BOUQUETS
BOUQUETS
Pump Bouquet
This Kewanee Water Supply Company pump was set up for hand operation and in service on a local farm until it fell into disuse. Cleaning and dismantling revealed a nice collection of brass and bronze parts that influenced the final color choices and composition.
The blue base was made from hand formed eighth inch by three inch steel and all of the fastening hardware was replaced with shop made brass fixtures or modern stainless steel. This is not the original green but a lighter shade I mixed to complement the lettering and base.
Toledo Pipe Threader
This tool was completely rust seized, but repeated applications of penetrating oil and a thorough cleaning brought it back to the point where it could conceivably be functional once again. I was able to expose the interior ratchet gear ring by removing a section of outer cover and replacing it with clear plastic. The elegant worn nameplate inspired the brass flower and hardware that goes so well with the green paint, my favorite machinery color.
V8 Ford Bouquet
The circular steel part forming the main body of this bouquet is a refurbished clutch pressure plate assembly from a standard shift Ford V8. I like the contrast between the polished flat disc and the red center and how the light showing through the evenly spaced segments highlights the flower.
Feeds and Speeds Bouquet
The beginning of this piece was a control dial section from a defunct Milwaukee milling machine. I was able to cut away the gear housing intact as a complete, independent unit and begin to modify it. I polished the internal gears, replaced the broken handle with a clear face and attached the wrench to spin the mechanism. The beautiful bronze indicator ring only required cleaning and is otherwise untouched. To improve the presentation I machined a mild angle into the base and attached a yellow pine wedge.
The Large Wrench Bouquet
This is a machine shop bouquet created around an extremely large curved wrench. The fan of petals is made from reclaimed stainless steel hand cut and shaped with an English wheel. The base is the arbor section of a scrapped cast iron paper press refurbished and machined to accept the petals, wrench, central gear and hidden shop built fastening assembly.
