Looking for old barbed wire

G'day Pete thanks for the thought, that'd be great for larger flower petals but I'm wanting to make something more like rosebudst where the petals are still wrapped around each other or just unfurling. I'm not sure I'm capable of doing it though as my fingers aren't as good as they used to be especially now after all the wire work they're creeking a bit. I wonder if lead sheet might be better to form? Or cast them?? I think I'll be needing about 80 or so and I'd like to colour them about fire engine red and/or cream, but other things are getting in the way at the mo.

Hoping you're getting along well Pete! Let me know if you need an extra hand or two albeit creeky ones :U

My wife has a gold rose that was an actual rose that was then dipped in molten gold. I know that gold melts at relatively low temps, and higher temp may not work. Lead might work though. This would only work if you wanted them the same size as a real one though.

G'day Pete, woah, you mean the molten gold formed around the rose and the rose stood up to it :? What a treasure that'd be! Pretty sure I wouldn't be able to afford that way :p anyway gold would've suited :- I've thought of dipping a rose in resin but it'd look like a rose dipped in resin :rolleyes: I'd like the surface to look like one of those old knocked about model toy cars (I'm thinking e-type Jag), I think they were cast lead, then enameled or those old enameled tin kitchen bowls showing their age.

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Originally Posted by Sturdee

Craig,


Would this help to make your petals, if so you can borrow it any time.


Peter.

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Springwater, you may be able to use that as a last resort:rolleyes:.

Have you considered using aluminium from drink cans? Easy to fashion, readily available, glue them together and once they have a bit of shape would increase in strength. Treat them with "Penetrol" and then spray paint. If using a spray can, give a very light spray first from a distance until a little paint has built up as the propellant reacts with the Penetrol and blisters. No problems if using a spray gun.

When you first asked for the rusted barbed wire I wondered where you were going with it, but it has developed into an intriguing project.

Regards
Paul

No I hadn't thought of aluminium from drink cans Bushy, thanks. Maybe because of an aversion to the stuff which developed as a nipper at the cricket looking down the vein that runs down my thumb opened by a slash while attempting to make a half sized can from a full sized one, it was all the rage then, lost a bit of blood by the time I made it back to the old man.

Anyway, it wouldn't take long to give it a go I suppose although I'm having trouble imagining forming the bud shape even with thin sheets of metal without a male/female die/stamp kind of thingy which would be expensive and only produce a repetitive shape anyway. I dunno, getting something to look like a bud is one thing, then there's the stalk and connecting to it, let alone the leaves and the coating... arh, might sleep on it for now.

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Originally Posted by springwater

I I'd like to see how some enameled copper flowers would go ]

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copper sheet (heated and allowed to cool slowly) is as soft as..and really easy to form over a hardwood form or hammered into a wood hollow..
also..heated copper quenched in... umm..something ..(hot water or oil ..I can't recall) makes it go bright red..
Piece is looking great BTW :2tsup:

Thanks Undyman! It's neck and neck between copper and lead in the malleable stakes at the mo. I'm still not sure flower buds are the way to go, it sort of just came into my head and I'm too tired to know if that's the way it should go and I'm concerned that if I move on with something else beckoning dust'll settle on the canoe...Que Sera, Sera :)

I made a start on the metal roses after finding some old ice cream and Kero tins that were already rusting out. Forgot to take a pic of them before I attacked them with the good old Gilbow tin snips but the Kero tin had a really nice turned handle that'll come in handy one day. I'm not sure of the other flavours but one tin still had a faded Honey Butternut sticker on it.

I couldn't get the sahpe of a rose bud I wanted as I couldn't bend or beat the metal both breadth and height wise but I did as well as I could hammering it cold over a Iron Bark nob anvil I made up, it's just not as rose buddy as I'd have liked it. It takes eight layers of four petals to make one and until I work out how to attach the stem I'll leave off making the centre.

I bought some red spray enamel paint which is intended for touch ups on car engine motors that'll do for a bit of colour, then I leave them out in the elements to rust up awhile through winter. They may look best as a bouquet rather than dotted around the canoe, have to wait and see.

Attachment 208140Attachment 208141

Love it too.:2tsup::U

Excellent

Regards
Paul

Thanks tl and Bushy, got a bit more done today which included a fight with the Honey Butterscotch icecream residue gunk coating, had to resort to 120 gsm emery paper to remove most of it :oo: The things ya gotta do :rolleyes: :U

Looking good Craig. :2tsup:


Peter.

Thanks Peter, that shoe last you offered prolly would have come in handy after all but I adapted to beating the tin with a 8oz ball peen over a sledge hammer head and an iron bark anvil thingy I made up :-

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Originally Posted by springwater

that shoe last you offered prolly would have come in handy after all

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Still available if you need it.


Peter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sturdee

Still available if you need it.


Peter.

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Thanks Peter, I think I've just about got it licked except for the stem connection which I might even have to resort to making with wood and real rose thorns, dunno, thinking, thinking :rolleyes::)