The Idea:
Aesthetic: Fabrication Scrap Yard
It looks like something built in a machine shop after hours, the look is very raw, functional, and completely exposed. Every weld bead, fastener, and cut mark is visible, with no effort to polish or hide imperfections. The surfaces carry their history such as mill scale, light rust, heat discoloration which gives it an industrial feel rather than a finished, consumer-product look.
The form is driven by the parts themselves. Bearings become wheels or joints, bolts add texture or can be supports, and springs hint at function. It has a skeletal, mechanical presence. Slight asymmetry and irregularity make it feel improvised, but in a way that’s intentional and striking.
Using several areas on campus I was able to collect the scrap material and hardware I need to put all the components together. Some the the hardware I am using is a threaded rod, hex nuts, different size screws, set screws, and washers.
After the welding process I am hoping that this looks like a motorcycle decor roughly 7in X 2.5in.
Here are some photos of the welding process along with what I ended up with for the final product. Welding these pieces together was a lot more difficult that I thought it would be, given the odd shape of all the components making it very awkward to hold still so that it can be welded. But all in all I was able to get it to look like a motorcycle for the most part which I am happy with.
As you can see on the last slide in the drawing that is the last part which I would’ve liked to make completing the engine cap, seat, and wheel cover. But given the time I allocated to this project with having so many other things going on I wasn’t able to complete that oddly shaped part.
