Scaling the Base

October 23, 2017 Dave Stevenson

Measuring. Measuring again...was it 17 and a half, or 18? I had arrived at the foundry thinking cylinder but returned 4 hours and 3 arguments later to my studio with a trapezoidal shape in mind. Pictured here: Brad Conklin of Polich-T… — Measuring. Measuring again...was it 17 and a half, or 18? I had arrived at the foundry thinking *cylinder* but returned 4 hours and 3 arguments later to my studio with a trapezoidal shape in mind. Pictured here: Brad Conklin of Polich-Tallix (side note: Brad is a master wood sculptor and jack-of-zillion-trades, so I often seek his opinion & expertise). Alas, Peter Ross (also of PTX and possessing of a font of experience & practical know-how-it-all) officially won the unofficial "what base shape?" contest. Cylinder, schmilinder. Thanks Pete!

I cobbled this wooden base together with scrap wood at my studio, even going so far as to lather on a faux patina to double check the scale against my bronze sculpture. It will be fabricated in bronze next week and eventually surfaced with a REAL, s… — I cobbled this wooden base together with scrap wood at my studio, even going so far as to lather on a faux patina to double check the scale against my bronze sculpture. It will be fabricated in bronze next week and eventually surfaced with a REAL, stunning patina.

See that tiny little black magic-marker circle? There are a few more of those just out of sight. They mark the final spot-welds I need welded-up and chased. After that, we'll crane-walk it into the patina room!

I drove across the NEW Tappan Zee bridge--just three days after it reopened--on the way to the foundry (& my studio) today. Not exactly the most aesthetically exhilarating experience, but still kind of exciting because I have enjoyed watching it rise S L O W L Y from the Hudson River since the project began.

Once at the foundry, I approved the weld-up for the two sections of Acrobat--making sure both pieces matched perfectly before sealing them together for eternity. It's a symmetrical piece, so sure, I took a few measurements, but mostly it's just done by eye. The "Boomerang" video below shows us preparing to assemble the sculpture using a forklift as a crane.

What's next? I'll grind out and polish the welds tomorrow, and after the holiday weekend I'll map out the final design for the base--then, patina time!

Spot-welding (Thanks, Bob!) some of the small imperfections that occur naturally during the casting process. Afterwards, I ground them down and polished the surface smooth. — Spot-welding (Thanks, Bob!) some of the small imperfections that occur naturally during the casting process. Afterwards, I ground them down and polished the surface smooth.

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