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I Forge Iron

so you want to build a peacock


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Here is the start of the Peacock project . On looking more carefully at peacock photos I was amazed to learn that the beautiful  fan shaped feathers with 'eyes'; are not the tail feathers but are mounted on the back and are supported at the rear by dull grey tail feathers that prop up the fan . The wings are also tucked under and rear of  the fan . This is not what I had believed so i must change my plan to make it anatomically accurate. So if it looks wrong or silly to you guys check out some photos of the real thing ( a view from the rear )  and you might be surprised how oddly they are put together.

 

The glass discs were made by my wife . there will be more glass in the neck /chest area in 1 and a half inch rings . not sure how that will work out yet

 

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andrew your right! i guess i presumed the entire tail was eyes, and the wings infront, and it does appear more like this when the tail is down, but if you think about it no eyes are visible from the back when the tail is up... just the dull brown ones.. i have some smaller shoes stashed which i might use on mine but ive not decided yet, and i have never thought of using a pipe cut into sections for rings! thats ridiculously obvious, and something i would do in cooking or perhaps with cardboard but ive never done that with metal! well done!! that will be SO useful :) thankyou ! i will thoroughly enjoy your photo step by step thing for the peacock, i particularly like your approach, which is unique to your style, of using the best shaped part from the outset, rather than fiddling and altering to much after youve made your selection.the glass is going to look wonderful!

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Thank you Thomas Dean . well I will have to take your word for it as there ane not many Peacocks for sale as meat in OZ . (Not any wild ones I know about)

Thomas Powers , yes I would have thought a bit more "gamey" in flavour ( i guess everyone has different taste experience. Can you post me a link to some Renaissance Recipes as  you have me interested . (ive heard of peacock tongues or was it pheasant? )

Toolish ........I have seen the tempered colours done as you describe on a sheet metal Peacock . it looked fantastic . the most beautiful effect on the peened metal.

 

Beth   my "style" of using the right shaped part  from the start has a simple origin :  I am LAZY and it means less work . cant wait to see your  wall peacock posted. ( I might steal some ideas off you )

cheers a.

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Hi Eddie and Thomas P

The ring was a complete  blacksmith forged rim off an old horse drawn wagon  wheel . I cut out a section and inverted it .

Im not sure how i will do the feathers that accompany the now floating eyes , as  too much stuff may ruin the effect i am after , though it needs something to indicate the rest of the feathers . i might go a little abstract or minimal with the rest of the feathers. not sure yet .it will come to me in my sleep.

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Some more progress:: this junk will become head and neck 

 

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I want  the Peacock to display smug vanity / narcissism .   so I connect the head by a bolt into a welded nut . then when i rotate the curvature of the neck to the desired"attitude" i can then make fine adjustment to the turn of the head independent of the necks position

 

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The feet are next . They must be strong enough to hold the weight of the entire sculpture . On the underside of each foot I will weld a nut . This will enable me to later screw in a spike that is hidden from the viewer

The 1" box connecting the feet at the top will be the primary assembly,  onto which all sub components will slip into /onto

 

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Next a verticle housing  is attached to the mainframe  . Into this housing  the 1" post that is attached to the Peacock 'fan' will slip. The fan is balanced (and quite stable ) resting only on the feet on the dirt floor

 

 

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Next the neck and belly attach via   ' slip on rails'     to mainframe

 

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Detail of slip in and / or  slip over box mounting system.   There is much more to do . The fan has much more "beautification "  to be done including the  "T "feathers and "eye lashes" .

The wings and tail feathers represent some interesting engineering problems to solve .  There is also the addittion of glass on the chest and rise in the back

 

cheers  a 

 

 

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More junk to make the fan more attractive. These include railway sleeper split pins , flail mower T blades , drill bits ,  vintage  telephone insulators and mounts as well as the worn out spring steel brushes off a rotary road sweeper.

 

When the glass discs are added to the"ëyes" these decorations will become less sgnifigant.

 

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