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by Crazydiymom

Modern Pvc Pipe Birds Make Unique Yard Art!

To create these beautiful PVC Pipe Birds, you will need a small variety of tools such as a jigsaw, a heat gun, some sandpaper or a file, a drill and drill bit and spray paints meant for plastic and some scrap 4″ PVC pipe and blocks of wood or logs. Make a modern twist on the pink flamingos that’ll last longer, too!

Table of Contents

Pipe Birds are much more stylish and modern compared to the old-school pink flamingos in the yard.
Upcycle a modern version of a pink flamingo, but with a stylish twist!

Supplies needed:

A flock fo seagulls? No! Pipe Birds are much more adorable.
A flock of seagulls? Nope! This collection of adorable yard art puts those horrible old pink flamingos to shame!

The attack of the PVC Pipe Birds will have the neighbors envious of the unique yard art.

Start by creating a pattern for your birds. An easy way to visualize your design is to get a piece of paper, fold it in half, and draw the profile of a bird on it, with the bottom of the beak on the crease. Cut it out, lay it flat, and then you have the pattern. Keep it simple! The more intricate the design, the more difficult it is to cut it out. This part was the most difficult for me as it took several tries to get a good pattern. You can find my patterns on my blog – CrazyDiyMom. Trace the pattern onto the PVC pipe with a marker and use a jigsaw to cut out the shape. Use sandpaper or a file to smooth out the edges.

Shape the PVC Pipe Birds with a heat gun.
Make your template, draw it out on PVC pipe and cut it out. Next, time to shape the bird with the heat gun. Use gloves and protect your fingers!

Turn up the heat to shape your PVC Pipe Birds

Use a heat gun to form your bird. A little patience and practice go a long way here. If you mess up, no problem. You can quickly reheat and reshape the bird until you get it perfect! Use the heat gun again and bend the bird’s feet so that it can be stood up. If you have difficulty cutting the whole bird in one piece, you can cut pieces separately and glue them together with PVC glue (yes, it is available in clear).  Secure with small screws if you choose.

Cut out the PVC pipe birds, sand the edges, use a heat gun to shape the birds, and add artful curves for the long necks.
Cut out the shape, smooth the rough edges, use a heat gun to shape the bird, and add artful curves for long necks.

Help those birds stand up proudly!

When you are happy with the shape of your bird, it is time to drill some holes in the feet. Later, you’ll attach the bird to a sturdy base to keep it upright. Use your drill and a drill bit sized appropriately for the screw that you plan to use to make a hole in each of your birds’ feet. Use acetone and an old washcloth or shop rag to remove any manufacturers barcode ink on your bird. If you are having a hard time removing the ink with acetone, use a sander and some sandpaper to remove the markings.

Bend the feet on your PVC Pipe Birds, drill holes and secure with screws and washers.
Bend the feet, drill holes and secure with screws and washers.

Make them come alive with paint and accessories!

Paint the project however you would like. Make sure to use spray paints that designed for plastic for proper adhesion. When you have the bird painted, and it has dried completely, spray it with a good coat of a spray acrylic sealer to protect the paint job. Use masking tape as needed for detailed paint jobs. Next, add some rhinestones or some fake eyes to your bird to give him a more realistic look.

The eyes have it.

I used E6000 glue to attach my bird’s eyes. After the paint has dried, you are ready to put him on display. I connected my birds with screws to pieces of driftwood and concrete blocks to make sure they are anchored down nicely and can’t blow over in the wind. Each bird takes about an hour to complete, and I usually cut out a few birds at a time. I shape them all, and then I paint them all.

Turn PVC Pipe Birds into gutter ends to direct water flow when it rains.
This pink flamingo puts those old-school ones to shame. You could even make small ones as gutter ends to direct water flow!
A PVC Pipe Birds shape like this woodpecker will never wake you up.
This woodpecker will never wake you up!

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