Letters from Artists
I had a lot more letters but lost them when my hard drive crashed due to a power brownout and no APC. But here are a few of interest.
Subject: Rotating Triangle - cutting
Hello John,
I saw your work recently here in Louisville. Fantastic and
very unique! I think it's wonderful that you are willing to share your
knowledge on your website.
The piece that fascinated me most was your rotating triangles. I remember
wasting countless hours in high school making curved designs with ruler
and pen and straight lines (instead of listening to teachers). A child of
the "spirograph" generation I guess. Your piece reminded me of
those days
long lost.
Can you tell me what tool you use to cut the copper/wood laminate with
such accuracy? Reading your descriptions I'm assuming you patina the sheet
metal as a whole, then do the cutting. Your guidance would be most
appreciated. Thank you.
Best Regards
Philip Mason
Prospect, Ky
Hi Philip,
Thanks for your kind remarks.
I cut the copper/wood laminate with a DeWalt multi-speed scroll saw. I use a
3/64" drill bit to make the holes. I use magnifying glasses, low cutting
speed and proceed very slowly.
Good luck!
John
From: OAKITADG1
Hi John, My name is Orion and I live in Glenrock, Wy. I need some help because I am just about to pull the rest of my hair out. I cut some duck shapes out of some 10 gage plate and then I heated and used Plum Brown. (used for guns) I got exactly the look I wanted with the browning but the problem is with the clear coating. I have tried Polyurethane Spray and brush on. It lays down great but I can not keep it glass smooth. It gets bumps in like it is full of dust. Small bumps but not fish eyes. I don't know if the Plumb Brown is causing the bumps in it or what. Is there something I can put on after the Brown is dry to seal it up? I really like the way the Poly. looks but I am just not satisfied with the bumps. Sanding has not helped any either. I really do like the artwork you show on your site. I will never be any competition to your business though. I am going to start completely over on 2 of my ducks so if you have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate that. Sincerely, Orion
Hello Orion - Thanks for writing. I am not familiar with plum brown. I do know you need to
run tests and experiments on scraps before you take a risk with your finished
artwork. Have you tried blasting the surface with canned air first? They sell that at
office supply stores and Costco. Sometimes I need to wipe the surface with a
soft lint-free cloth first, then blast with air too. Dust is always a problem.
I have a clean area walled off with plastic drop cloths that I use for clear
coating. Sometimes a different topcoat works best. Would Krylon clear coat be
satisfactory? I've had copper coated with Krylon outside for 5 years with no
problems. Many people use Incralac - you can find it through Google. Good luck and let me know how it goes. John Searles
Hello again -
It occurred to me that you may be using the Deft polyurethane spray. I've had terrible problems with this spray on aluminum - the spraying creates a lot of static charge which draws in lots of dust. Or you may be using one of the Minwax polyu sprays - I had lots of little bizarre bumps with these. I've had great success with the Rustoleum PolyU - you can get that at Lowe's or Home Depot. Good luck - do lots of experiments and keep detailed notes.John Searles
Hello John! I really admire your work! I am an artist also and I was wondering if you might share some info....I am very interested in taking my art to a new level using aluminum, I have never worked with this metal before and I am not familiar with painting on aluminum. I use acrylics on canvas and was wondering if acrylic paint will adhere to aluminum without any special process...also, will pieces of cut aluminum adhere to canvas that is already painted? If so what adhesive should I use? I would greatly appreciate any info you may be able to supply...I can't seem to find anyone who is familiar with this process. Thank you so much for your time! Peggy http://www.ebsqart.com/Artists/cmd_312_profile_portfolio_Gallery_1_1.htm
Hi Peggy - I have struggled with this problem a lot and may have
some answers. Ordinary acrylic paints don't adhere well to aluminum.
You apply the paint and then it peels off with your fingernail. Oil paints
stick only slightly better. However, polyurethanes like Deft do adhere very well.
So, in theory, you could put the polyurethane on, let it cure, then apply your
acrylics. I have also had great results dissolving oil paints in polyurethane
and then applying the tinted polyurethane. Dry time is slow though - at least
4 hours, which may be very desirable. Duplicolor (try Autozone) makes a product called
Adhesion Enhancer that might work well - I've been meaning to try it.
Duplicolor paint seems to adhere very well and dry quickly. It might work as a
good primer. Autobody primers might be a good choice if you don't
care about seeing the aluminum through and/or under the paint. Glues I have used with aluminum - epoxy, gorilla glue
(brown polyurethane glue), DAP contact cement, Liquid Nails, and Goop. You
should be able to stick it onto canvas without a lot of trouble. Liquid Nails
would probably be the easiest to use, plus very permanent, though it takes a
few days to get rid of the smell. If you apply the paints in semi-transparent layers, the
aluminum will act as a mirror, which is an interesting effect. You can
wire-brush the surface to create other effects, also hammer marks, chisel
gouges, or even a router. You can cut the aluminum with snips, bandsaw, table
saw or plasma cutter. You can buy it in many different widths and thicknesses. Anything you can do that is unusual will enhance your
sales. We all have to find unique ways to be 'different and special'. Good luck to you and I'd enjoy hearing about your
successes and failures. All the best, John Searles
Hello - First I would like to thank you for the great
information on your web page, I have a question about the color process can
you get different colors with different heat or do you get the metal red hot every
time? do you put a hanger on the piece before you color it ? also are
the shapes cut by hand or do you use some sort of machine to cut them before
you put them together? Very beautiful work and I would love to try a small
project. Thanks again Drive careful Jody B. Anchorage Alaska
There are lots of ways to cut copper - snips, bandsaw, plasma cutter. Really
thin copper (e.g. 5 mils) can be cut with scissors. I get the copper red hot to get the reds & browns & blacks & oranges. Then I braze the hanger on the back. If you use cooler temperatures, you can get the blues, greens, aquas, even
pinks and yellows. These are thin-film interference colors. These I braze the
hanger on the back before coloring. Good luck!
John Searles
Howdy Again , I have another question do you
brush or clean the copper before you color it? you mentioned that a
knotted wire brush works good so do you wire brush it before the color work
as opposed to some sort of chemical cleaner and then after say a chemical
treatment do you wash or clean it aging or just dry it? I am trying to find
some sheet copper here in Anchorage and I am going to try one or two of your
techniques I would love to be able to make a wall hanging for my house. Thanks again Jody
Hi Jody -
My local Lowe's sells small rolls of copper in the roofing section. I usually
buy 4' x 10' sheets from roofing supply companies. The secret is that you have to do experiments. Try this, try that, keep
notes and it will be fun for you. As they say - Just Do It. All the best,
John Searles
if this is useful to you or you like what you read, why not
give me a link on your site?