GARAGE ART: What'd you build?

I've got that same wheel and same cheap lamp laying around, thanks for the idea!

 

interesting; i've never heard of these (being hollow)

that's what i checked on and the machine shops around here wanted an arm and a leg PLUS they would not guarantee that the hole would not come out the side; i pay whether it wound up correct or not...

anyway, thanx for the reply. i really like the lamp.

 

I didn't build this one, I found it on the net, but I thought it was pretty cool so here's the repost...

 

Made this light up wall shelf display cabinet thingy out of the rear window of a junker '27 Buick.

 

Kinda bummed.. I've been looking at this thread for a couple days and finally finished it- but I want more. Guess I need to go out to the shop, but it's like 1 degree out so its hard to get going. The wife enjoyed this though so maybe some of the crap I build will have a chance at coming into the house?
Anyway, Nice work fellas- Greg

 

Here is a flower out of rocker arms, a pulley, push rod end, intake spring, rebar, and a couple of spoons. I hope my wife doesn't miss them.

 

My can crusher!!!!

 

^^^^Details please.



Sent via Illinois Bell Telephone Company's Car Radiotelephone

 

That is fricking beautiful!!!! I have a tanker desk in my garage that came out of the willys motors factory. That looks like it was made for it. I hope you don't mind if I plagiarize your idea.

 

Back in the 50's-60's it was a popular fad to take an old bias-ply tire...cut around the sidewall and turn it inside out to make a planter out of it for your yard. I remember my neighbor making some real neat ones when I was a kid. I always wanted one but never had the time or patience to try it. Anyway a few years ago I spotted one out on the curb during junk week in front of this old farm house. This one's extra cool 'cause they used an old Firestone "Gum Dipped" whitewall and "scalloped" the edge while cutting it.


So a couple of years ago I got the idea to try and add to the automotive theme by making a set of flowers for it out of old car parts. My son and I are enrolled in the welding course at the local tech (he was only 15 but I snuck him in)...so we worked on it for a couple nights a week and got it finished....I let him practice by doing all the (Mig) welding.



We used small block Chevy rocker arms for the flower "petals", the rocker balls for the centers.....pushrods for the stems.

..then welded it all to a base made out of an old flywheel.



For the squiggly looking "weeds" we took the inner spring (dampers) from some BB Chev springs...heated them cherry red, and stretched them out as far as they would go.






..and then used an old brake drum underneath to act as a riser to get it just the right height...




Shot it with some oil base Rustoleum...found a nice spot for it right next to the garage door.





The "dirt" is chopped up tire rubber they sell at the landscaping yards now..they even sell it in brown!!




So there you have it....a flower garden made entirely of recycled car parts....you don't have to water it or feed it...or pull the weeds !



And it even got the wife's approval....

>>> I will have to add a recent pic....it looks a lot better now that it has weathered some and the shine is gone...

 

Got my second 409 valve cover lamp assembled and working. Built the first one for my son. I think I will keep this one and maybe get it pinstriped.
Found the valve covers years ago all rusty and partially flattened from being run over. Knew I had to have them and could make something with them some day. The lamp bases are from the 50's and 60's.

 

I never thought I would say this to another man but I would arm wrestle you for the wicked evil soul-eating ventilated ceramic pussy cat on the right!

 

It was just something I put together to make crushing cans a little funner. It has a 6inch stroke air cylinder and actuator valve bought off of ebay.

http://youtu.be/tBC5yZ3jhRo

 

It needs to cycle automatically until it runs out of cans. micro switch and tdr will do it. Other than that a very impressive device!

 

I agree ..still hammering out the details!!!!!

 

I see your rocker arm flower and raise you a Tulip and Lilly.
(nice work by the way)

Godspeed
MrC.

 

here is my 61 Caddy couch I made for our from showroom, Yeah that's Mr. Speedy Bill and his wife Joyce as they visited to see how the Taxi cab was coming along, it now resides in Bills Museum and a 57 New Yorker in the works, and a few more waiting.

 

I built a trophy out of "stuff" (model a motor mount; old yard sale wrenches etc.)The Golden Wrench Award, for a friend who helped me build my first Hot Rod at his garage after the original builder went under.Great guy and member of my club the "Cam- Snappers" of Newburyport est. 1952

 

I built this for my new "business" (F)utility Studios. It was the first thing I sold at the Retro Rewind.

 

^^^ I like it.

 

Thanks! Here's another view

 

there is alot of great stuff on this thread. here's a question for everyone....would you buy it if it was forsale? been thinking about cranking some stuff out of my own garage...all seems cool to me but i hate to make 100 of something and just collect dust.

 

My wife and I did the craft fairs and a booth in the craft mall for a while.
I listened to so many people say, I could make that.... I finally put up a sign "Sure you could make it, but will you?"

There are several things on this thread that I would buy even though I could make them. But you are marketing to a bunch of guys that build cars here.

 

Good sign. When I worked in steel-fab shops years ago, I would make all kinds of artsy objects from scrap and ornamental pieces on company time.. Now that I have my own garage, a welder, and am retired, I haven't. Yet. And, yes, I do buy someone else's crap at garage sales. I have a BUNCH of parts for "someday".

 

Right on. I keep hearing those comments, too. Then I realized that a car crowd like the HAMB aren't the right market. Builders do their own work. People that hang around builders think that they can do everything. Both want everything cheap. Car enthusiasts, but not necessarily builders, and people who appreciate art are potentially better markets.

Shutterbug, build a few things and see how it goes. Don't start off with 100s.

I started an Etsy shop to sell my stuff. http://www.etsy.com/shop/FutilityStudios

I'll only post a few things at a time as I build/sell them. I've been invited to display/sell at a few non-car shows as well.

 

Thats cool Hellfish I had to take a doubble take on the air vair cooling fan brings back memories.

 

Slightly off-topic but I've had folks who were watching me letter/strip something say, 'I could do that if I had the right brushes & paint'. On more than one occasion I've been known to hand them a brush and say, 'have at it'. That usually shuts them up.

Back to all the cool garage-built stuff now (I'm still looking for the back end of a pickup to turn into a fold-up bench/shelf/seat...so thanks for that inspiration).

 

This is a great thread. Making me think twice before I fill the bin with leftover junk!

 

After seeing the rocker arm flowers I had to give it a try.

 

here a dash bezel from a 20's mopar that i made into a picture frame, just have a pic of it painted and striped, will get another of it when assembled with pics in it.