Metal Face Sculpture

[Rustbin]

Just before Christmas day I got this image of a art deco woman's face in my head and I figured I could form it out of the metal from old school lockers. My lovely wife let me put a sheet of paper on her face and trace out her fore head and eye sockets then another sheet to do her jaw line mouth and nostrils. Later let me sketch her ear and measure her shoulders in exchange for some massage. She has been very encouraging and has given opinion when ever asked through the whole process, she's awesome. I didn't take many pictures at the start but as I got into it I started taking more, usually at the end of the day.

 

   

 

Using my stump and making a minnie stump that needed to by screwed down I shaped the pieces and planished them on a trailer hitch ball, eye balls were formed with the ball peen hammer and a 24mm socket, (because that is the average size of a human eyeball) then parts were tacked together with the mig while I had the door open for ventilation. On the days the rain stopped I moved outside to weld up what I had done to that point.

 

   

 

Making the ears was very fussy with the convoluted curves and folded over top edge.

 

 

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

When I got to working on her hair I made a forming piece from a oak branch, rounded the edge of one of the air hammer chisels and made a test piece from a small off cut that went very well. Starting with the bowl shape I drew out the lines of the hair and started hammering in the lines on my form, easy enough in the middle where I could balance it but getting towards the edges the it was almost impossible to hold the metal and the chisel with my left hand and hit it with the hammer in my right. I got smart and started using vise grips as a moveable counter weight but throughout the whole process my left hand would cramp up and I would have to stop and do something else for a while. To round out the space between the lines I would flip it over the stump and use the old brake pad I had made to form the bead I made in the inner rocker panel that I welded in the 510. The two side pieces of the hair where made to fit together on this rounded portion so I would be able to grind down the welds, and they had to go over the tops of the ears then fit tight to the neck. It took me 11 days to do her hair, I swear I will never be a hair dresser. I left the shoulders to last because of a change of mind about the position of the face, I originally was going to have her looking up more but went with more forward and had to add a couple of inches to the back and the shoulders. The last piece was the base which I made as flat as I could but with adjusting the bottom edge as I welded on the base things did not end up totally flat so I went with using 3 rubber feet so it doesn't wobble.

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

I regret not getting a picture of the piece I made to cap off the underside of the hair, it has a rolled up edge that rests against the neck as it comes around to cover behind the ears. It holds the hair piece solid with just one plugweld from inside the neck.

 

   

 

   

 

It took me me over a month of 4 to 6 hour days to do this project and many evenings researching and figuring out how to do things. I am happy with how it turned out but next time I will start out with a concept drawing to work out the details that I missed by using this image in my head.

 

I am wondering what I should do to prevent it rusting, originally I was just going to paint it but people keep telling me that it should be kept looking like the natural metal. Does anyone know what I can put on it or know of a process to keep it looking natural?

 

 

 

[datzenmike]

Natural would be rusty. Maybe just the hair.

[Ooph!]

Wow.

 

 

 

Maybe a wax to protect it.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

 

https://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Micro-Crystalline-Wax-Polish-65/dp/B001DSZWEM

Edited February 4, 2025 by Ooph!

[Rustbin]

15 hours ago, Ooph! said:

Wow.

 

 

 

Maybe a wax to protect it.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

 

https://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Micro-Crystalline-Wax-Polish-65/dp/B001DSZWEM

 

Thanks that is an awesome idea, I did not know of this stuff. I was even a member of the SCA for a couple of years, til Covid, and took a armor making class, ( I made a spalder ).

 

 

[Duncan]

Years ago, I had a '55 Cadillac.  The hood and trunk had these brass V ornaments that I polished.  Eastwood has some clear spray sealer that I used.  They held up fairly well considering I live near the ocean sea air.

 

Very nice work!  That is very impressive.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2025 by Duncan

[EDM620]

Very cool!

[Rustbin]

On 2/4/2025 at 5:09 PM, Duncan said:

Years ago, I had a '55 Cadillac.  The hood and trunk had these brass V ornaments that I polished.  Eastwood has some clear spray sealer that I used.  They held up fairly well considering I live near the ocean sea air.

 

Very nice work!  That is very impressive.

 

 

 That's good to know, thanks very much, Duncan. My first thought was to use a spray clear coat but I don't know which  one would protect without looking cheesy. I will look this one up but am intrigued but the wax.

[Rustbin]

During the mandated cleanup phase, I had to assess all the stuff, to keep or through out so bits for various projects got put in their respective piles, and I decided it was time to make the sunflower for my daughter inlaw, it would be her Christmas present. When I started, I would bring bits into the house to show my wife and get her opinion on things and she mentioned it should be a covert operation because my daughter inlaw  likes surprises. It was fairly labour intensive so it took nearly two months in between all the other stuff I had to do and the painting was done in my wife's studio, where it stayed until the day. 

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

  

 

No it's not your eyes, the studio walls are curved outward. I didn't get a picture of it done and put together, I'll try to get one up when we get the flower planted.

[datzenmike]

Relatively clean, though cluttered, workspace. Have you tried welding engine parts together to make sculptures of things? Years ago there was a Ratsun trophy at the Canby gathering. Not this but you get the idea..

 

[Rustbin]

14 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Relatively clean, though cluttered, workspace. Have you tried welding engine parts together to make sculptures of things? Years ago there was a Ratsun trophy at the Canby gathering. Not this but you get the idea..

 

 

I have often thought about making these types of things, I've looked at the works of others for years. Since starting the work on my Datsun, and getting my welder, I've been focusing on sheet steel and the sculptures have been a way of honing my skills with that. I don't have a lot of engine parts or similar stuff around but I may still have a 283 sbc piston and rod I could get creative with.