kustomsteel

Beautifully done! You really captured the essence of the Mantis.

I agree with all of the above, but in cases where all else fails I find tig welding with silicon bronze filler rod holds up.

Right on!

Wow man! First attempt at metalwork/sculpture/welding?!?! You are coming out of the gates hard! The fenders are just great, form, proportion and detail all present. Well Done!

I really dig your work, especially #'s 1,3,5 and 9. Do you have a website?

Very slick, that beak was so smooth and clean! You are a true craftsman!

The bar has been raised 100 fold!!! A true exercise in surface textures relating to the scale of the piece, and once again graceful lines from every angle. You've made tons of metal look light as a feather!

Nice work! Lovin' those moth wings.

Beautiful job!

Nice design!

I'll jump in with the 2500 +. Lots of work there.

Really nice!

Nice work Teeny, and I am right with you on the tig welder. I love mine, its a great machine.

I really like these, especially the Loon. I think the pose, half in the water, and the perspective make it a visually interesting piece.

Good work Kent, looks pretty clean. I like the fish, working in three dimensions is a whole different ballgame, isn't it?. No need to apologize for using a jigsaw- I agree with DSW. I use an angle grinder for just about everything, many times if I'm doing a straight cut in sheet metal I'll opt for a grinder over the plasma cutter. Thanks for posting and keep at it!

That is a great design, really nice piece!

Wow! Love it, the leg design is excellent. Nice work!

I hope you can get pictures up because your method of sculpting seems very similar to mine. I agree with Frosty in applauding you taking a pay hit for something you feel worthy - it's just a shame that artists seem to take that hit more than others. I can't recommend an easier method other than sculpting it in clay and having a foundry do a casting. It sounds like your budget and time won't allow that... Best of luck and may your hammer strike true!

Thanks! No falconry- just looked at a little 2" image and started sculpting.

Thank You!

Thanks for the positive response everyone. This was a lot of work with a quick deadline but it paid well. I try to never work with metal thinner than 1/8" so I can grind out hammer marks and still have a substantial amount of metal left. I seem to get work from them when they win a Super Bowl, hope they don't find out we're a Steelers household! My wife is from Pittsburgh.... :D

Hey everyone, Here's the other part of the job I did for the Baltimore Ravens. There is a pub on the concourse and they wanted two sculptures of bird legs for the outside of the pub. The sculptures are fabricated from 1/8" stainless steel that has been hot and cold formed depending on the complexity of the shape. I started with a drawing (which eventually changed) blown up to the finished size of approximately 5'6" tall. The first pictures show my technique, I cut out shapes in paper, transfer them to the stainless, cut out with plasma cutter, then hammer to shape. Then I draw out the texture on the shape with marker and then carve with an 1/8" diameter ball shaped burr. I tack the shapes as discreetly as possible on the front side, then flip and do the final welds on the back. The finish is stainless black from Sculpt Nouveau rubbed back with scotch brite for an aged look. Sealed with 2 coats of Clear Guard to prevent finger prints.

Thanks Jim, I was very fortunate to have clients who wanted design over security. I like the gate pic you attached, although I would have made it a foot taller- somebody could climb right over it! :D

Very cool!

Thanks Mac! Eddie it's a 5'x6' platen table, got it for $300 and I love it but it has a slight crown that is frustrating when fabricating. One of these days I'll get it blanchard ground.