why?
Mainly because I can weld and I like spiders!
'Spid 1' was created following the MOT failure of my car. During my removal of useful spare parts I was struck by the beauty of the engine components and their almost organic shapes. The pile of oily pieces soon became a spider waiting to be welded together. Having made 'Spid 1', I then dismantled the gearbox and discovered a dragonfly waiting to happen. This was followed by trips to a scrapyard, and a whole family of invertebrates (and a few candlesticks) were created. The smallest is 'Spid 4' at a mere tarantula size, while 'Big Spid 2' with its five foot legspan is the biggest and scariest. Being constructed from recycled materials makes each piece truly original. The design is based more on the shapes of the components than a desire to create a particular creature or candlestick. 'Dragonfly', for example, was created after finding a gearshaft that looked like a dragonfly tail and differential gears that looked like dragonfly eyes, rather than deciding to make a dragonfly and searching for suitable components.
The components come mostly from engines and gearboxes, but there are also CV joints, driveshafts, concrete reinforcing rods and pieces from a printing press along with pieces of reclaimed sheet steel and bar. The parts are degreased (often a difficult task with 20 year old engine components), before being cut, bent and welded together. The welding is mainly TIG, with some MIG and gas welding.
I have experimented with a range of finishes. Bare metal gives a natural rusty look. A wax coating inhibits rust whilst retaining a fairly natural appearance. Two of the spiders were oil blacked. This involved heating them up and dropping them into an oil bath, which gives a dark and fairly durable finish. I have also used clear cellulose lacquer, cellulose paint and engine enamel.
why?
Mainly because I can weld and I like spiders!
'Spid 1' was created following the MOT failure of my car. During my removal of useful spare parts I was struck by the beauty of the engine components and their almost organic shapes. The pile of oily pieces soon became a spider waiting to be welded together. Having made 'Spid 1', I then dismantled the gearbox and discovered a dragonfly waiting to happen. This was followed by trips to a scrapyard, and a whole family of invertebrates (and a few candlesticks) were created. The smallest is 'Spid 4' at a mere tarantula size, while 'Big Spid 2' with its five foot legspan is the biggest and scariest. Being constructed from recycled materials makes each piece truly original. The design is based more on the shapes of the components than a desire to create a particular creature or candlestick. 'Dragonfly', for example, was created after finding a gearshaft that looked like a dragonfly tail and differential gears that looked like dragonfly eyes, rather than deciding to make a dragonfly and searching for suitable components.
The components come mostly from engines and gearboxes, but there are also CV joints, driveshafts, concrete reinforcing rods and pieces from a printing press along with pieces of reclaimed sheet steel and bar. The parts are degreased (often a difficult task with 20 year old engine components), before being cut, bent and welded together. The welding is mainly TIG, with some MIG and gas welding.
I have experimented with a range of finishes. Bare metal gives a natural rusty look. A wax coating inhibits rust whilst retaining a fairly natural appearance. Two of the spiders were oil blacked. This involved heating them up and dropping them into an oil bath, which gives a dark and fairly durable finish. I have also used clear cellulose lacquer, cellulose paint and engine enamel.