Life sized Grand Piano

[chunkolini]

That has crossed my mind, just dont fancy drilling 30+ holes.
I might make them the same shape and see if I can squeeze the weld inside, then weld the back to the back wall. Maybe or, or or,

 

[the snooper]

Hmm if you are welding the keys together run the plasma along the joint to open it up and weld it that way

 

[Lewis Medlock]

I just have to make the top set of keys.

How are you coating it? If it's going to rust how about making the top keys out of something non ferrous to contrast with age- copper/brass maybe?

Just my art ignorant 2p


All the best, Jim

 

[aametalmaster]

Nice work...Bob

 

[chunkolini]

Probably going to galvanize it, customer is not sure on this one either.

 

[chunkolini]

Finished the keyboard today, keeping it simple and in my usual style.

I made a small tool for y power bender to make the small angles on the keys. Works a treat.

It stops the roller moving and allows bends right at the end of strips of metal.
Next step legs then the infills for the panels.
We are still talking about infills but getting towards an understanding.
Chunko'.

 

[julianthegypsy]

grand! Literally! :-)

 

[chunkolini]

While putting it together I did find myself twanging the keys with a hammer handle.
How about a full sized thumb piano played with mallets?
Stoppit stoppit.

 

[julianthegypsy]

While putting it together I did find myself twanging the keys with a hammer handle.
How about a full sized thumb piano played with mallets?
Stoppit stoppit.

Ah, the awful question, how far do you go before you have to abandon it!

 

[chunkolini]

Big oil drum with different length keys welded on?

 

[matt1978]

Looks very good Chunko' your very talented.

 

[julianthegypsy]

Big oil drum with different length keys welded on?

I meant how far do you go before you admit that its finished, or at least good enough, I think you'd abandon an oil drum fairly quickly, but it might take your customer longer to prize this one away from you!

 

[chunkolini]

Thank you matt.
How long until I abandon it?
It reaches a point of 'Dammit thats enough'.
I have got better at knowing when enough is enough, especially with details.
I realised that what I try to do is make almost a cartoon of the subject, pick out the bits that matter and leave the rest out.

 

[matt1978]

Is sculpture like anything else? You get better with practise? Do you look at some of your earlier work and now think of how you could/would of done it better? Or is the end result the same you can just get there faster now you are more practised

 

[chunkolini]

Almost always look at things and thing why did I do that and how it could be better.
The errors always stick out to me.
One exception to that.

Then again it did take me three years to work out how to mount it properly.
And maybe it should have been galvanized.

Things do get better as I work at it, I get better at problem solving but things are never perfect. These days usually pretty good to my eye, then I see what other people are doing.

 

[Windy Miller]

Almost always look at things and thing why did I do that and how it could be better.
The errors always stick out to me.
One exception to that.
View attachment 33640
Then again it did take me three years to work out how to mount it properly.
And maybe it should have been galvanized.

Things do get better as I work at it, I get better at problem solving but things are never perfect. These days usually pretty good to my eye, then I see what other people are doing.

I've seen this one in the flesh - spectacular!

 

[matt1978]

I'm not too shabby at welding, but I could only dream of being able to make something like that. I am one step up from useless when it comes to fabricating and even worse at creative things.

Excellent stuff!

 

[chunkolini]

Matt we are all creative.
It is just finding an outlet.

 

[pondman]

Matt we are all creative.
It is just finding an outlet.

And practicing!! Lots of practice

 

[chunkolini]

Update time.
Made the legs yesterday.
too short and had the chop the suckers up.
Idiot.
Any way legs bolt under plates welded to the boy and bolt on from the bottom.

The bolts are concealed in the strip supporting the edges of the plate, light and rigid. Without the strips a bit wobbly.
With the piano on the legs it seemed a bit wobbly but I am making infills, these will take the form of staves and seem to connect the top and bottom nicely avoiding the wobbles, but still looking lightweight.
You can just see where I have clamped in a few bits of bar to tie the top and bottom together to check my stupid idea works. Result! and no extra bracing cluttering the place up.
I have sat on the key board and no flex.
Next up, the stave infills and the bottom, I think it will be a large mesh of flat strip as the customer wants to have plants growing in the body of the pianner.
I have decided against captive nuts as cleaning the threads could be a hassle and if one gets messed up installing it I would cry, I wil use countersunk bolts as they are a lot tidier.
Crap photo's as my camera was at home just my phone camera.