Metal Crafting & Sculpture With Scrap Metal

Making whimsical, funny little bugs out of pieces of workshop metal, or nuts, and bolts are the entryway project for many people to explore the wild world of scrap metal crafting and sculpture. Especially popular at arts and craft fairs, small statues of animals, birds, and bugs, made from easily identifiable pieces of metal such as nails for antennae or a pair of broken pliers for a body, are also a fun way to get kids interested in making art.

A mix of identifiable tools and other metal pieces, added to the body of a piece of sculpture, adds to the visual interest in the piece and allows viewers to identify with a piece immediately. Abstract art, especially abstract sculpture, suffers from seeming to be cold and aloof, isolated, and impenetrable. Having scrap metal that can be identified easily as part of otherwise abstract work, such as old tools or the easily recognized label on aluminum can, bridges that sense of aloofness. Viewers recognize that the old tools had a life and a history before they became art, and they serve as a path into what the artist wants to say.

The sense of humor that characterizes much of the sculpture made from scrap metal is another reason this art is so popular. A red metal rooster strutting through the garden, or a metal terrier, head cocked for a treat and tail up, are charming and funny to come across in unexpected places. Outdoor spaces such as flowerbeds and gardens are a wonderful place for scrap metal sculptures because they can tolerate being in the weather, and their worn metal parts look best when in their natural element.

Gardens are also the place for one of the most popular types of scrap metal art- sculptures that use the wind to move, called kinetic sculpture or wind spinners. These metal sculptures are designed to move with the wind and often have a shape made out of blades, feathers, or other small parts that can twist and spin. These kinetic sculptures come from the old wind sculptures perched on many rural barns, small carved wooden birds that moved and pointed in the direction the wind was blowing.

There are many ways to craft scrap metal. The most common are welding and using wire to attach pieces. When making scrap metal with children, a lighter-weight metal such as aluminum cans can be cut and molded with tin snips and holes put in the soft metal for lacing, such as with shoestrings. Many types of glue and adhesives can attach these lighter-weight metals or can attach nuts and bolts to a body. For large and heavy pieces, welding remains the technique of choice.

We are an excellent source for exciting pieces of scrap metal. Get in touch or come by to see what we have to offer!

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