. (**But the following costs are likely out of date**)The assembled drain connections end up costing about $1.63 each, while the “tray” goes for $6.97. The light shown runs $8.96 while the tubing is just $1.04 for five feet. Your total cost with tax is around twenty dollars per tray, which means, like the “disposable” trays, you can work it into the cost of the sculpture and don’t have to worry about recovering your tray after the event.

As a test, I recently used the tray shown to display an angelfish carving at an event. I found that the sides of the tray were a little high, making it harder to get the sculpture in the tray, and that I wished the tray was a little larger (but it did hold the sculpture without any real problem.) Other than that, everything worked as planned, and by ruffling linen around the base, I was able to hide the tray’s flimsy appearance. Good luck!



You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well as below. Thanks!

Rubbermaid, Hillman, Watts, and Portfolio are trademarked brands. I’ve shown photos of their products and/or logos for informative and instructional purposes only. I don’t claim any sort of rights to images of their products or logos. Other images and text in this article, however, are copyrighted.

Tags: display trays, problem solving, lighting