And now for something completely different.

[chunkolini]

A while back I made some 2d planty sculptures to go on a wall.
I was recently asked if I could make some 3D versions, loosely based on seedheads like dandelions etc. Give it a go, not too sure what I was making but an idea developed. Here it is.
In the end i used steel balls for the central bodies, and a mix 0f 5 and 3mm gas rods and mild steel bar for the twiggy bits with pennies Mig welded on the ends.
I was not too sure at first but loved the final result, each one is about 70cm diameter.




An interesting installation, a few people have seen tham and everybody has suggested a different likeness, satelites, atoms, onuion flowers, alliums, dandelions.
I figure they are 'Chinese Money Plants' a bringer of good luck because of their coinlike shape, I am going to see if I can work a proper latin name for them using the Linnaean classification just to confuse people.

Chunko'.

 

[Wedg1e]

Excellent!

How about 'impecunium denarii'...?

 

[rhubarb7]

Reminds me of the trifids

Nice work, well done

 

[busastars]

And they say money dont grow on trees......

 

[runnach]

Middle pic gives it that inter-galatic weather vane look.........

 

[strube1369]

I like it alot!

 

[chunkolini]

Cheers guys, I was pleased with these stupid things.

Re weather vane look, I have the idea floating around of making one of them spin in the wind, that could look pretty cool, I just have to work out how to stop it going too fast.


How long do they take to make then?

I have been wondering about the legal side of this project, I have a feeling that it is illegal to deface Mrs Queen and her coins of the realm, however is this defacing them?
I have emailed the royal mint to see what they have to say. I hope the food in the Tower of London is good.

 

[JayRS4]

Like it, very similar to something thats going on my stairs.

AND, good news on the legal side, remember i pm`d you a while ago about it, i finally got a reply from the mint, we can stick together as many as we like, as long as we dont melt them down. I`ll forward the email to you if you ping me your address.

 

[chunkolini]

Hi Jay
Cheers for that, I do remember your first message, so what is going down your stairs?

I was surprised by how easy it is to weld the coins, wave a magnet over a pile of 'coppers' and about 80% of them are steel, and they weld perfectly, no hassles whatsoever. A quick pass over a bench ginder mounted wire brush and they come up like a new penny.

Good to confirm the legal side of this, I'll wait for me PM front from the mint. Iwas thinking a little legal bother would make a great promo event.

I think I may look into stainless steel and coinage next.

Chunko.

 

[Dogbreath23]

Simple and effective. I think they've got a certain grace to them Chunk. Goes to show how much our money has been cut over the years tho' if you can migem'!(Did you know pound coins arnt even REAL gold!) Dont worry about the tower of london.Baldric on time team said it was a cushy gig(bit like ford open prison) cheers mate! DB23

 

[chunkolini]

Re pound coins, there was a spate of lead ones in ross a few years back, hand cast and sprayed gold, what a lot of efffort.
The guys I used to look after with learning difficulties were all being palmed off with them by the local corner shop. Gangsterism in Ross on Wye.

Chunk? who is he, Dogbreath dont forget I have a dreadlocked henchman who's job it is to protect my name. When are you next up this way?

See you soon, Chunko'

 

[JayRS4]

I thought about the promo side of it too, could make for some interesting advertising. Magnets seem to be the only way of sorting a large number, i`ve got the same problem, but i`m going to need a few more when i get round to it. AFAIK pre 92`s are solid copper, after that there just plated, except for some 94`s which are bronze of some sort (dont go quoting me on any of that)

The similar thing, another of SWMBO`s annoyances to drag me away from anything that pays. She wants the pattern from the wallpaper below copied in stainless then straw heated to give colour. All a load of ******* about cutting out little flowers and leaves to me. Oh, and them it`ll be mounted in the stairs where the bannister/ballustrades arent.

 

[Dogbreath23]

Ah "Chunko" it is then.the lead pound coins were floating(?)around here too(the way things are going theyll soon be worth more than the real thing!)dam things dont work in parking meters or pop machines. RE. gangsterism, de local yoot call the place Ros Angeles(made me chuckle!)thinking about doing a world tour of herefordshire when it stops raining. DB23

 

[Andy from Workshopshed]

In the end i used steel balls for the central bodies

Where do you get your balls from? I have thought about welding a couple of Ikea stainless steel bowls together...

 

[chunkolini]

Well Andy
'where did I get my balls from'
If you show me yours I'll show you mine.
Oh. wrong end of the stick.

http://www.rourkes.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh...es=01247&&c=search.htm&categories=01247-08042

They come in all sizes, hollow and solid, and surprisingly cheap, half ball, whole balls, small balls big balls. Balls balls balls. A fantastic resource you can do so much with balls. I buy a big bag of them about twice a year. You have to have an account to see the prices and order but it is easy to do.

Jay read your post initially thought you were using the pennies as the flowers, stuff bloody cutting all those poxy flowers out and all the leaves. is she paying artist rates for this, or are you on 'favours'.

Dogbreath23, you are so old hat mate, Ross Angeles, dont make me laugh, it is Ross Vegas now.
Chunko'.

 

[Omniata]

.......................
I was surprised by how easy it is to weld the coins, wave a magnet over a pile of 'coppers' and about 80% of them are steel, and they weld perfectly, no hassles whatsoever. .......................

There's a higher percentage of nickel in them now, which when pure or in certain alloys is magnetic

They increased the content as it's cheap compared to copper and hard wearing, with copper it's not supposed to corrode very much either...
ie: the oxidisation you see is really only a surface coating...

Pop a 2p or 1p in some Nitric acid for a bit, it'll smoke like mad and go green but the coins come out bright silver...
Unless someone really looks the 2p's look like 10p's

 

[chunkolini]

Interesting metallurgy
Look like 10p's tut tut tut.
Just in the name of research though?

I was surprised how well they mig weld, they make a strong joint, I have bashed a few of them about to see if they might fall to pieces, the coins bend before the joint fails. The older real ones just fall off.
I have also tried Ammonium Chloride on the to make them go green interesting but I have to see how long it will last.

Chunko'.

 

[Drains]

Nice work Chunks. Regardless of how long they take to make, how quickly do they dissolve away?
I like the etherial nature of your rusty sculps, but you could consider using more Corten... the punters might appreciate it in ten years time... Gypsy Rose Drains sees just a pile of pennies lying in the grass. Spooky.

 

[Omniata]

Interesting metallurgy
Look like 10p's tut tut tut.
Just in the name of research though?

Aye just in the name of research, I wanted some high purity copper nitrate, cleaned the coins first and copper is removed out of preference...

I was surprised how well they mig weld, they make a strong joint, I have bashed a few of them about to see if they might fall to pieces, the coins bend before the joint fails. The older real ones just fall off.
I have also tried Ammonium Chloride on the to make them go green interesting but I have to see how long it will last.

Chunko'.

That'll be the nickel, the copper will act like a protective coating similar to MIG wire...
Nickel is a pretty versatile metal and will form alloys with pretty much any transition metal used for metal work or welding, from Aluminium (Raney Nickel) through to Iron (Ferro Nickel, no link sorry)...
Nickel's melting point is 1453°C so is pretty close to that of iron, 1538°C...


The Ammonium Chloride may have produced Copper (II) Chloride , unfortunately it's quite water soluble so may not last too long
Did you get a smell of ammonia whilst doing it


Older coins had less Nickel and more copper so that's probably why you had less success, for the same reason you can use a piece of copper as a spoon on the back of thin stuff and it won't get stuck