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I Forge Iron

Scrap metal sculpture


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That's some majo work that you have done!!!!
Only pity from my point of veiw is the "waste" of all those lovely strait cut gears :D here they are either expensive or hard to come by! :)
I just love your work.

Regards Ian

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That's some majo work that you have done!!!!
Only pity from my point of veiw is the "waste" of all those lovely strait cut gears :D here they are either expensive or hard to come by! :)
I just love your work.

Regards Ian

Thank you Ian
It is funny to me how we tend to value objects differently. I have heard similar comment from a other people about the gears. Their origin is from 'combine' seeders.They are so the farmer can adjust different flow rates for seed and fertiliser. These obsolete agricultural machines can be found on most old farms where i live so are not seen as valuable or difficult to obtain. I still think they are a fantastic art object.
cheers
Andrew
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Scrapartoz, Do you apply the fish oil to hot metal, or once it's cold? Paint, spray or rub on?
I've used fish oil at work, but hadn't thought of it for finishing purposes. Being on the gold coast I'm always searching for a method of finishing that will keep the raw metal look without turning to rust in a couple of weeks!

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On 3/8/2011 at 4:20 AM, Ratel10mm said:

Scrapartoz, Do you apply the fish oil to hot metal, or once it's cold? Paint, spray or rub on?
I've used fish oil at work, but hadn't thought of it for finishing purposes. Being on the gold coast I'm always searching for a method of finishing that will keep the raw metal look without turning to rust in a couple of weeks!


Hi Ratel the fishoil is really good xxxx. Normally I apply it after encouraging a uniform rust on shiny metel(welds etc) by applying a mild table salt solution with a spray bottle. MILD IS CRITICAL ( similar to urine - dont ask!) -with too much its hard to stop rapid and uncontrolled oxidation.Apply clean water to continue the rusting ( No more Salt) once satisfied you have hidden any welds and shiny components with rust then paint ,spray ( can or gun) fishoil on the cold rusty components. It (and you) will stink for a while LOL . there will be an initial shiny appearance that detracts from the rust colour but you can make this more 'matt' by rubbing with a rag a few days after application. Your work will darken and the finish will last for about 12 months in a hostile (salt)environment. I try to reapply at least every 18 months. I hope this is of help to you. The Eagle has fishoil the hare or rabbit does not. ( compare these )If you apply this fishoil to polished shiny metal it will protect the shiny metal appearance also. I do not know how long it will endure on shiny metal .The Girl below has had 2-3 coats of fishoil over 18 months and now I am happy with her finish .
cheers
Andrew
metal_girl.JPG

cyberhorsegurl.JPG
andrew_whitehead_gurl1a.jpg

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Andrew,

When I said to my wife I'm looking at Blacksmith porn I meant this site...
Quite inocently of course ...
Then This :D
Now,how can I deccribe IFI and not get bust? B)

Great piece!...Er pieces!...Er figures.... Er items..... Er ah work? :D
Ian

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I like your work! Inventive to say the least. I do a bit of the same in a sense. Everything I build is made from scrap.

Thank you Nathan, would you be able to show me some of your work .I am always keen to learn new stuff from a different angle and different mind
andrew
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Hi Ratel the fishoil is really good shit. Normally I apply it after encouraging a uniform rust on shiny metel(welds etc) by applying a mild table salt solution with a spray bottle. MILD IS CRITICAL ( similar to urine - dont ask!) -with too much its hard to stop rapid and uncontrolled oxidation.Apply clean water to continue the rusting ( No more Salt) once satisfied you have hidden any welds and shiny components with rust then paint ,spray ( can or gun) fishoil on the cold rusty components. It (and you) will stink for a while LOL . there will be an initial shiny appearance that detracts from the rust colour but you can make this more 'matt' by rubbing with a rag a few days after application. Your work will darken and the finish will last for about 12 months in a hostile (salt)environment. I try to reapply at least every 18 months. I hope this is of help to you. The Eagle has fishoil the hare or rabbit does not. ( compare these )If you apply this fishoil to polished shiny metal it will protect the shiny metal appearance also. I do not know how long it will endure on shiny metal .The Girl below has had 2-3 coats of fishoil over 18 months and now I am happy with her finish .
cheers
Andrew


Thanks Andrew, I'll give it a go. :)
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Scrapoz.
Mate for a bloke who was saying your forge level was not up to the mark,I think not you have a wonderfull gift in your work.It is so life like and the detail is outstanding ,they are all true works of art.
I love your eagle and rabbit,thank you for the great pictures ,would love to see more in the future when you have built more if thats ok B)
very ,very cool

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thank you bush bugger .When I said my forging skills were poor I refer to the fact that I dont own an anvil (and dont know one end from the other) My only experience with 'fighting metal' is a bit of Oxy acetylene and hammer work along with a love of 4" and 9" Angle Grinders and a stick welder i bought 35 years ago. I would really love to have the time and energy to build swords ,knives , fire tools and crazy xxxx done with twisted metal like you guys. So much to learn ...so little time.
To IRONSTEIN I dont know about 'having vision' my best work seeems to come from looking through the bottom of an empty beer bottle!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Folks

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What a vision! I can look at a pile of parts on the ground, and that's the closest they'll get to being art, just a pile of parts. All of the animals are great, but I especially love the Roo. Using the concrete mixer for the pouch was simply
brilliant. This stuff would be worth $1,000's and $1,000's to the right
person. Somewhere there's a designer looking for this exact type of art.
It really needs to be on display in a large park in Perth or Sidney or wherever you're closest to. I sure appreciate you letting us see this, in fact I'm honored that you did!
I told you the piece I liked the most, but of course the most magnificant piece is the eagle. Just pure art, all of it.
Thanks,
Robert

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What a vision! I can look at a pile of parts on the ground, and that's the closest they'll get to being art, just a pile of parts. All of the animals are great, but I especially love the Roo. Using the concrete mixer for the pouch was simply
brilliant. This stuff would be worth $1,000's and $1,000's to the right
person. Somewhere there's a designer looking for this exact type of art.
It really needs to be on display in a large park in Perth or Sidney or wherever you're closest to. I sure appreciate you letting us see this, in fact I'm honored that you did!
I told you the piece I liked the most, but of course the most magnificant piece is the eagle. Just pure art, all of it.
Thanks,
Robert

thank you Rhrocker for those encouraging words. When I look at the junk on the ground i dont see much either. What i do see ( and draw many , many, many times ) is the external surface of the subject. this is sort of "3D mapped" in my head. looking at many internet images helps this happen. i only concentrate on one area at a time (eg Head) or i would be overwhelmbed by the size and time of the job . So then i only look for an ear ,or brow, or lip. and the process goes on. I think many others could do this if they used this method. cheers Andrew
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Thank you Kustomsteel and Bentiron 1946 . my apologies for not responding sooner . i am glad you like the stuff I do. To answer your question I have sold only one piece - the horse and that was a commission. I donated the spider to my home town , The Dragon won a $10k Art competition and they got to keep it. The Eagle and Girl are for sale. I am working on my second commission -The shearer and 2 sheep. I am hoping to get a few more commissions and I have prepared a 2.5 hour instructional 'workshop' which I hope I will be able to deliver to rural communities so they might build their own iconic historical 'tourist stopping' sculptures. cheers Andrew

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Finding the stuff is hard thats why i pick up everything I can find when I get trhe oportunity and have an acre or two of treasures that i search through.




I, and i think a lot of others, would really love to see some shots of your workshop. I would also love to see some shots of this "acre or two of treasures".

I just thought it would be really cool to drool over.
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Great sculptures indeed! I have a hard time using found objects but have done so in the past, car parts and such from my days junking stuff, I didnt grow up with much industrial surplus lying about and I did search :D Your work is real fluid and very descriptive, Thats a great way to get your work out, starting local then regional, you should look into "sculpture by the sea" lots going on, and mass groves of people attend.

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Thanks JGraff . i am not sure about the quantity but the quality of the junk is great. I have attached some photos .the small treasures near the shed are 4" deep. The others are buried in the grass. I am very fortunate that I have access to 3 more family farm scrap dumps with similar hordes
to Michael Dillon ..Thank you I will look into 'Sculpture by the Sea' thanks 4 the tip. Andrew
,boneyard3.jpg
boneyard1.jpg
boneyard2.jpg
shed1.jpg
forge1.jpg
shed2.jpg
102_0082.JPG

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Thanks JGraff . i am not sure about the quantity but the quality of the junk is great. I have attached some photos .the small treasures near the shed are 4" deep. The others are buried in the grass. I am very fortunate that I have access to 3 more family farm scrap dumps with similar hordes



WOW, i am extremely envious!!! You are right, the quality is great. I've always said i would love to own a junk yard.
So, does your family own a scrap yard or is this just a life time collection?
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WOW, i am extremely envious!!! You are right, the quality is great. I've always said i would love to own a junk yard.
So, does your family own a scrap yard or is this just a life time collection?

No we dont own a scrap yard. most of the scrap is from the family farms we have had them for 120 odd years.Like most farms very little was thrown away also i work on the local Shire Council as a road construction worker so im always on the lookout for stuff and in my travels and when I meet a local farmer on a road i am working on, I ask him if he wants to part with some junk ...a carton of beer is offered and the deal is done and we both walk away happy.Most people are very happy to see their junk being turned into something artistic and useful.cheers
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Greetings Andrew. You are creating World Class Art! Although I can appreciate abstract art to a certain degree, I have a greater affinity to figurative art. The dynamic quality of your sculptures is very appealing. I echo the collective WOW expressed by others here. I hope to see one of your pieces at the MOMA someday. Otherwise, I guess I'll have to take a trip to Oz.

What sets your creativity loose? Does viewing an object trigger a vision of the whole, or do you draw a plan, and then hunt for the appropriate parts?

Thank you for sharing your fantastic work!

Robert

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