Car inspired welded metal sculpture

[steeler]

Some pieces I've created over the years using a Millermatic 135, 212 and a 350P Aluminum set up. The Nascar is from 2005 and modeled off a Monte Carlo. The other 2 works are modeled from the Dodge Charger and Mustang from the Steve McQueen movie Bullitt (1969). One is 3/8" steel and the other is 3/8" 6010 aluminum. All are over-life sized at 17 - 18 ft. long.

[Donald Branscom]

Looks like you really put that Millermatic 135 to work! WOW !!

[NoogaD]

That's some beautiful work man. Hope those sold for big bucks because that looks like a month of Sundays of work.

[steeler]

The aluminum Mustang was acquired by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art last year.... the other cars are still looking for a home. They've been shown in several states...mostly at university public art programs.

[MNT]

Those are really cool. If I would have seen Bullitt in the theaters in 1969 and started that project the next day, I think I would still be working on it.

Great job.

[wronghand]

Very cool steeler-- Try taking them to a Barrett Jackson car auction, I bet you would make a mint. Guys were selling different sculpters there last year for thousands of dollars

[Daniel]

Looks really cool. I have to ask. I much time this piece of art took? What was your inspiration? meaning what made you take this route?

[gordsgarage]

Good creativity steeler, the work looks fantastic. The Nascar constuction looks very interesting, all the 3/8" rod looks to have a radius bent into them. What was your technique. Love to hear about the details concerning the build.

Well done!

Gord

[CPB]

Good job Steeler.

[steeler]

The process with the Nascar involved buying a 1:18 scale toy which I took all the measurements off & I blew it up by 1.5 times. I basically drew the car in space free hand by bending and cutting several major lines to frame the car. Then using a pair of bolt cutters, a pair of vice grips, a vise and my Millermatic 135, I just kept filling it in. I cut every piece of 1/4" round by hand and then for the smaller pieces I bent each piece into semi-circle radius using the grips in the vice. There is no real pattern-- I have an interest in chaotic visual systems found in nature and the surface is a combination of straight and bent lines.

The process for the Charger & Mustang is basically the same only I pulled CAD drawings of the cars off the internet into Sketch-Up 3D software. I used the software to take these measurements. Also-- I used a cold-saw and horizontal bandsaw to cut the steel & aluminum. I still bent each piece by hand with vice grips and a vice. People ask why I don't just roll the metal and then cut it, but I need to do it by hand to work with the space I have as the pieces keep getting smaller & smaller.

The Nascar was the first piece I did this size and it took me a solid 9 months working on it when I could. The other cars went much faster-- I can built this way really fast now that I know my system... I'd say each took 3 months or so.

None of these were built over an existing car body and they are not exact by any means....

If you want to check out my other work, my name is Jonathan Hils and my website is : http://www.jonathanhils.com

I've taught sculpture at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK for the past 9 years.