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| The Work » The Journey Toward Tenacity
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THE JOURNEY TOWARD TENACITY
Steel
2004-2005?
As Tenacity developed, we kept track of it on the Web site. If you wonder about the construction of the piece, you might find this of interest ....
With the tweaking - cleaning up welds, positioning leaves etc. - complete, the Vine Fence is off to the powder coater. We - and many others - are eager to see the results, the completion of a six-month project, that seems well worth the wait.
If you're not familiar with powder coating, it's a process that seals the metal with a hardened, colored surface. The Powder Coating Institute would love for you to learn more - check out their information for consumers.
As you may notice, too, the project has a new name. Kevin has a way of getting to the heart of the matter, and "Tenacity" captures the journey of the vine from one end of the patio to the other, not to mention the persistence it took to get it there.
First, though, more about the fence itself. This is quite a different sort of project for Kevin, an ornate railing that encloses
the front patio at Kevin's house.
There are 11 panels, 9 of which are curved, and a gate, making 11 panels in all. Each panel can be up to 32" tall, and they vary in width, with the longest 64".
Each panel takes about 10 hours to construct. The entire fence are currently being sandblasted, then powder coated
(a durable, colored coating often used for patio furniture, etc.). There is also a large, double sided gate that will be addressed in Phase
2 of the project.
Each panel begins with Kevin using copper tubing to approximate how each vine will look. Using chalk, he then traces that shape onto his worktable. He then straightens the tubing to get the right length of rod. That rod is cut to size, then shaped using one of a number of methods:
- The forge
- The acetylene torch
- The pipe bender
- a combination of these tools.
If you're interested in the use of the forge, visit the forge page for a bit of a tutorial.
Panel 11 is complete. We even were able to do the final grinding on it, cleaning up welds, etc. Aside from shaping the leaves, which we'll do to all the panels at once, all that's left is the final "coat of color," the powder coating. Currently, the plan is to use a bronze or hammered bronze color.(scroll down)
Panel 10 is shown here in all its glory. Kevin also added more leaves to other panels as he gets closer to finishing the project - just one panel (and some tweaking and powder coating to go! (scroll down)
The photo at left shows Panel 9 completed, except for the shaping of the leaves, any clean up, and the powder coating. (scroll down)
This photo shows all the completed panels with leaves. This weekend was a busy one, completing one and a half panels (half of 7 and 8) and adding leaves to all of the completed panels. More leaves may be added, and many of them still need to be shaped, but this was a step we were were relishing. (scroll down)
At left is panel 8, completed. (scroll down)
Panel 7 completed. The "knot" about 3/4 of the way to the left is a 1" vine that wraps around another 1" vine. Just a little something different! (scroll down)
More progress on Panel 6. Rainy weather is inhibiting progress a bit, but after nine years of desperate drought, Arizona needs the moisture, so patience is understandable. This panel shows the first time three sprouts have come out of a single vine. The top heavy vine will also have some sprouts. (scroll down)
Here's closeup of the three sprouts in Panel 6. One of Kevin's neighbors came down to chat. "That's the vine that called to me," she told him. (scroll down)
This photo shows the two main vines on Panel 6. The left area of the bottom vine, which is rather high on the pillar to match up to where the bottom vine on Panel 5 ends, will be a bit of a challenge to "dog proof" because the vines "grow," and thus flow, to the right. (scroll down)
Here's panel 5, sans leaves. (scroll down)
The two main vines for the fifth panel are shown at left, as well as another, supporting vine. Compare this photo with the one above it to see how the three original vines integrate into the whole. (scroll down)
The next photo shows the fourth panel, in which the two main vines cross over each
other for the first time. Some of
them help strengthen the structure - after all, everything needs to be sandblasted before powder coating, so they need
to be pretty sturdy even before they begin their duty. Aside from the aesthetic considerations, the fence also needs to,
in essence, be dog proof. It won't keep a Chihuahua in, but it will definitely contain Kevin's labrador (AKA the "Lubridor"),
Nero. (scroll down)
This photo shows the addition of a handle for the gate. Originally, Kevin was
going to handcraft a latch, but a clever friend suggested using magnets to "secure" the gate. That left an
open space where the latch was going to go. Kevin added a handle instead, which twists horizontally to permit
someone to grasp it from the patio or the driveway side.
If you look carefully at the pillar to the left, you'll see the three
gray spots, which reveal the location of the rare earth magnets that are sunken into the pillar. (Rare earth magnets
are particularly strong. Kevin obtained these from K&J Magnetics.) When the paint
is touched up from various nicks and scratches (and a couple of burns) from installation, they will disappear
altogether.
Here's a closeup of the handle. The swooping curve is actually parallel to the ground,
offering a handy hold from inside or outside the gate. (scroll down)
This photo shows our hero (OK, Kevin) working on the third panel in situ. A secondary vine
comes up, then splits into two, with the larger branch in front of the primary top vine (each panel has one major
vine at the top, one at the bottom) and the smaller one behind. It has been welded on, but not yet formed. (scroll down)
Here's that piece shaped into place, and another piece, which will wrap around the top major
vine, yet to be wrapped. (scroll down)
Next, you see the panel with the small vine that was sticking up in the last photo wrapped around the top major
one. There is still finish work and probably some tweaking on the shaping to be done, as well as the addition of
the leaves and the final powder coating. (scroll down)
The last photo in this series shows a stretch of the patio, displaying the sections where the curved panels will be
(between the pillars, where the pots are now - they will find new homes).
This is a very different sort of project for Kevin, as it involves more bending than welding, more acetylene
than MIG work. He's using a combination of the acetylene torch, a pipe bender and now a forge to shape
the metal, depending upon the gauge of the metal and the goal.
Yet it's a typical Kevin Caron project in that
it takes a lot of consideration of the location, the purpose, the materials and the final outcome just feeling
right.
Might you have such a fence in your future? A unique sculpture, fountain, garden bell or other piece - made just for you or one already available in Kevin's studio -
makes your home or office a special oasis.
Contact
us for more information on how easy it is to have something that makes your space an oasis.
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