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Riga Rooster bolted together and almost done.

Here are some photos of a project that had me immersed for awhile - a 2 foot tall repousse Rooster like the church weather vanes from Riga Latvia, hammered from 1/8 inch plate steel. I took what I liked from the 2 best examples and added a few touches.  The feather scheme from one (more stylized) was combined with the general body and crown of the other.  

Although the form and details are quite simple, this involved countless hours creating the tools and inventing techniques, as well as the time actually forging and assembling. This puts me in a position to perhaps handle a more complex project.  

Local tradition is that when the rooster crows the evil doers must go home.

It's time to paint this, and I'm looking for advice on exactly how to remove scale (inside creases) and really prep and paint this for outdoors. Help would be appreciated!

Soaking in vinegar should loosen up the scale. Neutralize after in baking soda water solution then rinse and dry immediately. After that you can spray it with a primer ( preferably an acid etch primer) and then you'll be safe to paint and clearcoat it. If you are going that far with it use a clearcoat with uv protection like automotive clearcoat. 

Thank you for answering the question I posed as well as the next question I was formulating!