Rose Arbor
Functional sculpture, 1999, welded steel, private collection
This shows a little bit of the process of oxyacetylene welding. Two gasses, oxygen and acetylene, are combined under regulated pressures and are ignited at the tip of the welding torch.
The welder heats the intersection of the pieces of metal to be joined (in this case, I am holding them together with a pair of vise grips). As the metals begin to melt, the flame is swirled in order to moderate the heat and control the melting. More steel is added to the cherry-red pool via the rod being held in the other hand.
In many cases, arc welding (which utilizes electricity) would be more efficient and appropriate for such a basic joining operation. But flame-based welding lends itself to other organic techniques (such as heating to bend, hammer, distress, and patina) and is therefore attractive to the sculptor.
Rose Arbor installed; roses on the verge...
