| Welding Metal Art is a growing trend and hobby. | | | | welded metal art were made from things found in |
| Learn what Metal Art Welding is and the basics of | | | | junkyards — hence the name. Old car parts, |
| Metal Art Welding. | | | | refrigerator bodies, oddly shaped bits of scrap metal, |
| Metal art welding is basically a form of sculpting in | | | | you name it, they were all welded to together and |
| reverse. Whereas sculpting starts from a block of | | | | the results were often surprising in their artistic |
| stone and the process entails the removal of all | | | | expression and originality. Embellishments were done |
| material not part of what is to be the finished piece, | | | | in the form of special coatings and paint applied to |
| metal art welding starts with nothing and keeps on | | | | some or all of the metal sculptures. |
| adding pieces until the work of art in completed. Two | | | | |
| processes, converse to each other, but resulting in | | | | The next stage was to addition of moving parts |
| the same end. | | | | — motorized sculptures. Windmill effects, |
| | | | | rotating tables and wind driven mobiles were some |
| Unlike sculptors who work in stones like granites or | | | | of the early common design themes used. Much of |
| marble, the metal welding artist can use just about | | | | early welded metal art was created for shock effect |
| any metal, or combinations of metals he chooses | | | | and it succeeded. |
| to. He may form his creations out of virgin metal | | | | |
| sheets, rods or pipes; or he may assemble existing | | | | Today metal art welding is returning to its basics, |
| pieces of shaped metal in to final product. | | | | and, in the opinion of many art critics, its purest form. |
| | | | | Simple and expressive forms, created by welding |
| Welding is, in its most simple form, the joining | | | | together seemingly uncomplimentary pieces of metal |
| together of two pieces of metal by heating the | | | | can create a memorable effect, as in the welding of |
| surfaces and then placing them together until the | | | | a rusty old car axle to a pair of roller skate frames |
| cooled metal forms a joint. There are different types | | | | to express the artist’s opinion of the |
| of welding methods that can be used, depending on | | | | negatives of fossil fueled vehicles. |
| the types of metal involved and the nature of the | | | | |
| joint — whether it requires strength, a fine | | | | While metal art welding can be tiny, as in small |
| finish, whether the metal can withstand high heat etc. | | | | jewelry items, it are normally large in size. The |
| | | | | largeness of the welded form adds to its impact. |
| Metal art welding can be done on any scale, from the | | | | That is why the majority of art made by the metal |
| finest pieces of jewelry that are finely welded or | | | | welding process is in the form of outdoor sculpture. |
| soldered together to huge outdoor sculptures. | | | | Since most welded art is made up from existing |
| | | | | pieces of metal, this is one art form where the mind |
| The beginnings of modern metal art welding lie in the | | | | of the artist must be able to not just envision the |
| emergence of junk sculpture when young | | | | finished work of art, but be able to look at using |
| artists understood that the joining of various pieces | | | | existing shapes to create his vision. Like a jigsaw |
| of existing scrap metal could produce works of | | | | puzzle, the artist must be able to locate the shapes |
| artistic integrity and merit. The first works of modern | | | | he needs to create the final effect. |