Lynards that Love Iron and Iron Lynards

Sand Blasted Iron Lynard

Lynard after casting

Lynard with ceramic shell after dipping

Lynards are People who enjoy smoking weed.

To Celebrate the “Fired” Show at the Arvada Center, they had an Iron Pour, Raku Firings and Glass Lampwork for the audience to see some of the processes involved in making Art.

Cupola from Kansas

Cupola from Denver

I was part of the Iron Pouring. In this particular pour, I have a Lynard to be cast and a few other pieces. This Lynard has a ceramic shell around a wax positive. The wax gets burned out and the shell remains to be filled with iron, could be bronze or aluminum. I’ve been invited to Houston to help pour large pieces of Art with the option of making something for myself. I know I can’t afford to make any thing to heavy because it has to come home with me. But I’m going, I can’t turn down this opportunity or experience.

I rarely go without smoking, and I didn’t go without on this Road Trip either. Hey, Hey, hey, hey, smoke weed everyday! But I did wait till I was at home/B&B.

Headed to Houston, Texas. Going to Pour Iron. Brought some BFP’s

Cast Iron Band of Lynards

I may be the Mile High Potter, but I’ve been casting Iron for over 10 years. I love fire, I think that’s what lead me to ceramics. I’ve played with fire since I was a child. We lived in the country and burned our trash, hell, I love camping mainly for the fire!

Barrels of Coke and Engine blocks

Cylinder heads to melt

As for the Foundry in Houston, this place is HUGE. Giant compared to what I have dealt with. The couplas I use are 8 feet tall, here it is 3 Stories. So, the learning begins. I feel like I could walk you through the process, mainly because the owner Donnie has dialed this place in to where it’s a one man operation. That’s not accurate, but for the most part it is. You can’t load Coke and Iron, while you pour iron. but I’m sure when he was younger, he did. That is really where you need two people. He is happy to explain why things are done in a certain way, partly due to the age or condition of the equipment and the costs of materials. I really appreciated the straight forwardness and honest way he explained how he operates. He’s down sizing and getting ready to retire, he is a wealth of knowledge. And a man of many skills.

Manhole Covers

Sculpture Form

Cutting Casks

Sewing Torsos

I’m with a group of female Cast Iron Artist from Alaska, Colorado, and New Mexico. I’ll be assisting one of the Artist and helping everybody else. I made only one mold for myself, it’s of my daughters pregnant belly. But I helped make tons of molds. lol They are made of sand and are very heavy. Some examples of their work include Oars which the Artist had to fabricate the casks, cut and weld them back together, only larger. Other examples would be some delicately decorated fabric on sewing torsos, man hole covers, elk horn and a sculptural piece that consisted of two plywood multidimensional forms that interlocked with tubes and foam. What a great group of Artist.

Lunch

Breakfast

For the most part, we took turns making breakfast and dinner at the foundry. Our day was filled by making molds and the final preparation of coupla.

Lining the Cupola

We mixed refractory and lined the windbelt section of the cupola, the hottest spot during firing, it tends to wear out faster. The cupola is fed from above, 200 pounds of coke at a time and we were throwing in engine blocks and heads into this beast that melts Iron. To me, this is impressive. Because back home we break our Iron up small, to the size of a Dorito. Their ladle holds 1200 pounds of Molten Iron. Ours, maybe 120.

Now I’ve seen Donnie at an Iron Pour in New Mexico. At some point the crew gathered around Donnie, then he went to the cupola and as the hot Iron poured from the tap hole, he Slapped the liquid metal, sending sparks across the sand. As soon as I saw that I wanted to do it. Well, my day came. At the end of the Pour he taps out the cupola, draining all the molten metal out of the reservoir. The bottom gets opened to empty out the remaining coke and slag.

Smoking a Blunt

While tapping out the cupola, Donnie goes and runs his hand through it. I looked at him and said I want to do it. He says, go for it. I take off to the tap, he tells me to keep my hands open and through the fingers. I immediately race to do it. I was so excited. I didn’t hesitate, I just did it. probably faster than needed, so I did it again, this time I wasn’t focused so much on the stream of metal as I was on the sparks that crossed the room. I was, in that moment, master of the metal. then he told me to stop. so I did. It was empowering to touch it, and not get burned.

My Mother and Me

During this trip, I wanted to see my mother. She lives three hours away. closer than Denver. I will borrow the vehicle that I came down in and see her, My mother made me corn beef and cabbage and a peach cobbler, my favorite. We ate and talked. She was reluctant to take a picture. I told her its for me. She says shes fat and doesn’t want to. I tell her, I love her no matter what and i just want one of us together. Well she will have me delete about 20 of them and is cool with me sharing the blurry one she approved. LOL. I suggest maybe if we lay on the floor she wouldn’t appear as heavy. She agrees and we laugh so hard as we take them. They were not flattering for either one of us lol.

So, on the Road trip home, we Stopped at Cadillac Ranch. its near Amarillo. 10 caddys half buried in the ground and your encouraged to bring spray paint. The layers of paint are thick and mine will be covered one day. but here is a pic of Cadillac Ranch. have fun, keep art in your heart and share it with the world.