I have nearly finished my fourth new piece for the 2026 exhibitions, and it has been the most challenging piece to to date that I have made. I can't tell you how many days and sleepless nights I have spent trying to decide how to make it, even after I had all the metal cut and ready to weld. The metal sat in the hallway for at least a month. Every time I walked past it I kept thinking I have bitten off more than I could chew.
I was planning to make a medium-sized set of slip rollers to help me form the bends.
I had designed it, modelled up in CAD and ordered the metal for it, made as much as I could at home, but needed to borrow my mate's lathe to machine the rollers. However, he has not been at work for over two months.
Thankfully, he started back in the new year, so I went in to use his lathe to make the rollers, and it broke down on me with an electrical fault.
So I still don't have a slip roller.
I decided after another few sleepless nights to go back to plan A and form it by hand.
It worked to a fashion, but I could not get it perfect for welding, so it distorted a bit.
I now know that I could possibly make a better job of the next one by doing it slightly differently, and with the use of a slip roller, it would definitely be easier.
I was originally thinking of calling it the Continuity, but I am now thinking of calling it Sleepless Night, due to the number of sleepless nights I pondered on the way I would make it.
Going over and over every possible scenario and what the outcome may or may not be. In the end It turned out better than expected but not as good as I hoped, I always see every little imperfection in everything I make. I am looking forward to making another one but this time I will wait until I can make myself a set of slip rollers.
The next dilemma was whether I should have it free-standing or have it so that it spins freely. I have it mounted on bearings now, and it spins quite nicely in a mild wind. Waiting for a nice stormy day to see how it behaves. But thinking it will be spinning and not fixed. Or maybe I give the customer the option.
