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Thursday, September 1, 2011

Beautiful Steel Patina - aka rust!

Two questions I am asked frequently about my Tile Plaques are "What is the backing made of?" and "How did I get that beautiful patina?"

Well, the backing is a mild steel that I've salvaged in sheet form from a local scrap yard. I haul it home in the trunk of my car to store until I need it. (Side-note: I haven't figured out how I'll do this with a car seat now in the car? This just adds to the growing list of why I officially want a mini van now. There. I said it. My secret is out.)Anyway, this ladies and gentlemen is my "Steel Storage Area" otherwise known as the pile of sheet metal stacked up on cinder blocks outside my studio. The cinder blocks just help with drainage and keep it a bit dryer. You cant even see them in the photos.Yep, that beautiful patina I'm always asked about is All Natural! I just leave the metal outside to rust.Then when I need them, I haul the sheets inside, cut them with a plasma cutter...
And then coat the front and back each with 2 coats of satin polyurethane. Done!
LinkAny questions? Holler at me. Or if you know of any other fun metal patinas, I'd love to hear about them.

Oh yeah, and I just listed 6 new Tile Plaques on Etsy this morning! Three of which incorporate slumped glass which I don't do too often these days.

Cheers!
Meagan

10 comments:

Linda Starr said...

Great description, I never met a junk yard full of rust I didn't like.

A Peac-A Work said...

I love the way you accentuate the positives of the natural processes in your work. Nature does know best!

Meagan Chaney Gumpert said...

Rust is a wonderful thing!

Barbara Cashman said...

I absolutely love your "alligator" texture. Share??

Meagan Chaney Gumpert said...

Hey Barbara! Are you talking about the glaze on that first tile? It's a Crawl glaze. Here's a link to the recipe: http://www.meaganchaney.com/artist.php?page=artist&subpage=recipes

Thanks!
Meagan

lyn said...

hi I discovered your blog yesterday and have had a great time reading through your stories. Your work is stunning and I particularly love your textured glazes. Thx for taking the time to share your clay stories amongst the business of being a young mum :)

lyn said...

I love your work and your blog.
Your use of mixed media is amazing, thank you for sharing your stories. I've been stuck at home this week and have enjoyed reading your blog from Australia.

Meagan Chaney Gumpert said...

Your most welcome Lyn! Glad you stumbled upon my blog and are enjoying my ramblings. Take Care!

Meagan

Shelley Whiting said...

I love all the different designs on the tile plaques. They're very playful and fun. Beautiful and charming work.

Meagan Chaney Gumpert said...

Thanks Shelley! Hoping to get back into the studio soon to make more plaques!