Aluminum Playday

Kevin (and Arthur and I, but mostly Kevin) have taken to scrapping old trailers.  Recently we took one down not far from the house.  Aluminum and steel are the main items for the Reclamation Centers (Recycling).  Copper wire is also something to keep an eye out for.

This melting expedition included aluminum from that scrapping job as well as our own private collection of candy wrappers (from Christmas) and assorted aluminum pieces saved from the trashcan in the kitchen.   The more we can return to nature, recycle or reuse the better.  

Kevin has played at melting down aluminum for a while now and the experiments have been simple, mainly seeking out suitable molding mediums.  He and I had spent hours designing lovely patterns in plaster of Paris only to find that the hot aluminum cracked them. So this time we played with both sand/dirt and concrete. 

As you can see from the collage, with our makeshift furnace and crucible we are very much novices. Our process is refined bit-by-bit, experiment-by-experiment. And it doesn’t hurt that Kevin likes playing with fire, and concrete and wood and, well the list goes on an on….

For me, I’d like to create aluminum focal points for the jewelry like sun catcher creations I build.  Ever the master fabricator, Kevin will design as well as see the project into production.

From these humble beginnings we have high aspirations. Exploring where our creativity motivations take us has become a major component in our lives.  The impulse to create is strong and we are delighted to answer the call.

~ Cheryl

Conduit Tinker Toys

My husband Kevin was inspired to communicate the page/blog over a year ago and I’ve decided to take over as narrator.

We’ve been ‘going green’ for some time now, consciously working to stay aware of our resources.   From our own land, as well as those in the community, we gather up the fall off, from logs, mulch, used lumber to reclaiming surplus plants, stones, machinery and building materials.  Reclaiming.  Re-Creating.

I’ll start with a project that became art built out of necessity. 

We’ve had our gardens for years, trying to live in peace with the deer that occasionally gobble up of vegetables and fruit plants starving gourmet style. Early this spring  we took action,

Some years ago, Kevin had cleared several lots for the family of a deceased community neighbor.  During the clean up many a treasure was bought home and stored for future use.

Among those spoils were pre-bent conduit meant for construing a greenhouse that never materialized.

So after setting posts of re-claimed 4x4’s from a torn down dock, Kevin inserted the bent conduit like tinker toys, giving our garden a rustic yet sculptured feel.

Since this photo, we’ve had to add a few strands of fence wire to keep the younger deer from slipping through.

Blueberries, tomatoes and peppers alike thrive happily, safe from the gourmet nibblers.

Cheryl

P.s. Notice the backhoe in the background; it will be making future appearances…