Jacob's Ladder Sculpture from found materials

Step 6 Metal work.

This step was not necessary for the project to be successful, but it is an integral part of my art process. I felt that the vacuum cleaner parts, still looked too much like vacuum cleaner parts. This was due largely to the presence of all the holes where bolts and rivets used to be. In addition, the surface was pretty nasty from oxidation and neglect. I use 3M abrasive wheels in a pedestal mounted buffing machine to quickly bring old aluminum back to life. This makes everything look much better, and is also necessary for good welds. A tig welding machine was then used to fill in any holes that were not part of the final design.