Moai Head

[Shootr]

Started on trying to make a Moai head statue out of a leftover bottom half propane tank. Moai are those stone statues on Easter Island.






After stripping all the paint I cut out an area for the face to be, bent up some 24ga sheet and started tacking it in.





I'm getting better at tacking thin to thick steel, but I'm still concerned with how the seams will look after trimming and smoothing. I only tacked about 25% of it so far, going around the perimeter several times, staying a couple inches apart. Giving it plenty of time to cool down between sessions. A few nights after work and it should be fully welded, then I'll see.

[LtBadd]

Here we go...

[Lis2323]

clicked on.....

thought it said "More Head"

[davec]

Where ya been Shootr? Subscribed!

[Shootr]

Strayed to the dark side during the spring building a wood play house for the grandkids. Then a little r&r touring the South with the missus and my son.



Kind of nice to take a break - recharges the juju to get making some stuff!

This won't be like the totem pole, probably another ashtray.

[Shootr]

I am really learning to hate sheet metal...

Few nights ago I finished (I thought) welding the face sheet in.



It looked pretty good, but Saturday I put a light inside and the edges were tissue paper thin/blown through all over the seams.

FF to Sunday afternoon... After 4 hours of adding doublers/backing strips on the inside and just chasing blowthroughs - I had to walk away.





I did a great job of f'ing things up aplenty. So, I'll sit on it for a few cigars and Peat Monster scotch's, then decide if it's worth trying something else or bust out the cut off wheel and start anew with heavier sheet.

[psacustomcreations]

For what it's worth, the lowest I would go is probably 16 to 18 Guage if you are grinding and blending. There just doesn't seem to much left after the blend on what I do.

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[whtbaron]

It's not like you have to keep a super B on the freeway with it... how pretty does a weld have to be to make good head?

[Lis2323]

how pretty does a weld have to be to make good head?

ALSO covered in that manual i mentioned …..

edit: apparently.

[shortfuse]

Shootr,

When I have to patch holes like your's in sheet metal, I like to use 1/16" 6013 rods, amps turned down where they will just make a bead. Make "hit & run" welds with the little rods. Since it's patching and not structural, it will eventually be ground smooth and maybe covered with paint (hopefully). I've saved having to scrap or re-do lots of small jobs and yard art with the little rods. Cut them in half if the whippy nature makes welding with them hard to do.

[Shootr]

It's not like you have to keep a super B on the freeway with it... how pretty does a weld have to be to make good head?

Ahhh, Super Bee - my dream car!

All good advice - thank you for taking the time to provide it. Yes, I'll be cutting out the thin and move up to at least 18/16ga as Pat suggested. Trick will be bending it without a brake - just some clamps and the edge of my table lol.

But that's next weekend - still recovering from the debacle - I'm fragile like that

[psacustomcreations]

16 gauge is easy to bend to me.
Depending upon the radius you need, you may have items you can use.
Can you clamp the material to the side of the keg or tank and bend that way?
Do you have a car rim, lawn mower tire, old propane/helium tank, etc

Put two pieces of 2x4 or other material about 4 to 6 inches apart and press, hammer, push down in the center like it is in a shop press. Do that every inch or two to get the radius you need

I have even bent 1/4" thick x 2" wide material the same ways.



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[Artismo]

Shootr, I bet the nose is the funnest part of your sculpture to make... It's funny I would stumble across this as I am making a large Frankenstien head (for a good cause 8-)). I just found this site so I'll be following your progress.

Scott

[whtbaron]

Shootr, I bet the nose is the funnest part of your sculpture to make... It's funny I would stumble across this as I am making a large Frankenstien head (for a good cause 8-)). I just found this site so I'll be following your progress.

Scott

Post some pics of your Frankenstein as well...

[Artismo]

I'll probably start my own thread rather than bog someone elses down. It will be a three wheeler with just a big frankenstien head. I found some cool old steel spoke implement wheels for it....

[Lis2323]

I'll probably start my own thread rather than bog someone elses down. It will be a three wheeler with just a big frankenstien head. I found some cool old steel spoke implement wheels for it....

OR add it to the “Scrap metal art or projects” thread.


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[Artismo]

Possibly, if it doesn't turn out a catastrophe... 8-).

[psacustomcreations]

Possibly, if it doesn't turn out a catastrophe... 8-).

Catastrophes can be fun for others to watch. You will see that some of us post our mistakes so there can learn from them. Others knly post their successes.
I just wasted three hours yesterday and today since a customer changed their mind on what they wanted.
I don't have three hours to waste so to me that is a minor catastrophe

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[Artismo]

That's a good point. I'm not shy about showing my blunders, especially if someone can learn something. As a matter of fact some of my successes look like catastrophies so i can't tell them apart anyway.

[Shootr]

Speaking of...

I won't call today a waste, but didn't come up with anything usable either.

I took a piece of angle iron, and flared one end of it for nostrils. I chased my tail (again), taking half a day to get both sides kinda/sorta even. I was happy with the result until I stuck it on the face. Way too narrow/shallow. I'm going to find some 3" or so angle and try again next week.





Moai don't usually have eyes, but stuck a couple cabinet pulls on too see what it looks like.





Totally unrelated, but imo they give it a "Division Bell" kind of vibe...



EDIT: Staring at this while enjoying a potent beverage, I won't be heartbroken to stray away from strictly Moai and let this become what it wants to be. I'm sitting here wondering how cool it would be to have an English wheel to try and roll cheeks in the face sheet.

FYI - That's the original sheet metal face, I figured I'd leave it there to make mocking up all the other parts easier. Then I'll cut it out, cut up a new one out of 16ga, tack the features in from behind, then weld it into place. The mouth isn't done yet either. Nor ears...

[Lis2323]

Speaking of...

I won't be heartbroken to stray away from strictly Moai and let this become what it wants to be.

This is an approach I end up adopting on many projects.

It would be a different situation if you were being commissioned to make it authentically Moai.

[davec]

Cool. Did it call you Dum Dum and ask for Gum Gum? (Watch Night at the Museum for the reference, or look up a you tube clip)

[Artismo]

Actually, I like that nose. I have never seen one made that way. Another tool in my box of ideas. Potent beverages, you say? Are you going to put ears on it?

[Shootr]

Yeah, he'll have ears and a mouth. The new nose is so much better though. This time I used a chunk from the left over cutout of the tank and beat it into submission. This one has way more life to it.







Too dang busy to get a new piece of sheet. I think I'll get heavy, like 14-12ga and have them brake the angles for me.

[psacustomcreations]

That nose looks a lot better and more proportional.

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