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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
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10 comments:

  1. Linda StarrSeptember 1, 2011 at 2:38 PM

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

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  2. A Peac-A WorkSeptember 1, 2011 at 4:32 PM

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

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  3. Meagan Chaney GumpertSeptember 1, 2011 at 9:37 PM

    Rust is a wonderful thing!

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  4. Barbara CashmanSeptember 2, 2011 at 9:09 AM

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

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  5. Meagan Chaney GumpertSeptember 2, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    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

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  6. lynSeptember 14, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    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 :)

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  7. lynSeptember 15, 2011 at 4:25 AM

    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.

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  8. Meagan Chaney GumpertSeptember 15, 2011 at 9:01 AM

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

    Meagan

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  9. Shelley WhitingNovember 22, 2011 at 5:28 PM

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

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  10. Meagan Chaney GumpertNovember 26, 2011 at 7:27 PM

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

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