Finishing the brass skep with an oxy-acetylene torch and bronze brazing rods. Surface color was controlled with torch work and a lemon-salt solution; detail was re-introduced with a die grinder. The last image shows a system for hanging the 100 pound sculpture, which will premier at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in September 2015
skep
open studio: welding brass skep /
Top row, left to right: making of the traditional bee skep (from Wikipedia); a stack of welded brass rings; brass rings with a ground surface to create straw-like texture; shaping the segments of the brass rings with a peening hammer and wooden cradle
Bottom row, left to right: welding the brass rings together with an oxyacetylene torch and brazing rods; two welded rings with clamps to attach a third; measuring the uppermost ring, which has been hammered to reduce its diameter, in order to create a tapered top for the skep; a bee skep from a french fairytale