Metal Sculpture & Carvings

I liked those 'rock animals' that Biggundoctor posted in my stone bird (q.v.) thread. Found a rock that looked something like the shape of a crab. Some cut down pliers made the nippers and a bit of forged rebar made the other eight legs. The eyes are some brass knobs off something. Just a bit of fun really:

The bodies are copper and the heads steel.

It's not that impressive but I thought it was pretty cool, especially for a beginner project. It was the first time I used a swage block as well. I found an awesome guy who's been smithing as a hobby for 30+ years and he has an open forge every Sunday. I've been trying to make it out to his shop as much as I can. -m

калитка, gate

Flower on the end of a garden stake. http://machinesmedia.com/blacksmithing-forging-a-flower-stake/

I have just finished some handrails made out of solid barstock for my mother

An octopus I made to hold a painted shell for the lady. Needs tweaking yet to hold the shell.

Making sign for shop. Using hand design hence the the title. Get it, " hand" made sign. Hehehehe. Wife needs to paint lettering then heat up fingers and attach ring/ sign. Just tie wrapped on for now. Kind of abstract take on a hand. Better than first attempt at hand.

My tattoo artist friend wanted to trade a card holder of some sort for some work. Heres what I came up with. Kinda a combo of forging and sculpture. I used his hand holding an old school tattoo gun as a model plan on him leaning buisiness cards up against it or perhaps a small separated card holder to go in front. Anyway, it was fun

20mm stock

Prototype hand lamp. Need to work on fingers. But very fun

Just wanted to share my sculpture I just finished making for Valentine's Day. Was a fun project to make and pretty easy really. Only minor blacksmithing involved in the bottom mild steel heart pieces for texture and color, and welded to a piece of 316 stainless at the top. I think she'll love it.

Metal sculptures can be made much more easily if you find a piece that just suits the project. I have to make another mantis and this piece called out from the scrap. I'm not sure what it is (possibly a hanger for a sliding door??). I don't think I have to do much to this to make the head. Dollar coin for size reference. A lucky find:

Избушка на курьих ножках (мангал) Hut on chicken legs (BBQ)

Филин из листовой стали

made that last july (2017)for a sculpture symposium it's the start of "le chant des partisans" (song of the partisans : the partisans where the civilians people fighting the nazis during ww2 ), i choose it to symbolise ,the resistance against , pollution physic and mental that is attacking us .. for the symposium where working in the Street , ..

For all you artist smiths, show us your gates, railings, signs, fireplaces, furniture, lights, sculptures, and any other artist work I have missed

iron and forge melted glass

Been doing a few ram's head and bull's head bottle openers at my demos lately. I usually get them right but one the other day just didn't work out well - the loop on the opener end was a bit too thin. I was going to consign it to the scrap but found a use for the bull's head end. Attached to a horse shoe they make quite a reasonable double wall hook. So all was not lost. Sometimes mistakes can work out well. Made one with the ram's head as well ...

Mailbox almost complete.

The Garden Gate that I am working on has lots of scroll work but I wanted to add a floral motif on each end. These two flower and leaf assemblies will be welded on each side next to the scrolls. I used two 12 inch pieces of round stock and a pre-cut flower blank for each piece. I first used a texturing hammer to break the surface of the stock. I then forged a leaf on both ends of one piece of stock with a tapered stem on each end. I did the standard technique for chiseling in the leaf veins and sinking the leaves into a wood block depression. I then nicked the bar about 2/3 of the way down the piece of leaf stems and bent the two leaves together slightly off center. Th…

Hi all, The wife has a small collection of gecko figurines on the wall. If I want to keep getting "idling" (smithing) time, I need to prove my worth. Ergo, I need to forge a gecko. So far, I didn"t mennage to devise a plan. Please help. My material is flat bars and rods. I would like most/all the work to be "traditional" forging - hammer, chissel ect. I do have an angle grinder, but I feel that shaping with it is a little cheating. So this is a last resort. Also - Preferably without welding, as I suck at it.