Here's my latest desktop, #40. This desktop has a theme - Racing. Ferrari racing to be specific. The marbles are kept at the top and are released with just the touch of your finger into a tipping arm. My usual desktop has the marbles roll into a track splitter. This desktop has them roll into a tipping arm that tips when two marbles are inside it, side by side. When it tips they are dumped out at the same time giving them each a fair start on one of the two full tracks.
This desktop will be going to Hojo Racing in Beverly Hills, Ca. (I tried to trade for a couple laps around the track, but no-go!) I made his car out of wire and also wrote out Hojo Racing in wire as well. In the photo below you can see Hojo Racing in red. I painted the letters red because if left in stainless steel you would never notice it behind all of the tracks. The red really brings it out, especially in person.
This desktop will be going to Hojo Racing in Beverly Hills, Ca. (I tried to trade for a couple laps around the track, but no-go!) I made his car out of wire and also wrote out Hojo Racing in wire as well. In the photo below you can see Hojo Racing in red. I painted the letters red because if left in stainless steel you would never notice it behind all of the tracks. The red really brings it out, especially in person.
The car was quite challenging. I thought I could do it, but plans sometimes don't work out the way you imagine them when you actually get to doing. I cruised his website - www.hojoracing.com for a good photo. Once I had found one I used Adobe Photoshop to "find lines". I enlarged and printed this photo and then laid the wire right on the prited paper to make sure it was exact. I started out with the front tire, and then added the bumper, then added each piece one by one. I had at first tried to use 1/8" wire, but (HA!) that didn't work out like I wanted it to. It was much to stiff to get the small curves needed for the tire, and gave it up in about 5 minutes. So I switched to 1/16" stainless "fill" wire. I say fill wire because it is sold as a filler when welding thicker metal. I get it in 1lb packages from my welding supply. It is great for detail work, or like you might have guessed, filling in those gaps when welding.
I don't normally paint my sculptures because the paint doesn't stick to stainless well. But in this case it needed painting so it would stand out, and make it look very clean. Without the paint the small weld spots are noticible. With the paint it looks much cleaner.
I don't normally paint my sculptures because the paint doesn't stick to stainless well. But in this case it needed painting so it would stand out, and make it look very clean. Without the paint the small weld spots are noticible. With the paint it looks much cleaner.
The back of the sculpture:
The front of the sculpture:
And the video!
