Upcycled Metal Art

This lens will be concerned with upcycled metal art that can be purchased for your home, office, or garden. The main appeal, aside from buying something great handmade, is that you are actively participating in a method of using otherwise discarded metal scraps. These unique pieces bring a new life into the unwanted materials.

Upcycled metal art can be made from all sorts of materials. Many are made from nuts and bolts and other fasteners, scrap metal and sometimes a mass produced imported metal decor can be modified to produce a truly unique work of art.

 

Art Nouveau Scroll Wall Panel

 

This is art I created from a rather indescript scroll panel I found in the dumpster. After I welded on some embellishments, I put some unique iridescent paints I mixed myself to give this piece its special shine. Please click here to follow the link to this item in my Etsy shop.

 

Upcycled bolt robot candle holder

 

This is my second bolt bot. He is new and improved and now pearl lime green. You can see the Etsy listing for the
lime green bolt man candle holder here.
Scrap bolts, nuts and washers are welded together in a human shaped robot form. Then it is welded to a 4 inch square steel plate base and given two small bobeches for holding tea light candles.

 

Industrial Chic assemblage

 

This is an assemblage of scrap bits of steel I have collected over recent months. They are laid out in a presentable form and welded to together. The art piece was pickled in acid to remove oxidation and wire brushed to a subtle luster. Then different hues of copper and bronze paints where applied to give a shimmer. A gloss clear lacquer was applied to protect the finish and add depth to the metallic finish.

 

 

Found object retro metal art

 

This is an upcycled art work for you garden as well as your office. I featured it also in my main metal art lens and here because it contains no new metal. Everything in this piece is repurposed. You follow this link to Etsy where this item is listed to purchase.

 

 

Welded Dog

 

This is a wonderfull way to use up scrap metal to create something more personable than an abstract piece. This art would make a great addition to your garden and it will never need feeding!! Be sure to click on the picture to go to this dogs page!

 

 

Unique way to reuse flatware

 

Would you like to see bland flatware reused and upcycled to something totally unique? Ho about a dragonfly made from stainless steel flatware.
Then click on the flatware dragonfly for more information!

 

 

Related articles

• Scrap Metal Recycling – Get Rid of Scrap, Get Some Money (scrapremoval.wordpress.com)
• Braze Welded Cut Nail Sculptures (jtbmetaldesigns.wordpress.com)
• Metal Art for the Garden (jtbmetaldesigns.wordpress.com)
• Minimalist Modern Wall Art (jtbmetaldesigns.wordpress.com)
• 8 Innovative Ideas for Upcycling Wine Bottles (cubesmart.com)
• Ward woman accused of stealing $12 of scrap metal (arkansasonline.com)
• Geek Uses Scrap Metal to Create Gigantic Predator Sculpture (techeblog.com)
• Steel Art Candle Holders (zljr7h55.wordpress.com)
• Violet Iridescent Wall Sculpture (jtbmetaldesigns.wordpress.com)
• Industrial Conduit-Shelving (instructables.com)

Messing around with steel scraps

Since I recently assembled my welding table, I have been meaning to get back out there and weld.  I must admit that my table needs re-bar as I dropped a couple items through the top of the table.  But otherwise, I feel it is cool as heck to be able to have a sturdy surface to work from while not having to bend over.  Being able to hang hammers and clamps between re bar rungs is a nice bonus to say the least.

This latest piece I am working on is a rather small but interesting table top sculpture.  I had my eye on some particular scrap pieces of steel that I wanted in an abstract triangle metal sculpture.  Plus it was just an affirmation that the stick welder still works.

Minimalist Modern Wall Art

Minimalist Scrap Metal Art

This is my latest work I posted here in my Etsy shop.  It is modern minimalistic abstract piece that I made entirely from scrap steel.  The arc was a steel rod that came from a garden stake of some sort, the yellow rectangle is cuttoff from a steel tube, and the big red disk is a large fender washer reclaimed from an industrial site.  All is painted in Rustoleum oil based enamel paints.

Related articles

• It’s About Time: Unique Decorative Wall Clocks (apartmentguide.com)
• 61 Magnificently Minimalist Homes – From Chic Concrete Abodes to Minimalist Shadowbox Abodes (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)

Industrial Chic Metal Art

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Art from Junk

The most thrifty form of art to make is art from junk. I like to collect various bits of scrap iron and steel and figure out how to incorporate it into my art work. Many times, I will have something several months or even longer than a year and still have not a clue what to do with it. I start a composition and then it hits me all the sudden. I see something missing from the work I am performing and I remember the right bit of metal. I search my stock until I procure the magic item. The piece is welded on in its special place and the sculpture “comes together” for me.
Take the junk art assemblage pictured on the right. The parts come from a paper shredder, garage door opener, and other unidentifiable metal items. It is also dimensional and stands nearly an inch off the wall so it may cast some interesting shadows depending on the light angle. This sculpture along with many others is available in my Etsy shop.

 

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Development of Sculpture

As I stated above, many times I begin work on something and it takes a life of its own. I usually only start with a couple pieces of scrap intially. After those are welded together the idea grows into maturity. Later, a completed composition results. Take the table top sculpture featured in the photo here. I originally was just thinking of the 2 steel balls and the 3/8 round steel leftovers. Then I remembered that I had the heavy duty perforated steel. I proceeded to cut the perforated steel into a triangle and it seemed to make the rest of the work pop.

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Parts and scrap convey a message

With the abstract industrial metal art, it is more about the mood or feel created by random assemblages of old machine parts and hardware. When simular parts are assembled in a human or robotic form, they convey a different message. A message that is much harder to ignore. With a charactor like Samson here, you will give more than just a passing glance.

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Where Industrial meets Steampunk

This is a table top sculpture is made from cuttoff scraps and old steel gears. It was kept in its original finish and clear coated to enhance the industrial look, The gears not only contribute to the brutish industrial look, but they also add a Victorian steampunk element of style.
Please visit this item in my Etsy shop for more information.

 

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Art from Contemplation

This imposing decor item started its life as a cuttoff from some 6 inch diameter square steel tubing. I added some accents and built up an abstract concept of someone in deep thought. Many times I sit and reflect on the possibilities of composition with the parts, materials, and tools I have. To find out more about this truly unique item you can check out the listing for this item in  my Etsy shop.

 

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