The metal dictated the final design

©2019 Barry Smith - Patina, rust stainless wire, afternoon sun and the mountains

I really was meant to be working on product today; but got sidetracked by rust. I have quite a stash of rusted circular saw blades which I had planned to turn into a large sculptural piece about the sun. I knew I would only get about 4 hours in the studio-garage today so I decided to indulge myself and make a piece using a rusty saw blade. The metal in the blade was so hard, which makes sense, that I burnt out and broke several bits before giving up. I also tested drilling the rim of steel I was going to use as the outside of the piece - 'hard as' - so more broken bits.

©2019 Barry Smith - You can see the drill bits barely scratched the metal

I decided to use an old copper perforated circle from a vintage shower head; and to suspend it in the circle using stainless steel wire.

©2019 Barry Smith - Perorated copper circle and rim

Process photos follow.

©2019 Barry Smith - Front of the piece with wires in place 

©2019 Barry Smith - Back of piece with wires before tensioning and trimming and hammering down

And the finished piece.

©2019 Barry Smith - Afternoon sun and shadows - the piece on logs

©2019 Barry Smith - The piece raised on a cog on the rust table

©2019 Barry Smith - Hanger on the back of the piece in case somebody wants to hang it on a wall

As one does I decided to use the last cap from an old gas hob and turn it into one of my stapled  pieces. It turned out that this metal was as hard as and resulted in broken bits lodged in the metal.

©2019 Barry Smith - A keen eye will see a couple of spots where bits have broken off in the metal

But I persisted and managed to make another small stitched piece on hairy oak.

©2019 Barry Smith - This ceramic coated cap has had a hard life 

©2019 Barry Smith - Stitched disk on rough cut hairy oak

Frustration as the start of the day; but satisfaction at the end.