So in one of my welding classes, I finished all the projects for the class last week. I got bored and grabbed a box of Horseshoe nails (City Heads #6) and started doing some fine control practice on the T.I.G. process. When I had to weld the nail points, that was not easy to do without burning away the tips. TIGed with very small ER70S2 filler rod. Cell Phone pics are kinda crappy.

My Tribal Tropical fish (or on it's side - a face with glasses and a mustache)



The Tribal Fish, A Fish Bone Skeleton and a mock up for a spider. Ran out of Argon Gas before I could weld up the spider.

Can you say shoot it?

I had a friend whose Dad worked for the railroad and he used to make people out of the railroad spikes doing all kinds of things like a baseball player and another sitting on the crapper reading the paper some real nice stuff all cut and welded up and then painted all done on the thing that the spikes were driven into to hold the track done.

Keep it up and create stuff then shoot it and sell it both in images and as the original pieces as well.

And put the pics on stock

Sorry to say... Waste of nails. Useless. In a short while you will even be bored with it yourself.
Make something usefull instead.

I know this sounds negative, But its really not. I have done exactly the same.

They also resemble the transformer movie small creatures.

Quote from: JPSDK on March 01, 2013, 04:25

Sorry to say... Waste of nails. Useless. In a short while you will even be bored with it yourself.
Make something usefull instead.

I know this sounds negative, But its really not. I have done exactly the same.

Your comment, a waste of time reading. In time, with some luck, you will also see that your remark was unnecessary, derogatory and devoid of any decency.   I know this sounds negative, because it is. Most of us refrain from making such useless and self opinionated remarks.

Ehh. Don't worry about it. It's only useless to someone who thinks it is. Like, I could say Horseshoe nails are useless to me because I don't have a horse...lol. I like it so I will do it with whatever I can find. I do this while my pipe is cooling, in between passes. Just welded up a Spider (pic soon) and my Teacher wants me to do another Fishbone to present to the President of the School. I think some of the other students are going to be trying this too since 5 or 6 of them asked me about the nails, where to get them and the cost. One welder also does Powder coating on the side so he may do one of them up for me.

Getting a new Hood soon and while at the supply shop, going to get some silver solder and try some pieces that way with a Mapp gas torch.

To answer some of the other questions. I am in Welding for a College Cert. plus the A.W.S. Certifications. Got 8 Certifications with about 5 more to go for me. I want to go into Airframes (Planes) and such. Got one place local to get my foot in the door then I will move when it is time to step up to the bigger places.

What are some settings for shooting someone while welding.. and capturing the bare arc in the process? TIG is pretty dang bright.

Nails are fun to work with. I made a bird nest out of nails in college. Wish I still had either the nest or a photo of it. Think I got a good grade on it, too. The professor liked the idea of using something completely impractical to make something that is supposed to protect unborn and newborn birds.

Hardest part was heating the nails just right. I had a few pop on my when they got too hot, which was easy to do when you're trying to hold a nail in place and you end up paying more attention to the position than to the nail itself.

I have seen work like this mounted on light wood, selling for a pretty penny as artwork. You got the feel and talent. Leave the planes and get to be a rich sought after artist