Most metal we throw away is still perfectly good metal. A broken bicycle chain, a snapped spanner, a handful of bolts and washers. What ends it is not the material, it is the shape. Change the shape and the scrap goes back to being useful, or in this case, becomes something worth keeping on a shelf.
In this workshop you work with discarded metal and turn it into miniature sculptures of your own design. This is a hand tool session. You cut, file, bend and join at the bench, which is slower than machine work and teaches you far more about how metal actually behaves. No prior experience needed, and whatever you make is yours to take home.
What You Will Learn
- Reading scrap: which metals are worth using, and how to tell them apart
- Marking, measuring and planning a build before you cut
- Cutting and shaping with hand tools: hacksaw, files, punches and the vice
- Bending and forming, and how metal moves under load
- Joining metal, and how to get a clean strong joint
- Filing and finishing so the piece looks made rather than assembled
- Working safely with sharp edges, burrs and heat
- Design thinking for sculpture, and how to see a form inside a pile of parts
Workshop Includes:
- All scrap metal stock, consumables and tools
- Safety gear
- Guidance from a maker through the full build
- Your finished piece to take home
- Refreshments through the day
Who Is This For
Anyone who likes making things with their hands. No experience needed. Closed shoes and clothes you don’t mind marking are essential.
