Over the course of the summer, my family and I were occupied with several projects. Sometimes, we spent entire weekends in our workshop. It varied from working on motorcycles, motorcycle parts, powder coating, and metal art. I learned a lot from watching my father operate his PCNC machine, lathe, and a bead roller which he recently acquired. One of the projects we worked on was constructing wood frames. My father taught me how to measure and cut the wood that we were going to use to frame his metal art work. Each frame we made consisted of four pieces. We used a table saw and a band saw for precision cuts to ensure a perfect fit at the corners. Each piece of wood had a unique grain and we tried to mix and match each section to achieve a smooth artistic flow that would be pleasing to the eye. Then we used carpenter’s glue as an adhesive and a fixture to hold the joints in place. A nail gun was also used to reinforce the corners. Then we set any nails that may have went in wrong and we patched the holes with wood filler. After the filler dried, my father put me to work on sanding all the frames. By the time I was done, I was covered in sawdust! Four of the twelve frames received a wood stain and chalk paint finish which gave it a distressed and aged look. The rest were finished with a coat of wood stain. Then my father used a blowtorch. This technique produced a charred effect thus emphasizing the grains in the wood. Once the frames cooled from this process, I applied another coat of wood finish. The results were absolutely beautiful!
Metal Bead Rolling is the art of using metal dyes to create imagery and patterns on sheets of metal. With each pass through the dye, the art comes to life. It was amazing to watch my father design and draw the artwork on the sheet metal. I had the opportunity to learn how to use the bead roller. I realized that it takes great patience, consistency and accuracy. Even more amazing is the precision and the amount of time it takes to ensure an awesome final work of art.
Metal Bead Rolling is the art of using metal dyes to create imagery and patterns on sheets of metal. With each pass through the dye, the art comes to life. It was amazing to watch my father design and draw the artwork on the sheet metal. I had the opportunity to learn how to use the bead roller. I realized that it takes great patience, consistency and accuracy. Even more amazing is the precision and the amount of time it takes to ensure an awesome final work of art.