pachyderm wishes and elephantine dreams

So long. So so so long. But, I have returned to discuss arts and ponderings- I know, you're thrilled!

Living in Iowa while my entire workshop is in Texas is not a very good practice. I hope to change that at some point, but for now I will have to settle for sculpting when I visit my Dad.

I'm actually quite proud of myself, because on my last trip (my lady love and I went to visit) I was able to plan, assemble, and finish an entire sculpture. Whoo!

His name is Jorge W. Shrub, and I made him from rebar and scrap pieces of a steel plate. I didn't document the entire process as I generally do, but here he is in the early stages:

And here is is again, as a happy and healthy pachyderm:

This was done with a MIG welder and a 2 function saw, and complete labor time was roughly 6 hours.

I rather enjoy him. I have added some rubber padding under his feet, so he can sit on a surface without causing any damage- some of those edges are sharp!

That appears to be all for the time being, though I do have other projects (non-metal) in the works, and even a few which are close to completion. But for now, I believe I will continue planning my summer garden. Hooray for fresh produce!

Cheers, em

a new project, at last!

I'm finally home, and my father is doing well following his surgery on his rotator cuff- you know what that means. Project time!

I've been sketching for awhile, not really landing on anything, until my very good friend suggested that I keep in line with my current trend (animals) and make an elephant. Of course, once she mentioned the idea, I fell in love with it. But the question remained- what type of material? Since I use found objects, my options are rather limitless. But I decided to do something a bit different, something I hope will be visually captivating while still retaining the essence of a found piece. Ergo, I decided on pipe. With pipe, I can cut the pieces to many various lengths and then bind them back together at different angles to form the body of my elephant. I doubt the end product will look anything like what's in my head (the sketches don't either!) but I'm going to do my best.

Here's one of my sketches, with reference points for me regarding the elephant's form and face. I haven't yet decided what position I'd like her in, but I have no doubt that I'll come up with something.

I'll be using copper pipe, 1in in diameter and 2.5in in diameter, cut to varying lengths. Copper pipe is gorgeous, and I think even more so when it's slightly worm and aged, which is what I'll be using. This is not the exact pipe I'll be using, but it's similar-

I hope to begin immediately... But first, I need to run and buy a pipe cutter. Amazingly enough, in both of our massive garages, in all of our toolboxes, we don't have a simple little pipe cutter! This will allow me to make clean cuts in the pipe without losing so much of it, as I would with an electric saw.

More updates as they occur.

Cheers,
em

And so it begins.

Summer is approaching- which for me, means the time of year has arrived where I have access to my tools, and time to play with them! I believe this year I'd like to work on my Stick welding (or rather, Shielded metal arc welding). I can handle a TIG (wire feed) just fine, but where's the fun in only sticking to the simple stuff? I think I could do much more delicate work welding manually, with a smaller bead and thinner grooves. Or anyhow, I'd like to try.

I also used a bit of brazing on a piece recently, and absolutely loved the result- though I must admit, it's going to take me a bit to master! But I loved the look of the brass seams against the rebar, and definitely want to experiment some more.

I'm working on a few sketches right now, and will try to post them as they come together. Though that may be a bit, I may instead focus right now on technique talk. Perhaps, throw my ideas out into cyber-space and see what comes back.

^ Recent project, mixture of TIG and brazing.

Cheers,

em