So I’m going to the Community Forklift on Sunday. It’s basically an architectural salvage yard in Rockville. I’ve been there once before and it’s like Disneyland for architecture and DIY geeks. I’m going this weekend specifically on the hunt for salvageable steel to work with in my metal sculpture class.
This is the second semester I’ve taken the metal sculpture class, because it is basically the best thing ever. Like, life-changingly exciting. For my next project, I’ve got several ideas sketched out, but I need to take my instructor’s advice and actually try to mock them up in cardboard and pipe cleaners before I get out the torch.
Last week’s class was great, because it was basically just a free-for-all with the scrap shelf. Grab some bits! Weld ’em together! See what happens! I started out with a concept of a tea cup from what looked like part of an exhaust from a car, and it kind of turned into this insectoid alien life form. I didn’t save it, because it was pretty rough, and the metal can be reused by other people (though if it hasn’t been snapped up when I get back on Monday, I may yet rescue it from the scrap pile), but the kind of insectoid jointed shapes I was making with steel rod were pretty cool, and something to try out in a more finished piece. (Yes, pictures next time. I was too buzzed after class to remember to photograph things. Taking pictures is one of the things I’m still working on getting the hang of, blogging-wise.)