Laura works super fast and is a quick study. She is one of those rare helpers who just instinctively knows what I need before I can communicate to her which tool or length of material I require. This means I have to be on top of my game to stay ahead. This also means that Laura is ready and eager to learn new things. Near the end of her workday, I handed her the welding stinger to allow her try welding for the first time, and I’m happy to report that she is a natural. With more than 70 feet of weld in each DOWNEYS letter, there is plenty of nonstructural welding to do. Since she is handling the bulk of the grinding after we do the welding, I suspect she will quickly learn how to do a really nice, even bead. By the end of this project, she will have a whole bunch of experience pulling welds. Let the welding adventure begin…
Music to my eyes
Today is a statutory holiday in British Columbia, meaning it is a day off for the crew. I spent a couple of relaxing hours installing the brass rod strings and tightening keys to the dragon harp that will be displayed in one of the upper towers of the Copper Crown in the Hazelnut Inn. It won’t be long until it is time to install this decorative piece, many other decorative features, along with the draperies and the furniture. Stay tuned…
Ready to send down the road
The Lyrical Toad and the Hornae Toad, my entries for the Sign Invitational to be held at the International Sign Association EXPO in April, will be carefully packed into the crates this week and sent on their way to the show. The pair of themed dimensional signs has been a welcome fixture in the shop for the last ten months as I slowly sculpted and painted them in quiet moments between so many other projects. Even though these two signs have just been completed, Ican’t help but dream up my next sample project. I have no shortage of wonderfully wild ideas to choose from. Stay tuned…
