Some days it is hard to get motivated let alone get inspired. I guess one should finish other projects before starting another but that isnt the way my brain works. I am always thinking ahead and if need be applying some thoughts to the current job. Today I finished something different. Yes I know its another horse head sculpture but this time its made from sheet steel. This one tested not only my welding skills but also my patience. Being sheet steel, I needed to get the right settings on the welder otherwise I could burn through the joins. The other problem was getting the right angles and shapes on pieces of steel.
Once I got the plates tacked together I then had to fully weld and then grind off the welds to give a clean finish. Convex shapes were quite easy but the concave shapes really tested me. I purchased an electric die grinder and some carbide burrs. Aside from the fact the die grinder spins at 33000 RPM, it developed an unbearable vibration within the first hour of use. That was going back for a refund. The other problem I wasnt ready for was the miniscule pierces of metal embedding themselves in my shirt, hands, and pretty much everywhere. I have used die grinders before but never had these issues. Eventually the sculpture was cleaned up enough and sanded down to 120 grit and then scotchbrite pads.
It was now time to think about how I will finish it. As I do finish my metal forging with wax, I decided to do the same method with this but the wax needs to be applied to the metal when its hot. Out with the gas torch and wax and the end product is what you see. The colour is not consistant and the finish of the metal has imperfections so you know this is a hand made sculpture. This was a big learning curve for me and hopefully the next time I use sheet metal for a scuplture things will go together a bit easier.
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