Calf project

[chunkolini]

I have been commisioned to make a sculpture of a calf playing with a football as a memorial to a young guy.
I get the interesting jobs.
I have been given a drawing to work from

A huge help, saves me trying to draw and gives me loads of pointers as to where I am heading.
Oh and thanks for advice regards how big these things are.
Any ways I made a start today.
First up I drew a full sized outline on the workbench in chalk.


Very vague, two head positions and vampire teeth.
so I set to work bending up 10mm black finish mild steel bar, not used this stuff before, nice stuff to work with. Forgot to photograph the process, but finished the torso today. Ok so not to calf like, but look at the butchers and think of the headless limbless carcasses.
So far I think I a doing fine, what I am after is a almost a cartoon of the subject.
Next up are the legs. .....

 

[troppo]

So far so good Chunko. wish i had your creative talents

 

[chunkolini]

I have sent the photo's to Mum, fingers crossed.
I was amused at how little of the original drawing I followed.
Also cant help thnking that the shape could make a great basis for a chopper frame maybe for a Japanese V twin.

 

[the snooper]

keep to the right subject chunko or they will receive their calf with a v twin and legs not wheels

 

[strube1369]

You are definitely the right guy for this job! You get those three dimensional critters down just right. I haven't worked up the courage to try a three dimensional one yet... Eager to see the finished product.

 

[chunkolini]

Been busy again today.
Made up the legs, amazing not a single wasted length of metal, normally I have enough to make a spare sculpture.
[/ATTACH]
I confess to a massive feeling of relief when I got the back legs fitted and 'the thing' started to look like a small cow.

Strube, a confession to make, this is my first attempt at true 3D work, everything else has been a bit of a fraud. Ok they have depth like the big fishes but they are still effectively flat. So this is a bit of an adventure for me as well.
I dont have a clue how to make the ball and the head will be a real brain acher as well.

But so far going well, just waiting for some news back from the guy's Mum.
That is the real scary moment.

 

[Norm]

Nice work Chunko, looking very good indeed, ball has got to be loads of pentagons welded together, a pain to make I admit, but would look very realistic if you plated some of the pentagons to give the patchwork effect as per your sketch.
Regards Norm

 

[troppo]

Nice work Chunko, looking very good indeed, ball has got to be loads of pentagons welded together, a pain to make I admit, but would look very realistic if you plated some of the pentagons to give the patchwork effect as per your sketch.
Regards Norm

Agreed, a solid ball would really stand out with the wireform of the calf.
Amazing work mate, cant wait to see the next stage

 

[mike os]

'kin 'ell chunko.... looking good mate

 

[chunkolini]

Ball?
Pentagons and hexagons? no way Jose. Too much accuracy needed, with that kind of thing you get out by smidge along the way and it compounds as you work through it.
I am thinking of circles linked by short straight bars, the kind of structure where you can compensate as you go. I can see it being more hasle than the calf. I have made balls using half circles radially but they do not look like footballs.
So far delighted. I am after having no 'dead lines' lines that just stop; so far every line flows into at least one other.
I have never used black finish bar, lovely stuff on the Metalcraft bender as the oxide layer grips the rollers it also seems much softer then the bright stuff I usually use. Nicer and, my favourite word Cheaper.

 

[Norm]

How about cutting the pentagons / hexagons out of sheet steel with the plasma, a one off template needed then linking those with straight bar? far more football like than circles and can be adjusted if needed.
Regards Norm

 

[chunkolini]

Nooo
pentagons, hexagons and I think triangles mathematics.
Just pentagons and you end up with a flat surface I think.
I looked at geodesic domes years back, weird stuff.

 

[mike os]

just dooo it ... you will be fine

 

[chunkolini]

Oh.how big is a football?
I am likely to make a beachball by mistake.

 

[Shox Dr]

I wouldn't get too rapped up in the correct size of a ball, just make it look right.

Looking good by the way

 

[chunkolini]

Good point shoxDr.
I am making a cartoon not an anatomical model.
Thanks for that.

 

[chunkolini]

Back in action today.
Time to make the football.
I decided to use small circles; lots of them so I made them on the Metalcraft bender, 80mm OD, about 2m of 6mm bar in one pass.

Took a few minutes to get things set right but works really well.
Then it was time to weld the sucker together.
it was a difficult as I had feared but it worked.

Your mission gentlemen, should you decide to acceptit; is to work out how I did it.
It looks small in the photo but it is life sized.
Oh, burned myself making this see post http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=349427#post349427 idiot of the day.

 

[julianthegypsy]

I know, you blew up a balloon, tied the rings around the balloon with bale twine, welded it up then popped the balloon afterwards leaving no trace. Tada! Oh alright, I give up. Very nice work though, your customer should be really pleased.

 

[Mick - Ford Focus]

The Kid Down The Street Has Welding Spatter On His Football I Guess

Love The Look Of The Job.

Mick

 

[chunkolini]

Mick wins the free ice cream.
I spotted a football outside my neighbours caravan. I had a look at the shape and realised hexagons and pentagons.A fabric covered no pressure ball.
Amazingly I had made a circle exactly the same diameter as the hexagons, sat it on the ball and thoiught yes!! I had to steal it thinking if it dies I can buy him a new one.
But no it did not die, I was able to pull it out through the hole before I spot welded the last circle in.
This was a load of my mind.
Another load of my mind, Mum has seen what I am doing and likes it. This is always really scary when working to comission, my interpretation of their idea. Sio far I have been lucky.

Chunko'.