Ten years ago when Moth was much younger, dinosaurs were fascinating. When Becke needed a mailbox stand and we were looking for a test project for our new CNC plasma cutter I whipped this all-steel skeleton. Moth loved it but Becke’s landlord wasn’t so sure. The feature was instead relegated to hold a ‘by appointment’ sign out in front of our property. We’ve decided to change him out for the little fish submarine which returns tomorrow. That means this piece is now up for grabs. We’ve decided he will go free to the first person who provides him with a good home. We will remove the sign he holds in his claws. We can help load the heavy piece with our forklift but transportation is up to the recipient. He measures approximately ten feet long and the sculpted concrete log under him is included as that is how he is held upright. First come - first serve as we don’t want to store him on our property.
Flying solo
People are often surprised to hear that it most often takes a year or more to bring a new team member up to speed. Newcomers to our team quickly discover that our projects are built with a ‘feel’ in mind rather than a highly detailed plan. There are many unspoken nuances needed to create magic. Most often, our projects are guided by a single concept drawing which our customers have signed off on. This concept seldom has measurements and is only one angle. At the start, we generally do a quick scribble on the floor in chalk to work out the rough measurements and angles of the structural steel. Heavy base plates are cut on the CNC plasm cutter and we kick the welding crew loose. When Keith came to us he was used to working with detailed drawings and precept pieces. Jigs were commonplace to ensure accuracy. We instead go with the flow, working out challenges on the fly. It is all about problem-solving and working by eye rather than tape measure and square. After more than a year of working under our close supervision and guidance, Keith was ready to tackle this project himself. It looks deceptively simple but will be challenging to make it flow perfectly. We had a long discussion at the start, with him explaining how he interpreted the drawing, how he would do the structure and then form and weld the pencil rod armature around this heavy frame. I’ve been busy working on my projects across the shop and watching with keen interest from afar. I am delighted to report is doing great!
The jet kabob rides again!
For four years we built and showed prize-winning booths at IAAPA EXPO, the world’s largest trade show for the theme park industry. Right after the 2019 show, we fabricated a new killer display for the 2020 EXPO… but then COVID happened and the trade show was cancelled. We skipped the 2021 show for the same reason. In 2022 and 2023 we were far too busy to consider attending the show and this year will be the same. As we looked ahead to our committed workload for the next two years it will be more of the same. That means it was time to take a serious look at our trade show booth and its future… which realistically means we will scrap it… save for the centrepiece. The JET KABOB photo op is much too pretty to waste. In case you were wondering the ‘G’ emblem in the grill is to honour Grant, my favourite son-in-law. As soon as our shop building repaint is complete the duel jet-engined vehicle will be moved to a place of distinction in the planter in front of our shop. Visitors will have the opportunity to pose for the slickest selfie ever as they ‘test-drive’ this beauty. We even have some very cool steampunk-styled goggles they can don for an extra measure of coolness…
